And the rockets red glare
Did you have a good 4th of July? We had people over all day and late into the night for food, freedom talk, and fireworks.
Our fireworks were of the legal variety, but many of my neighbors were flouting the laws and launching illegal fireworks late into the night.
It’s reported that Saint Paul really amped up the police fornce to protect us from this dangerous scourge. ”
“One squad car in each district is assigned to respond to fireworks calls over the holiday and seize illegal fireworks” … ”We have zero tolerance for any illegal fireworks,” says Officer Lynette Cherry.
More zero tolerance and I don’t know about your neighborhood, but it totally worked in mine. Ok, enough of the sarcasm.
Do you think that the extra patrols for fireworks were necessary and/or helpful?
It doesn’t sound as though the extra patrols did much good, in your neighborhood at least, but the attempt, as flawed as it may have been, is good to see. Fireworks are dangerous. Despite the attraction, perhaps the loud boom and pretty lights, or maybe plain old tradition, fireworks in the hands of many inevitably leads to explosions in the hands of many and burnt eyelashes on the faces of many. While I could personally live quite well without ever seeing or hearing of fireworks again, I am of course not going to say that buying them is wrong. The increased patrols at least served to remind people to be safe and try and prevent children, especially, from procuring miniature explosives and getting hurt.
I’m pretty much the only one in my family that likes fireworks. As a kid I was allowed to have all sorts; I’m talking about roman candles, bottle rockets, and big things that go boom.
I was lucky and didn’t ever seriously hurt myself, but over the years there were a few firecrackers that caused some temporary discomfort.
I have a few anecdotal stories from friends in St.Paul that said the police patrolled their neighborhood and although they raced in with lights blaring all they did was shine a spot light around and drive off.
I have to imagine this is almost impossible to enforce and the idea of our government cracking down as people celebrate it’s Independence, in a traditional way, is ironic in the extreme.
I had a great 4th of July Independence Day, mainly because I avoided celebrating it in any way. I’m all about a three day weekend to myself.
As for fireworks, I’d think the focus ought to be more on safety. How they expect police to bust illegal fireworks I have no idea. So maybe a PR campaign would have been more appropriate than extra patrolling. Although that’s practically all that was in the newspapers and on tv news last week, so…
Can’t legislate stupidity. Someone will always want to blow some shit up.
I actually don’t really have a big problem with people lighting up an M-80 or two on the holiday (I grew up in SD, where they’re legal, and am kind of used to it). What I hate is the chuckleheads in my neighborhood that decide to make every day the 4th of July and light them off at 11:30 on a Tuesday night. It brings out the crabby old lady in me. Oh, and I totally call the cops on them.
I was in Iowa where it seemed like everyone and his mom had giant mortars, roman candles, bottle rockets, et al.
Oh, and they are super illegal there, but nobody seems to care.
Yeah yeah, every year you get the one or two stories about people with severe burns, but why should the nanny state ruin our fun while protecting the idiots?
why should the nanny state ruin our fun while protecting the idiots?
Except it’s not actually protecting the idiots, who will find ways to blow off fingers and eyebrows despite our best efforts.