Family Value, traditions more important than injuries

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2006-12-21 11:31am

You'd think that there'd be some second thoughts after the previous cannon "gave out" in the 80's, but no, let's just build another one in the high school metal shop and everything will be fine. So we have a cannon built by a bunch of kids with questionable workmanship, design standards, and materials, and you're blowing off over a quarter pound of gunpowder in it with each shot. Oh yeah, and they found a stress fracture earlier in the year and they decided it was still safe to use. If this isn't a recipe for getting someone killed, I don't know what is. The amount of negligence and stupidity involved is pretty mind boggling.

On top of that a kid was permanently crippled and almost killed because of the faulty cannon, but that's his problem, we must have our damn cannon for our football games. What a great bunch of people, someone ought to gun down all the fuckers and then claim the great tradition of 2nd Amendment rights, afterall, it's their fault for getting in the way of the bullets.

Frank Hipper · Post by **Frank Hipper** » 2006-12-21 02:14pm

Losing their retarded fucking noisemaker doesn't even threaten football!
Can you imagine these threats?
"Boy, you better heal up real good and not be a limpin', or we're a comin' after ya!"

Jesus fucking Christ, why can't they all drink Clorox and put us out of our misery?
I hear it comes in a delicious Lemon-Lime flavor now.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2006-12-21 02:47pm

Darth Wong wrote: PS. I'll bet money that the ass-cracks in this dumbfuck town normally say all of the "don't blame the victim" rhetoric about any other kind of crime. Funny how things change when their precious football is threatened. In my opinion that town deserves to lose its goddamned football program entirely, but I know that won't happen.

It's not only about stupid "football" (which the lobotomised fucktards carried on with even after this poor boy was nearly killed in front of them) but also the bizarre, disgusting act of directing unambiguous threats at the hospitalised adolescent and then shunning his equally innocent family. Why torment somebody who was seriously injured by a faulty canon? What did he do wrong? It sounds just as irrational as Middle-Eastern fucktards stoning female rape victims to death (it's has the same vindictive mindset behind it).

lance · Post by **lance** » 2006-12-21 03:03pm

Bounty wrote:
For more than 30 years, the blast of the cherry-red cannon has ignited the roars of fans whenever the home team scored in this football-proud town.[...]The tradition of firing a cannon at football games has all but disappeared in most school districts, which makes this one that much more endearing to its community.

"This one was grandfathered in,"
30 years seems awfully short for a 'grandfathered in' tradition. Or does this canon tomfoolery go back even further? Are they talking about the canon itself being 30 years old, or the tradition?
.

I thought the cannon itself was grandfathered in, not the practice.

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2006-12-21 03:15pm

For those of you not from the Seattle area, this is the same newspaper that prints all sorts of sensationalist stories (and of questionable journalistic/editorial integrity), such as the one a few weeks ago highlighting a crane operator's past drug use (he'd been clean and sober for seven years) and insinuating he might have caused the crane to collapse.

Snohomish is just up the road from me, and I know several people there, including some who have high school aged children, and NONE of them knew that this kid had been threatened or harassed. I wonder if the reporter and the family aren't turning threats by a couple of assholes into something bigger than it really is?

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2006-12-21 04:54pm

I doubt that many people would directly torment the innocent people and family, but the community turning it's back on the victims sounds plausible. And while media over exaggeration could play a part, I doubt one distrustful rag is responisble if this news is already all over the Internet from other sources.

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2006-12-21 05:25pm

Big Orange wrote:I doubt that many people would directly torment the innocent people and family, but the community turning it's back on the victims sounds plausible. And while media over exaggeration could play a part, I doubt one distrustful rag is responisble if this news is already all over the Internet from other sources.

It sounds plausible, but the people I know who live in Snohomish didn't know much about this story until they read it in the PI, so I'm not sure that this is really all that widespread.

Also, what other sources are you referring to? All I've seen is similar news reports and blogs lambasting Snohomish for being a bunch of football-loving hicks.

The problem is most people blasting Snohomish don't know much about the town. It's a suburb of Seattle, and the people who live there are a mix of blue-collar longtime residents and more recent white collar arrivals (including many Microsoft and Boeing employees). Sonicare has a major office in downtown Snohomish, and like many of Seattle's suburbs, this is a very diverse community, with plenty of educated middle-class suburbanites who don't give a rip about high school football. Snohomish isn't a hick town, despite all attempts to describe it as such.

