Boom, there goes the neighborhood, again. The circus tents are being erected while dogs, possessing a certain sixth sense, begin cowering in fear, all in anticipation of the 168 hours of the Fourth of July in Vancouver, USA. Yep, the All-American pastime of blowing up stuff justified under the ridiculously weak pretense of “expressing one’s patriotism” rapidly approaches.
I don’t necessarily oppose fireworks and I support the celebration of July 4 (the 24-hour version), though I do believe there are more substantial ways in which a citizen could demonstrate their patriotism without lighting a fuse and unnecessarily polluting the air and potentially burning down the ’hood. Rather than spending big bucks on things that go fizz-boom-bang-poof-gone, how about a shiny new functional Interstate 5 bridge complete with light rail?
Jim Armstrong
Vancouver
