You sure did. I particularly appreciated the "who calls SAR" issue - it's something I'd forgotten about. In the case of PLB's it's definitely the person in trouble who triggers the search.

However, I'd forgotten about the individual who's simply late, and someone calls in for a rescue. In that case, I'd tentatively agree that the "innocent" hiker who is late, but doesn't need a rescue, shouldn't have to pay for it. ("Tentatively," because the hiker is the one who said to grandma/wife/girlfriend, "If I'm not back by Tuesday, let someone know.")

Also, there is the argument that, if the SAR unit is government-funded, "we" have already paid for it by paying our taxes.

Not an easy issue, for sure.