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-12-21 05:41pm

Hey, I know Snohomish from highschool lunchtimes wasted playing Shadowrun!

It's very strange to me that football was apparently linked to guns/explosions for most American highschools. It's even harder to believe in today's sue-happy world that they'd overlook the problems in this situation.

Howedar · Post by **Howedar** » 2006-12-21 05:42pm

I don't feel like we're getting the whole story here. As previously mentioned, Snohomish is not exactly Bumfuck, TX. I'm not rejecting the story outright, but I'm a little bit skeptical that things are being portrayed in a fair light.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2006-12-21 06:55pm

I don't the get the impression that Snohomish could be as bad as any hicksville in Texas or Louisiana if it is near Seattle, but no matter what the average income, political sentiments or education in a community is, you still get nasty and vindictive people doing hurtful and petty things. But the community's problems could be overblown by the media to get an angry reaction and sell more papers.

Setesh · Post by **Setesh** » 2006-12-22 11:51am

Darth Wong wrote:I couldn't stand the fucking dumb-ass thread title any more. The plural of "injury" is "injuries", not "injurys". The title has been corrected.

Thank you, I was running on about 4 hours sleep in 3 days when I posted and didn't notice. *pause* I am curious as to why no one else seems to have noticed, I usually get a PM when I fuck-up in the title and fix it myself. I type my messages in WP and spell-check them since I can't see mistakes like that on my own, but I don't always bother with the title. Can we get a shout out for dyslexia, woo.

Back on topic, I'm still more disturbed that he was threatened not because the did outlaw the tradition but because they might.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-12-22 12:15pm

SancheztheWhaler wrote:It sounds plausible, but the people I know who live in Snohomish didn't know much about this story until they read it in the PI, so I'm not sure that this is really all that widespread.

Of course it isn't; it would only affect the parents and students of one particular high school. But given the near-insane level of football fanaticism that is common in all parts of the US, I don't find it hard to believe that the students and parents at this one high school would treat this kid like shit if they think that he might threaten their football program. He should be drowning in well-wishers and get-well cards and the whole nine yards.

Big Orange · Post by **Big Orange** » 2006-12-22 12:27pm

Darth Wong wrote: I don't find it hard to believe that the students and parents at this one high school would treat this kid like shit if they think that he might threaten their football program.

This will hopefully threaten their "football" program now, especially after what they did to this teenager and his family. This whole thing would've been totally avoided if they actually behaved like real people.

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2006-12-22 01:55pm

Darth Wong wrote:
SancheztheWhaler wrote:It sounds plausible, but the people I know who live in Snohomish didn't know much about this story until they read it in the PI, so I'm not sure that this is really all that widespread.
Of course it isn't; it would only affect the parents and students of one particular high school. But given the near-insane level of football fanaticism that is common in all parts of the US, I don't find it hard to believe that the students and parents at this one high school would treat this kid like shit if they think that he might threaten their football program. He should be drowning in well-wishers and get-well cards and the whole nine yards.

The reaction of the people threatening him is completely out of line - I don't think anybody has said it wasn't. The point here, however, is that the entire town (that's a little under 9,000 people) hasn't shunned him. Most of the town doesn't even know that this happened to the kid.

You make a good point, and one that I wonder about - has he had any well wishers visiting him and supporting him? It makes me wonder if the kid had any friends before the accident, or he wasn't particularly popular to begin with.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-12-22 02:14pm

SancheztheWhaler wrote:The reaction of the people threatening him is completely out of line - I don't think anybody has said it wasn't. The point here, however, is that the entire town (that's a little under 9,000 people) hasn't shunned him.

No, but I doubt the parents and kids at this high school are going to be so much different from other people in this town that their behaviour would be completely dissimilar if they were in the same situation.

Most of the town doesn't even know that this happened to the kid.

