4th of July celebration not enjoyable
In a Facebook post, David Townsend explains why he won't miss Independence Day this year:
As you may be aware, I am going to be out of the country for Independence Day. I wish I could say I will miss it. I don't say that out any lack of patriotism. But for many years the Fourth of July has been more of a holiday to endure rather than enjoy.
I won't, for example, miss the two-week period surrounding the day when my community sounds more like a war zone. Oddly enough, in Idaho fireworks are supposed to be only the "safe and sane" sort, but living this close to several reservations there is no shortage of screaming rockets and explosive devices going off 24 hours a day. An overburdened police force cannot be everywhere at once and enforcing state and city laws proves nearly impossible.
I should consider it somewhat a blessing that my dog is now deaf. At least I know she won't be spending the days and nights shaking with fear and scrambling to find somewhere safe. Other pets won't be as fortunate, however.
I will not miss the sirens throughout the day and night as emergency responders respond to the bubbas who blew off their fingers or set the woods on fire immediately after the expression, "Here, hold my beer and watch this."
I will not miss the headlines concerning children drowned at the beach because it was so crowded that parents lost track of their kids or just weren't paying attention in the first place. Nor will I miss the annual carnage on the highways because consuming beer in mass quantities is apparently mandatory for this holiday and the bubbas believe it improves their driving skills.
I won't miss the traffic, the crowds, the noise, and the notion that we can best celebrate our liberty by being as obnoxious as possible in public and private.
I love my country and I love its people, but this year I will love loving them from a distance.
Question: I share many of David's sentiments. I don't mind the 4th of July celebrations that include fireworks in the Lake City. But I'm tired of listening to the racket for weeks on end. Do you think that our celebration of the 4th of July is getting out of hand?
