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Hello. I used to visit city-data a few years ago to read anonymously and, I believe, posted one or two topics. Aspects to Fourth of July have been on my mind and thought what better place to gauge residents' thoughts on the topic - fireworks.
Since I am now forty-five years old, I am officially considered "middle aged." I've always thought of myself a thoughtful person. Not always, however; as an early teen, I remember being fascinated by all the firework options in the mini-catalog that a friend and I had ordered. We did that for two or three years. It didn't pass w/o a couple of issues: that friend of mine threw a butterfly - a mini tube that was 1" in length and a hole near one end where a color flame shot out(like a small version of a welder's torch). Wherein, it spun in a very tight circle and looked cool(or pretty). My buddy threw a butterfly at me and as I turned, it got caught in my shirt, near the bottom of my back, pointing directly at my skin. There was another incident with a much larger butterfly that seemed to have a mind of it's own, directing itself towards a neighbor's front door. I digress.
No, this isn't confessional or whatever. I'm a resident of Albuquerque, gulf war vet, and owner of two awesome dogs that have changed my life. Maybe you see where I'm going with this. I know there are a large number of veterans here in Albuquerque, let alone, the whole state. Considering my sleep issues during the opened window months, I'm certain there are a lot of dog owners, too. While I do not have the data in front of me, I believe that fourth of July is hardest on veteran's of foreign wars and pets. Firecrackers, M80's, bottle rockets, et al., were the norm for 3-4 hours in my neighborhood. The city had the Freedom Fourth Celebration at Balloon Park, I believe. Is 'Freedom' in reference to America being free? Free, in very large part, because of servicemen's and women's lives and lives lost(my dad still hasn't really left Korea, if you know what I mean.)
Why are fireworks sold openly - under small tents in parking lots and I also think of that Gemini fireworks sign on Montano. Though, I have never stopped to see what was sold. For all I know, they're selling sparklers. But I doubt it. Why I have I never seen any acknowledgement of concern for veterans and pets during these days of fireworks? I understand the celebratory point of a city's official fireworks display. Has anyone not considered how it may affect veterans of foreign wars? Or, our pets for that matter. My hound is pretty sensitive to loud noises and stayed hidden most of the night. I did my best to filter out the noise.
How about hotels offer a major discount, if not free, to all veteran's of foreign wars on the Fourth of July?
I do apologize for the lengthy letter. Please don't consider this a diatribe or verbose venting. If I recall correctly, there are some intelligent and thoughtful people that come to this city-data forum. Please let me know what you think. Or, am I making too much of it?
Where are people obtaining these illegal fireworks? I saw a gigantic tent set up in the KMart parking lot on Carlisle; can I assume they sell only "legal" fireworks. If so, where is the illegal stuff coming from?
Where are people obtaining these illegal fireworks? I saw a gigantic tent set up in the KMart parking lot on Carlisle; can I assume they sell only "legal" fireworks. If so, where is the illegal stuff coming from?
My friends live in an East Mt community and with the type of folks who live there and the fire dangers, they didn't hear a single pop all night, much to the delight of their pets and the deer/bob cats who live in the forest around their house.
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