What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
What could possibly go wrong when explosives are used at a high school football game?
For one thing, a 16-year-old boy may be crippled for life according to an article in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer headlined Boy hurt by cannon blast feels twice wounded - Accident in football town elicited threats, not get-well wishes.
Back on November 18, 2006, I posted Explosions Shake Coeur d'Alene Place Home. That blog post recounted how the City of Coeur d'Alene improperly issued a fireworks display permit, failed to enforce its own ordinance requiring a blasting permit, and failed to oversee the safe of the use of the fireworks at a high school football game in Coeur d'Alene on November 3, 2006. As a result, our house was shaken by explosions.
Mixing judgment-impaired overzealous fans, derelict indifference to safety by city officials, and explosives at a high school football game is a bad idea. "What's the big deal? It's just a football game," the fans and the city officials will say.
Ask Brett Karch, the Snohomish boy who at one time hoped to enter the military but now just hopes to be able to walk on two legs again.
ADDENDUM, 12-21-2006: After reading the P-I's article, please also take time to read the SoundOff Commentary hyperlinked after the end of the article. The commentary is readers' responses to the article.
For one thing, a 16-year-old boy may be crippled for life according to an article in today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer headlined Boy hurt by cannon blast feels twice wounded - Accident in football town elicited threats, not get-well wishes.
Back on November 18, 2006, I posted Explosions Shake Coeur d'Alene Place Home. That blog post recounted how the City of Coeur d'Alene improperly issued a fireworks display permit, failed to enforce its own ordinance requiring a blasting permit, and failed to oversee the safe of the use of the fireworks at a high school football game in Coeur d'Alene on November 3, 2006. As a result, our house was shaken by explosions.
Mixing judgment-impaired overzealous fans, derelict indifference to safety by city officials, and explosives at a high school football game is a bad idea. "What's the big deal? It's just a football game," the fans and the city officials will say.
Ask Brett Karch, the Snohomish boy who at one time hoped to enter the military but now just hopes to be able to walk on two legs again.
ADDENDUM, 12-21-2006: After reading the P-I's article, please also take time to read the SoundOff Commentary hyperlinked after the end of the article. The commentary is readers' responses to the article.
posted by Bill McCrory | 5:00 PM
4 Comments:
Just read the "Sound Off" commentary. It would seem we don't have a monopoly on village idiots here in northern Idaho. I do wonder why with so many like you and me protesting local governmental nonchalance, as did our neighbors in western WA, things don't change. Is it a small town thing or what? Or incestuous behavior from the natives handed down through the ages?
Thanks for reading and posting a comment. I suspect it would take a behavioral psychologist with a specialty in abnormal psych to explain why supposedly rational school supporters would hire a helicopter and use explosives to engage in reckless behaviors that endanger others at something as trivial as a high school football game. What thoroughly ticks me off about what happened in CdA in November, though, is just how badly the City's Director of Municipal Services, the City Council, and the Fire Chief let the community down by so miserably failing to do their jobs. Apparently rubber-stamping certain permit applications without questioning anything about them is acceptable in CdA City government. I doubt that we'll ever be able to change it.
As I read the story, I felt nuasea. The family, the boy... how in God's name could they react to him like that and his family. The flaming town!! and no one goes to his birthday party? $200 piddy dollars... Makes me sick. Wish Dateline or one of those would pick up the story... the town should be ashamed of itself.
As long as the good ole boy system is in place... there won't be changes. "Hey, Dick, I thought I would call you to tell you we are having fireworks over here tonight on the field." "That is ok, Bob, do you need the paper permit, or is my word good enough for you." "Well, Dick, I will pick up the paper in a couple days if I come by." "Good, Bob...have a nice fireworks"...... and that is the way it goes.. Until some one dies.. and from the reaction of this boy's town, I guess not even then...
Wordtosser,
Evidently the town of Snohomish came to its senses (or was struck by political reality). It and his classmates have rallied around the young man and are trying to help him recover. It looks as if two adults may be prosecuted for making threats against him.
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