Campfyre Stories

I think that Independence Day is my least favorite holiday.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the sentiment behind it, I like the intention, but the execution is ridiculous.

I’m not a big fan of fireworks at the best of times, I am certainly not a fan of reckless idiots setting off illegal fireworks on my street.  For a week.  Maybe more.  All night, every night.

It wasn’t so much that they were setting off fireworks on the 4th, it was that they had been doing this for days into the wee hours of the morning and, frankly, I was DONE with the explosions. 

I gave them a good 5 hours and it wasn’t until the rockets started hitting the Unitarian church directly across the street from my house that I called the police for the first time in my life.  Seriously.  I had never EVER called the police before - for anything - and I called them to put a stop to the people who thought it was funny that they were very nearly burning down the church - repeatedly.

An hour later, I went outside to assess the situation personally.  I wasn’t sure if the cops had come or not, but now there were two groups of people in the middle of the street.  One down by the Baptist church this time, setting off pretty powerful fireworks and with a whole bunch of screaming kids dancing around the whirling firework and a second, smaller group about 3-4 doors down from me, running into the street, lighting a firework and THROWING it as high up in the air as it could go.

Oh.  HELLS.  No.

So I called the police again and said "Look, I didn’t mind for days.  I didn’t mind for most of tonight, but not only is it midnight, and not only is this the second time I’ve called, but these people are getting progressively stupider (I assume as they are getting progressively drunker) and I’d really rather not be dealing with the fire department tonight."

And that was the truth.  As obnoxious as the fireworks and the people setting them off were, it was the consistency of it for days and the looming possibility of sirens and emergency vehicles all up and down my goddamned street at all hours of the morning.  That would be something that was entirely out of my control and all these people were moving in that direction.

The kids just a few doors down actually got in more trouble as the weekend went on, and were looking for anywhere that might be "cool" to set off their remaining fireworks.  The last I saw/heard from them and/or from the fireworks was when they hauled ass down the street after setting off fireworks in a parking lot on the corner…  just as a cop was driving by.  I don’t want to see anyone arrested, but I think a good talking-to would certainly be in order for these folks.

You see, they had fireworks on Memorial Day, too.  And on New Years.  And on various birthdays.  And whenever they feel like it.

And I haven’t said a thing until now, but THIS TIME I was actually seeing their blatant stupidity and amusement at the potential destruction not only of other people’s property, but of the entire neighborhood.

Fuckers.

And that’s why I hate Independence Day.  Because of how many people refuse to take responsibility for whatever freedoms they do claim.