And that's a rather damning point right there, isn't it? I live in a suburb of more than three hundred thousand people, against which this piddly-ass dipshit 9000-person suburb looks like nothing more than a rounding error. And if some kid almost got his leg blown off by an exploding cannon at a high-school football game and there was a controversy over the continuation of this "tradition", you can damned well bet that it would have gotten splashed all over the local paper. Sure, it wouldn't make the national papers, but the local paper is a different animal. So why doesn't everyone in this relatively tiny town know about it? It seems to me that nobody wants to talk about it, which is rather damning in and of itself.

You make a good point, and one that I wonder about - has he had any well wishers visiting him and supporting him? It makes me wonder if the kid had any friends before the accident, or he wasn't particularly popular to begin with.

Even if he had no friends, the school would normally be actively encouraging its students to send well-wishes etc. They would remind people about it on the morning announcements, hold school meetings, etc.

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2006-12-22 02:59pm

Darth Wong wrote:
SancheztheWhaler wrote:The reaction of the people threatening him is completely out of line - I don't think anybody has said it wasn't. The point here, however, is that the entire town (that's a little under 9,000 people) hasn't shunned him.
No, but I doubt the parents and kids at this high school are going to be so much different from other people in this town that their behaviour would be completely dissimilar if they were in the same situation.
Most of the town doesn't even know that this happened to the kid.
And that's a rather damning point right there, isn't it? I live in a suburb of more than three hundred thousand people, against which this piddly-ass dipshit 9000-person suburb looks like nothing more than a rounding error. And if some kid almost got his leg blown off by an exploding cannon at a high-school football game and there was a controversy over the continuation of this "tradition", you can damned well bet that it would have gotten splashed all over the local paper. Sure, it wouldn't make the national papers, but the local paper is a different animal. So why doesn't everyone in this relatively tiny town know about it? It seems to me that nobody wants to talk about it, which is rather damning in and of itself.
You make a good point, and one that I wonder about - has he had any well wishers visiting him and supporting him? It makes me wonder if the kid had any friends before the accident, or he wasn't particularly popular to begin with.
Even if he had no friends, the school would normally be actively encouraging its students to send well-wishes etc. They would remind people about it on the morning announcements, hold school meetings, etc.

Perhaps there isn't a controversy - except in the minds of a few assholes?

Big Phil · Post by **Big Phil** » 2006-12-26 01:37pm

Here's an update to the story - and big shocker for the PI, it's almost 180 degrees opposite of the original story. So now, for those of us who don't live in Snohomish, we don't really know what's going on... thanks to shitty journalism.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/2 ... ish26.html

Don't judge Snohomish by actions of a few

By RANDY HAMLIN AND WILLIAM MESTER
GUEST COLUMNISTS

We read with great interest the Seattle P-I article about the threats against Brett Karch, a student and JROTC member whose leg was severely injured when a ceremonial cannon exploded near him during a Snohomish High School football game ("Boy hurt by cannon blast feels twice wounded," Dec. 20).

As a result of an ongoing investigation, criminal charges have been forwarded to the city of Everett prosecutor against one of the two individuals who allegedly placed threats against Brett while he was hospitalized in Everett.

Like many P-I readers, we are saddened and angry about this incident. It appears Brett has been victimized by one or two individuals who displayed an inhuman lack of compassion and a wildly misplaced sense of values. We were shocked to read that an injured high school student would be threatened -- while still in his hospital bed -- by one or more adults more concerned about maintaining the tradition of the use of this cannon during football games than about his well-being and recovery.

The P-I story in print and online resulted in nearly 400 e-mails to the city of Snohomish. Many of the messages understandably expressed outrage at the idea of a student being threatened by adults who wanted to ensure the continuance of this football game tradition. We were dismayed, however, that many of the e-mails also asserted that such behavior by those individuals may somehow represent the values of our community.

We encourage P-I readers to not judge an entire community by the actions of a very few. Snohomish is a town of 9,000 people and the school district area that feeds our single high school contains 30,000 people. In fact, the Snohomish community and school district have reached out to support Brett and his family.

In the two weeks of hospital confinement, Brett was regularly visited by teachers, school and district administrators and students representing JROTC and the student body. Several hundred get-well cards were sent to Brett from the high school students; the football team sent him an autographed football to express support. In November, JROTC students went to Brett's house to bring his recliner from home to the school so he could attend the JROTC annual ball.

