I hate the 4th of July. :p

I hate the 4th of July.

Now before you all go calling me a communist, I didn't always hate it. In fact I liked it once. Every year in my neighborhood there would be barbecues and parties. At night the city would put on a fireworks show and we'd all sit up on the roof and watch the pretty lights in the sky. After we'd put the kids to bed and still feeling all happy and romantic like from the light show, I could guarantee a little ermm quality time. *wink wink*

Well this year the geniuses in the city council decided to legalize fireworks. Now anybody and their idiot uncle can buy em and fire em up right in their own front yard. This probably works for other cities that have always allowed it because the people are used to it. Being used to it, maybe the people have developed some safe habits and a little concept called doing it in moderation.

But noooooo not here, here the people have lost their dam minds. Right now it is almost 1am. There are bottle rockets going off in the sky, people milling the street drunk and loud, parties on every corner of my neighborhood. Amidst the cracks and pops of the fireworks, I can hear sirens wailing over and over again from police cars and fire trucks. The police have shut things down on my street once already, only for it all to pick up again five minutes after they left. Oh and there has been an ambulance coming to pick up people on my street TWICE in the last hour. Half an hour ago, my daughter came downstairs crying saying there were sparks outside her bedroom window and she was just positive they were going to set the roof on fire while she slept. Took a bit of convincing and permission to leave her bedroom door open to convince her this wasn't going to happen.

And do you think there have been any parades or city run firework shows to give everyone the happy happy feeling? NOooo, why should they bother when folks are perfectly willing to blow their own fingers off for entertainment?

Dammit I hate the 4th of July.

Ok I'm done whining now, I'm going back outside and watch the rockets, the lights are kinda pretty.

Proof that fireworks shouldn't be handled by irresponsible fools:http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2006/06/24/fete-fire.html

What's so bad about Thanksgiving Day (UK celebration)?

We don't have a thanksgiving day.

Oh dear.

The bloke's Japanese - perhaps he means Bonfire Night, where we thank Guy Fawkes for his (sadly failed) attempt to blow up those bastards in Parliament.

At least yours only happens for one day. I'll hear fireworks for a month around bonfire day.

I also think its safe to say that it also doesn't matter if they are leagal or not. I grew up in the states and my hometown firecrackers were illegal, but everyone had them because a town 20miles away sold them.

I will also tell you how long its legal doesn't make everyone smart when using them. Last year we were walking across the street to the pub and someone lit off a bottle rocket into a crowd of people. Luckily no one got hurt, but come on.

I said 'oh dear' because you had missed the (very good) joke. Try reading the thread again, slowly.

hey I enjoy "needless destruction day"

It's just a good thing Oregon outlaws all those bottle rockets and the loud exploding-type fireworks and also outlaws setting any fireworks off on the beaches or I'd never have gotten to sleep before 2 am

LOL, they may be outlawed, but the skies around here were full of rockets and shells last night.

Same here, my kids were saying they heard monsters banging on the walls last night. We'll be seeing more fireworks for the next week, I'm sure.

Well, fireworks are illegal here, but we still have 'em. Like the OP said, you pick up some responsibility eventually when lighting a fuse to something that'll blow off your hand. If not- you learn quick!