How about a quieter patriotism?

Posted on | July 5, 2011 | No Comments

I write this slightly groggy from a bit of sleep deprivation. Our oldest and biggest dog, Sampson, does not deal well with thunder or fireworks. So, as a result, despite being fairly patriotic (my childhood bedroom was red, white and blue) and a lover of three-day weekends, I’m not a big fan of fireworks these days, either. Especially those my neighbors insist on lighting for weeks leading up to the fourth, and far into the night of the 4th and early hours of the fifth.

I might also mention that what they are doing is illegal, as Colorado has a statewide ban on fireworks that explode or leave the ground (which I think pretty much includes all fireworks that might be worth buying, lighting or watching). And also, note that there are more fires on the 4th of July than any other day of the year – including a vacant home in Fort Collins, CO and another in Greeley (two dogs were killed, house was destroyed), and part of Invesco Field in Denver. And while I’m not a fan because of the danger involved, I had to laugh at a piece on an environmental radio show that hinted that there were environmental issues with shooting off fireworks.

So I was an interested observer of the fireworks stands on pretty much every corner of our town, and I’m particularly intrigued by those just across the Wyoming border where, I understand, you go to get the “good stuff.”

I do know that if you buy stuff that explodes or leaves the ground in Colorado, you sign a form that says you will leave the state to use it. A nice way to facilitate those sales, and foist the liability onto the purchaser for what by every other measure is an illegal product. Maybe I can buy hash, is I promise to take it to the Netherlands to use it? Some states limit sales to their own residents (PA) but if you are from out of state, anything goes, as long as you are leaving the state after your purchase. Maybe we can buy cocaine in WY if we promise to use it in Colorado? PA is very popular for fireworks runs by NY and NY residents, which have bans on fireworks in place.

I was amused to see, in the same issue of the Denver Post, a post-it-sticker advertisement/coupon offering a discount on fireworks, but in a different section of the paper a story on the rules various jurisdictions have when it comes to fireworks. Denver, Arvada and Aurora have actually made it illegal to sell, possess or use any fireworks.

Then I saw some stories that confirmed that, as usual, it comes down to money – $952 million in fireworks sales, or, rather, the taxes those sales generate. The New York Times reported that sales number for 2010, 2/3 of it to consumers, in an article that notes that revenue generation often trumps safety concerns (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/business/03fireworks.html?_r=1). One Tennessee county did away with a 65-year ban.

The truth is that fireworks sales are rife with hypocrisy, including in Florida, which restricts sales to special use purposes, including signaling trains or scaring off birds, while allowing fireworks stores to proliferate.

As I said, I’m fairly patriotic, love the 4th, my country, and the occasional firework. I’d just like, on behalf of poor Sampson and my brain and body, if the yahoos in my area would mind their manners, respect their neighbors, and limit their explosive celebrations to before 10 or 10:20 p.m. on the 4th, and cut out the weeks of lead-up, as well as the temptation to go well into the night of the 5th (especially when the 4th is a Monday).

Then, if you really want to be patriotic, buy fireworks and use them on the 4th, and early – and buy American when possible, pay your taxes, and vote.

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