the neighbor is shooting off $500 worth of fireworks

[gta_bmx]

The practical curmudgeon in me thinks that a better use of funds spent on 4th of July explosions would be to help out a veteran of the armed services who is having a hard time. Buy things he (or her) or his family may need, help him build a new deck or replace that nasty carpet in his living room, anything but buying fireworks. After all, the veterans are the ones who secured our freedom and who have protected it in the past and will do so in the future.

My dad spent 10 years in the Army including 3 years in Vietnam. Granted, it was a dubious war, but he did what his country asked of him. And he can't even get basic health care at the VA hospitals, unless the ailment can be proven to be war-related, which is almost impossible to prove.

Maybe this'll become viral. If we spread this around the 'net. Help vets, not the fireworks dealers. Helping a vet shows more patriotism than buying $30 worth of Black Cat firecrackers and $40 worth of Super Duper Fountain Cones.

Happy birthday America. May she live long and prosper.

[rabidbadger]

The practical curmudgeon in me thinks that a better use of funds spent on 4th of July explosions would be to help out a veteran of the armed services who is having a hard time. Buy things he (or her) or his family may need, help him build a new deck or replace that nasty carpet in his living room, anything but buying fireworks. After all, the veterans are the ones who secured our freedom and who have protected it in the past and will do so in the future.

My dad spent 10 years in the Army including 3 years in Vietnam. Granted, it was a dubious war, but he did what his country asked of him. And he can't even get basic health care at the VA hospitals, unless the ailment can be proven to be war-related, which is almost impossible to prove.

Maybe this'll become viral. If we spread this around the 'net. Help vets, not the fireworks dealers. Helping a vet shows more patriotism than buying $30 worth of Black Cat firecrackers and $40 worth of Super Duper Fountain Cones.

Happy birthday America. May she live long and prosper.

This is a great sentiment, I think this would be a great message/cause to set up for next year. Thing is, every holiday, people think of things like this, then forget about them until it's too late to do anything about them when the next year rolls around.

You set something up, and pursue it all year, I'll promote it, resend, email it, tweet it, anytime you update. Just takes One man to keep a cause alive, and only two to make it a movement...

[scoobydiesel]

no fireworks in my area cops are heavy....we almost burned down last year(nor cal)

[Phatlip]

Fireworks are fun, you can light off fireworks AND still do stuff for vets.

EDIT

*I light off some NICE stuff last night at a BBQ I was at. I'll post the video later*

[hellhound]

Ok... once again I'll play the bitch (devil's advocate).. why does fireworks have to be for Vets? only recently (last 100 years-ish) have those fighting for freedom been a conscripted military..
2nd amendment gives the right of every citizen (for the purposes of perhaps forming a militia) the right to bear arms to protect our country.

Why bring vets into it? Some vets were drafted so didnt get jail, some vets joined for patriotic reasons, some joined just to have a job and a place to sleep. In the case of my buddy... he joined at 16 to escape a home where his stepdad abused him.

The 4th isnt about our military...

Its about everyone's wish to be free.

Lets everyone join in the voice of freedom.

what sucks is that my state laws prohibit alotta the cool fireworks

[Phatlip]

what sucks is that my state laws prohibit alotta the cool fireworks

Yeah, only the ground stuff is legal in Maryland. That doesn't stop us from lighting off the good stuff though. If you take a quick trip up to PA you can get the big stuff, they'll sell to anyone with an out of state license.

The cops are cool about it where I live. My neighborhood is practically a war zone on the 4th.

haha

[gta_bmx]

Yeah, only the ground stuff is legal in Maryland. That doesn't stop us from lighting off the good stuff though. If you take a quick trip up to PA you can get the big stuff, they'll sell to anyone with an out of state license.

The cops are cool about it where I live. My neighborhood is practically a war zone on the 4th.

haha

You must have cool neighbors with no cranky "get off my lawn" type of old geezers. :) There are laws against shooting off fireworks here in the township where I live, but no one calls the cops.

[hellhound]

You must have cool neighbors with no cranky "get off my lawn" type of old geezers. :) There are laws against shooting off fireworks here in the township where I live, but no one calls the cops.

I usually shoot off my 9mm and my 12 gauge (NY and 4th) but ammo has gotten expensive

[gta_bmx]

I usually shoot off my 9mm and my 12 gauge (NY and 4th) but ammo has gotten expensive

I wouldn't shoot in the air. The bullets could come down and hurt or kill someone.

[dam7ri]

To the OP,

Did it ever occur to you that your dad fought for your neighbor's right to do whatever he wants with his/her money, just as much as he fought for your right to complain about it?

My dad is a Viet Nam vet too, but I don't worry about his generation's needless war, especially when I have my own generation's needless war.

Veterans being forsaken by the country that they fought for is not your neighbor's fault. It is your government's fault.

BTW, I fully respect all Viet Nam vets, not for what they faced in Viet Nam, but for what they faced when they came home.

[gta_bmx]

To the OP,

Did it ever occur to you that your dad fought for your neighbor's right to do whatever he wants with his/her money, just as much as he fought for your right to complain about it?

My dad is a Viet Nam vet too, but I don't worry about his generation's needless war, especially when I have my own generation's needless war.

Veterans being forsaken by the country that they fought for is not your neighbor's fault. It is your government's fault.

BTW, I fully respect all Viet Nam vets, not for what they faced in Viet Nam, but for what they faced when they came home.

Yes, I understand that the vets fought for the right for people to buy whatever they want. I just wanted to put it out there that it'd be pretty cool if someone were to not buy fireworks and instead help a vet.. And, no, I am not complaining about the neighbor buying fireworks. I simply stated a good alternative. Complaining would be me bitching about how loud or noisy they are.

[dam7ri]

If you want to put a smile on a Viet Nam vet's face, tell him that Robert McNamara (the son of a bitch that sent them there) died on either Monday or Tuesday.