Report: Florida man tries to land helicopter on U.S. Capitol lawn
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A Florida man tried to land a helicopter on the U.S. Capitol lawn to send a message about campaign reform, according to The Tampa Bay Times.
Doug Hughes, a Hillsborough County resident and a mailman, wanted to deliver his message personally -- via letters. When the county sheriff's deputies visited his house last spring, he insisted, "I'm not a violent person. All I want to do is draw attention."
Unfortunately for Hughes, his plan happened to violate federal law.
But he still wanted to carry it out. He live-streamed his debut flight on his gyrocopter he learned to fly specially for the occasion. He bought $250 in stamps and brought a letter for each member of Congress, writing:
"I'm demanding reform and declaring a voter's rebellion in a manner consistent with Jefferson's description of rights in the Declaration of Independence. As a member of Congress, you have three options. 1. You may pretend corruption does not exist. 2. You may pretend to oppose corruption while you sabotage reform. 3. You may actively participate in real reform."
He realized how crazy his plan seemed.
"No sane person," he said, "would do what I'm doing."
