Fireworks

[carmenbeaudry]

I feel a bit hypocritical in my attitude toward fireworks. On one hand, I come from a long line of rednecks people who thought nothing of blowing up stumps with dynamite or shooting blanks to make noise on the 4th. To be fair, however, these same people knew how to handle said explosives, and set a good long fuze, usually across a 40 acre field, and made sure there was no one or thing around to be hurt. I'll tell you what, nothing beats hot-loading a Kentucky flintlock and shooting it off for noise. M-80s just don't do it.

In addition, I REALLY like explosions.

However, I now live in the city. Not suburbs, city. My next door neighbor's house is literally 5 feet from mine. I have also seen some truly stupendous feats of stupidity with fireworks, done with no thought of any of the potential consequences to self or others. I've had firecrackers thrown at me. We've had fires every year. A few years ago, someone not very far from here set off a bottle rocket that went into a house window, setting it on fire. The fire ended up being minor, but the homeowner had a heart attack while evacuating his disabled wife, and died. So, when the city of Tacoma decided enough was enough and banned all fireworks within the city, I supported it wholeheartedly.

Has the ban gotten rid of all firework? No, but the number of fires and injuries are down, and the 4th seems to be the only day that folks are setting off fireworks, instead of least a week before and after, like before. Last night it was bad enough that we had to close the window (this old house is pretty sound proof) and there were still a couple of booms that rattled the place. Note to the idiot responsible: setting off M-80s after 2 am on a weeknight, even if it is the 4th, doesn't make you patriotic, it makes you a douche.

All in all, it was still better than St. Patrick's Day.

Comments

[mrq-laurellen.livejournal.com]

Wow. There must have been a douche flash mob of sorts last night because we got a big boom at 2AM too. Who knew douches could coordinate?

[corbaegirl.livejournal.com]

I think it probably had more to do with bars closing at 2 am than any coordination on the part of the douches.

[dame-eleanor.livejournal.com]

We had our own share of douchedom over here too! I didn't even bother trying to go to bed before midnight. But, not everyone could take today off, so very, very annoying and inconsiderate for those who have to be up early!

[javagoth.livejournal.com]

I have mixed feelings myself. When I was growing up we had big block parties on the 4th. There was still douchery and as drunk as people got it's amazing there weren't more injuries than their were. I never have like loud booms but I've always had sensitive ears. Even though I was one of those injuries I still enjoyed most of the fireworks and the neighborhood parties. People moved away, the dynamics of the neighborhood changed, and then a fireworks ban was put into place - so that by the time I was in high school it was mostly a non-event anymore and the only fireworks shows were at parks or in Seattle. I understand the cities reasons for it (more and more people - houses closer & closer together) but I still get a little melancholy about it around the 4th.

[seticat.livejournal.com]

Here in Little Red-Neckia you can't buy anything that explodes or launches itself higher then 15 feet [if I remember right] without signing some silly-tsh form that says you aren't going to set them off here in state, but will be taking them out-of-state [wjere it's also illegal, but not Idaho's problem, I guess].

Needless to say, it doesn't slow anyone down.

I didn't go to bed until around 0300...