Holiday not so bad

In the July 13 paper, Barb Bauman gave 10 reasons for “Hating the Fourth.” Had she devoted as much time to the study of American history as she spent studying the economics of fireworks, she would have found some of the answers. Let me address just the first six:

1. Fireworks have been used to celebrate events in civilized countries since 200 B.C., starting with the burning of bamboo in China. Why do we use them on July Fourth and New Year’s Eve? Tradition!

2. The handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence is dated July 4, 1776. The signatures of the 56 delegates are affixed, although the actual date for each signature has been debated for the past 238 years.

3. War is hell. And very noisy.

4. Not everybody who fought suffers post-traumatic stress syndrome. I speak from 17 months of experience.

5. Animals should be sheltered when owners know fireworks are coming. As for the other hysteria she alludes to: At the July Fourth fireworks at Riverfront Park, where were the “screaming, running, crying” children?

6. The “toxic pollutants and haze” she references are insignificant compared to the auto, industrial, etc., we breathe daily.

Roy Edwards

Spokane