We all jumped last night when an explosion went off somewhere nearby in our neighorhood.  Oh joy, 4th of July celebratory blasts right outside our front door! Or so it seemed.  We couldn’t tell where it came from but it was close. I wouldn’t mind so much for myself,  but the suffering  these high grade fireworks cause many dogs and veterans with PTSD seems senseless, even cruel.  And for what?

Blowing things up in neighborhoods at any hour of the day disturbing everyone in a 1-mile radius just so you personally can enjoy making something go boom? And why should everyone’s holiday  have to be ruined by the desire of some to shoot off random explosions. Even if I knew where it was coming from I can’t ask them to stop. They apparently have more rights than I do.

In 2017 I wrote this in a post here on BFIA:

All you have to do is go on Facebook for the horror stories. Next door neighbors launching fireworks that sound like cannons, terrified, shaking dogs hiding in closets, people leaving town to get away from the noise, families unable to put the kids to bed, pillows stuffed in windows, “duds” and debris from explosives on sidewalks, in parks, on your roof. Shut the doors and windows, close yourself in the house, don’t take your dog for a walk. 4th of July week has changed in Iowa from a pleasant family holiday with a few fireworks, to a pseudo-war zone..”

It seems like everyone has forgotten how to enjoy a nice, quiet day of fun on the 4th of July. Really, wouldn’t most of us be content enjoying the holiday without all of that?  Wasn’t  it fun enough before all of this? What was wrong with attending the community municipal fireworks show to celebrate?  You at least know when the booms are going to start and when they are going to stop. Have you ever stayed up late waiting for the noise to stop and just when you give a sigh of relief because you haven’t heard one in the last 15-20 minutes, and you think it’s over, it starts up again and that happens over and over until 3 am?

I don’t think most people were begging and pleading for the situation we have now.  I don’t think anyone was suffering because they had no personal fireworks or because they had to drive to Missouri to get them. And what about the annual reports of kids with fireworks injuries?

As a nation, we seem to have lost our ability to say no to stupid.

How about we put this one on the un-do list for when Democrats have some say in what happens.

As long as we’re on the topic of Be Kind to Animals, here is some happy news. A good thing came out of the Iowa legislature.  If you get a chance, thank Rep. Dave Jacoby for this.