BANG
Do all Americans have the need for a bit of bang in their lives?
Or, it might better be stated as our being constantly in need of explosive, exciting
incidents in our lives. We seem to feel we must be shaken up a bit now and then for no
particular reason.
The continued fireworks displays are evidence of it, to me. This year, as usual, they
are all over the place, all around us in the night skies of July 4th. I had expected them to
be less evident this year due to the excessively dry conditions of both forest and farmed
areas, but that seems to have spawned new displays rather than eliminated even a few
of them. For some reason the public seems to reasons that if “the government”, “they” or
some cooperate entity undertakes to set off a display, it is permissible, while it is wrong for
individuals to do so. We commoners are restricted to lighting “sparklers” and small,
little-bang firecrackers. That’s very much like your being handed a cold hot dog to nibble
on while everyone else is eating steak and potatoes. Even those of us who never planned
to shoot off any fireworks, seem to resent being ordered not to do so.
Such restrictions exist in some states and are totally ignored in others. There is
evidence of bootlegging activities in explosives of this type and much border-crossing to
buy what is needed for home use.
Doesn’t that remind you, in many ways, of the futile attempts we made in the early
to eliminate alcoholic beverages? The town drunk simply found ways to get prescriptions
for his daily needs and went right on thinking.
At a time when many areas are asking people to be especially careful with fire in
any form, one would think there would be fewer fireworks displays. That is not so, it
appears.
At such moments, where are all the hosts of protesters writing letters to Ye Editors to
editors demanded that we do some to help suffering people in far off lands of great and
growing variety? Where are those who oppose the waste of public funds? Where are the
paraders and barricade builders who, so often, object to “harmful” or “decadent”
practices? Rather we see people flocking in large crowds to the local Mall, fairgrounds or
any open field to witness a colorful display of ear-splitting explosives that last, usually,
about fifteen minutes or so, and which are concluded in a swirling cloud of acrid, smoke -
all of it of the “non-polluting” kind , of course.
We are having are our cake and eating it too, it seems.
Naughty , naughty. But, very “patriotic”
A.L.M. July 5, 2002
