I was pleased to read Don Greenwood’s July 1 letter, “Perennial fears ignited again.” Up to his usual scold about the danger of fireworks. He’s right, of course. Fireworks are stupid. Many believe that some innocent fun is about to happen. Nonsense. The bang-gee-whiz is way overshadowed by the damage and risk.
The coverage of the Fourth of July is misleading. Across the river were many reports about fires caused by fireworks purchased in Washington. The people in Portland are our friends and relatives and we should cooperate with them. The spikes in emergency calls over previous years is the story, the real indicator. People out of work from fireworks damage, and the number of fires is shameful.
From my own anecdotal evidence, I know that paying for cheap thrills with fireworks is more expensive than higher priorities, like rent, food and gasoline. I have no statistics; I’m a geezer. I do know that our dog, Wilma, and our cats wanted to cuddle until after the ugly noise stopped at 2 a.m., two nights in a row.
I’m glad to be an American. Whoopee. And I would support a ban on private use of fireworks in Clark County. Help us out.