He also was warmly greeted by his high school peers at the annual Veterans Day assembly, where he was honored for his service to JROTC and Snohomish High School. Additionally, significant assistance to the Karch family has been coordinated through a local community church.

Unfortunately, it appears one or two people have tarnished the community's reputation by their behavior.

Most people of our community were unaware of what was happening because the city of Everett police investigated quietly, as is the normal course in such criminal matters.

We anticipate now that information is being released, our community will continue to reach out to Brett and his family during his recovery.

We encourage Brett and his family not to be intimidated by anyone who would expect anything less than honesty in this matter. We also urge swift and just outcomes for any individuals found guilty of making threats against this young man. These are the values that we believe truly represent the vast majority of our community.
Randy Hamlin is the mayor of Snohomish. William Mester is the Snohomish School District superintendent.

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-12-26 01:44pm

That's not actually a clarifying news article; that is a letter by people in the community who are trying to defend their reputation. I don't see anywhere in the letter where it refutes the statements of the original article that he received enough threatening visits and calls to force hospital staff to move him to a secure room, nor do I see anything about the high school immediately deciding to stop the use of the cannon in future, nor do I see anything about the assertions made in the original article that he did not receive the level of care that he would have received if he were a football player. It's not even written as a news article; it looks like a letter to the editor.

muse · Post by **muse** » 2006-12-26 02:06pm

It's a guest editorial piece written by the Mayor and the School District Superintendent. Like Mike, I don't see anything in it which clarifies the situation.

Ritterin Sophia · Post by **Ritterin Sophia** » 2006-12-26 02:22pm

I also failed to see where they disclaimed that the game proceeded as normally after the cannon took off the kids leg.

Gunhead · Post by **Gunhead** » 2006-12-26 03:42pm

Karch said he didn't do anything different that night, a view shared by his ROTC leader Mack, the retired Marine Corps colonel, who said the team follows military protocols for loading and firing the cannon.

"T3H colonel sez we use the miltary procedures! IT MUST BE SAFE!!"

Well it's either their rotc trainer is a complete fuck up, or their understanding of safety issues is retarded. I know enough about real artillery weapons to know, that correct loading and firing protocols work IF THE WEAPON IS OTHERWISE UNDAMAGED. If there's even a chance that a weapon is damaged, it will not be used until the nature and extent of the damage is determined.

-Gunhead

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-12-26 04:11pm

Obviously, the cannon was supposed to be held together by the Power of Tradition.

General Zod · Post by **General Zod** » 2006-12-26 04:14pm

Gunhead wrote:
Karch said he didn't do anything different that night, a view shared by his ROTC leader Mack, the retired Marine Corps colonel, who said the team follows military protocols for loading and firing the cannon.
"T3H colonel sez we use the miltary procedures! IT MUST BE SAFE!!"

Well it's either their rotc trainer is a complete fuck up, or their understanding of safety issues is retarded. I know enough about real artillery weapons to know, that correct loading and firing protocols work IF THE WEAPON IS OTHERWISE UNDAMAGED. If there's even a chance that a weapon is damaged, it will not be used until the nature and extent of the damage is determined.

-Gunhead

Perhaps they determined the nature and extent and decided "aw fuck it, it'll go on for another few shots just fine."

Post by **Darth Wong** » 2006-12-26 04:47pm

Really, whoever decided to use a cannon made by the high school shop class in the first place was grossly derelict in his responsibility to the public safety and should be punished accordingly.

Gunhead · Post by **Gunhead** » 2006-12-26 05:05pm

Darth Wong wrote:Really, whoever decided to use a cannon made by the high school shop class in the first place was grossly derelict in his responsibility to the public safety and should be punished accordingly.

What I find triple amazing is that they had an ex-member of the military available for consultation, a colonel no less, and he didn't stop them from using the cannon. Or atleast heavily advise against using it. I mean if I went to our weapons experts and asked them if it was a good idea to use a cannon made by a bunch of teenagers, they'd have me fucking committed.
It's not like commercialy built and tested cannons aren't available. If you have to have a cannon at a game, why not buy one made by professionals. If it's so fucking important a town with a population of 9000 people can easily cough up the funds for it.

-Gunhead