Boy hurt by cannon blast feels twice wounded (Gets Threats not Sympathy)

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/296584_cannon20.html

The cannon shot that ripped into Brett Karch's leg, causing a gaping combat-style wound, has also torn a hole in his hometown community of Snohomish.

Karch, whose leg was nearly amputated and who faces more than a year of physical rehabilitation with an uncertain outcome, has been the target of physical threats because of fears his injury will jeopardize the community's tradition of firing the ceremonial cannon before each high school football game and after touchdowns.

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. With its tree-lined streets, gingerbread-trimmed Victorian houses and hills crested with historic churches, the town is devoted to its traditions, including its beloved cannon, which students in the school's metal shop built after a previous cannon gave out in the mid-1980s.

Football and the cannon were entwined, like popcorn at the movies. And football and Snohomish were even more so.

"Football is a huge part of the community," said Paula McVey, mother of a Snohomish student. "When there's a game on, you can hear it going from anywhere in town."

as they drove this boy to the hospital. As one ROTC mom said, if it had been a football player, he would have been airlifted out. And the kid and his family have been ostracized, even threatened! All because the cannon blew up, probably from the stress fracture mentioned. If the behavior of this town is typical, then America has gone mad.

Dude nearly loses a leg, and people are threatening him because htey're afraid his injury might lead to abandonment of shooting a frigging cannon at a football game?

These people are fucking nuts!

:shrug:

passed off like a fucking football game. So now someone got hurt from a huge weapon, what a surprise! Blame it on the kid...sure sounds like Conservative Family Values. He stuck his leg out there ON PURPOSE ! Bet he is a Librl! Ugh. :puke:

freakin' RELIGION!

That poor kid! Shame on those people threatening him! I bet these are the same kinds of people who wrap themselves in the flag, "support" the troops, and yet wouldn't join the military for anything. Fucking armchair jingoistic patriots.

Sorry for the rant, but this kind of crap just pisses me off. All people like the nasty townspeople can do is wrap themselves in symbolism, whether it be the symbolism of "victory" on the football field, or the symbolism of "victory" in war. They have no concept of the real thing.

I can't believe this is happening in MY TOWN. I would never imagine this would be happening in Snohomish. Yes, football is a hugh deal here for the sports fanatics but this is crazy. This is a very Blue town.... Unbelievable that he's getting threats. This is disturbing me greatly.

Texas is football crazy.

I live in Snohomish too, and it is a blue town, not a "typical rural town". I was really bothered by this story from the beginning. My kids are at Snohomish high school and love going to the football games and have always hated the cannon. And the feeling among them and their friends is ALL complete sympathy for the boy.
Something just doesn't ring true about the whole story.

...for the next Conservative Idiots of the Week? :grr:

This is just disgusting. It reminds me all too well of the high school I went to in 9th and 10th grade. You know, the small town's center of worship -- a football program that operates a high school in its spare time? :eyes:

A fellow DUer spent a year at Snohomish H.S. in the '80s. From what I recall (and I may be getting this wrong, but doubt it), a couple of football players gay-bashed a fellow student. There was no disciplinary action against the players...but the victim was expelled. :puke:

I hope that damn cannon gets taken away from them for good. (And I only wish the football team could go with it.)

I think you should definitely do that.

also nominate them for the Darwin Awards.

Blame the people who think the military should be mixed up with sporting events (and this is not limited to football). I've had to suffer color guards, flyovers, you name it, at a multitude of sporting events and I HATE it, even though I love sports.

I read this story and I was appalled. I am from a small town, and while they might have played the game with a non life threatening injury, even if it were to a player, they would have discontined use of a cannon if it was dangerous (not that they would have had it to begin with).

I am guessing it's some small group of bullies doing this. Although, I have to admit, when I read this story, it seemed really strange that no one in the town seemed to be coming to his defense. That seemed highly unlikley to me, because I've been to Snohomish and it doesn't seem like this is the kind of place this would happen.

It's what some people use it for -- jingoism, bullying, etc. And while I'm sure that the whole town of Snohomish isn't threatening this young man, it IS surprising that no one has publicly come to his defense. What's up with that? I've been to Snohomish a number of times myself, and overall, have found the folks there to be good, decent people.

at least, parts of it. Obviously, the incident happened, obviously feelings are running high, obviously there are those who want to keep the cannon. But I CANNOT believe that the entire town is ganging up against the guy. In fact, the only person I ever knew from their was the victim of sexual harrassment on the job and helped to whistleblow on a superior.

This is the first many of us are hearing about the threats to him. My daughter was at this game and although she doesn't know this boy it is not the "hot" topic around the highschool amongst the kids she knows. She was just astounded that this was even going on.

It's always about football, and good ol' boys.

My dad coached football at my high school for years. The town loves the team, but something like this never would have happened (first of all, we wouldn't fire a cannon, and second of all, our town has always rallied around anyone who is hurt in an accident). Blame the good ol' boys, blame the CANNON, but the game of football itself is not responsible for this. Plenty of high schools treat it in a healthy way.

I live in a suburban community near Tacoma. Football is God. Everything at the school revolves around the football players. I have a friend in Snohomish. Even tho it's getting a shitload of fancy new homes, it's still fairly rural, and I can imagine the same thing would happen here in my town. That poor boy and his family.

A cannon is a pretty good percussion instrument to help with the end-zone dance. I don't see any big problem with using one.

BUT, when someone is hurt, a little sympathy and support wouldn't kill ya.

The suit part: Most grown-ups in rural WA, especially a Colonel of Marines, should know something about guns and high schoolers. One basic common sense rule: Do not trust a cannon made in a high school shop class. Dumb, dumb, dumb. It's just an overgrown zip-gun, a Saturday Night Special, an invitation to disaster. There are enough "professional" cannons, surplus or historic or reproductions from reliable sources.

This town and school deserves to get ripped in a lawsuit. They probably know it, and that's the reason for the hostility.

Regards

Who ever threatened Brett Karch is(are) an asshole(s) but I disagree with painting the town of Snohomish with such a broad brush.
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SNOHOMISH - Brett Karch, 16, can't walk and soon will undergo a fourth surgery after his leg was shattered when a ceremonial cannon exploded at a Snohomish High School football game.

Now his family hopes the community support they felt right after the October accident will return to help heal emotional injuries from a cruel few.

"I know there are good people in Snohomish," said Mary Bissell, Karch's mother. "The voices that are being vocalized are the negative ones. ... The whole community is going to have to overcome this, and he needs their support."

The cannon for more than 30 years marked the start of each home game and Panther touchdown. Karch pulled the trigger the night it blew apart.

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/12/22/100loc_a1cannon001.cfm

- Brett Karch's fourth surgery on his left leg that was nearly blown off by a malfunctioning ceremonial cannon is near.

At 16, the Snohomish High School student already has shown more courage since the accident than anyone his age should. By rights, Karch should be breezing through classes, stuffing burgers and fries down his neck with his buddies and winking at the breathtaking blonde he wants to meet at the next school dance.

Instead, Karch has to worry about the titanium rod that runs from his knee to his ankle, which replaces a shin bone that was blown to pieces. He has to worry about skin grafts and the February surgery, in which surgeons plan to graft bone from his hip into his leg to help it heal.

http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/12/24/100spo_sl001.cfm