e-Claire

The Fireworks Debate

Remember this? The temp was 95°+: the humidity was 25%- : walking on the grass sounded like treading on Post Toasties [crunch crunch]. And this is what these "kids" thought would be fun:

[he] told police he tossed a lighted smoke bomb over his backyard fence

I say "kids;" one was 15 and one happened to be just past his 18th birthday so he was nabbed as an adult. The results of their little pass time? 1 home destroyed 1 home damaged 42 acres burned 8 firefighters' minor injuries massive bill for fire services including chopper lots of very nervous citizens massive public over-reaction causing the City Council to ban all the sale and possession of personal fireworks Part of me is relieved. I hate fireworks season. Last year some moron tossed a bottle rocket out of his car near the house. Lit. Fortunately the Fire Dept. lives close by. Part of me is outraged. It is the same argument that supports all restrictive, nanny-type legislation: "You all are too stupid to handle xxxxxxxxx." While I agree on many counts, I still believe it to be a bad habit for government to get into. Bad habit for people to accept government doing. First, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophesy. People come to believe that all their neighbors are morons and asshats, instead of the actual 5-10%. "The government says so -- it must be true." "They couldn't say it if it weren't true." [another two of my favourite fallacies] Second, it is based on flawed logic: "Some people are unable to responsibly handle xxxxxxxxx. Therefore we will not allow anyone to have xxxxxxxxx." Somehow, "discriminating against morons would be unfair" comes into play as well. There are people who are unable to handle forks. Is that ban next? Third, it discourages the strongest control of behavior there is -- the immediate community. The neighbors knew these kids did this. They know the parents. What about allowing those people most directly affected to gently encourage those two numbskulled lamebrains boys to face the people whose homes they burned down, the owner[s] of the land they trashed, those whose homes were threatened? Having those two boys look into those eyes, help those people clean up, learn how little insurance actually covers, and help to repay and rebuild seems fair consequences. Watching that process might also clue in other kids in the neighborhood not to play with fire. Up close and personal works. Massive state institutions don't.

1. Wonderful take on a situation that crops up daily.  I dislike fireworks because when I was a firefighter, I had to deal with them.  Yet it is not always wise to ban everything in the hopes that you become idiot proof.  As you said, it is the 5 to 10% who ruin everything and get government sniffing our arses for OUR OWN good!  Fyucke

   Posted by Jay  on  11/21/03  at  06:34 AM

2. Here in wonderful Capitan, NM, we are waiting for the nearby town of Ruidoso to burn down. 

   Two years ago a person (a Real Estate agent, no less) decided to ‘burn some trash.’ So he gathered all the trash off of 10 acres, made 10 very big piles of pine needles, branches, limbs, roots, & etc, poured gasoline over all 10 piles, and then lit all 10 piles.  Gazing at his handiwork he then upon thought (using the term loosely), “Gosh, dried pine really burns hot and fast!  Mayhap I shouldn’t have lit all 10 piles of trash when the wind is gusting to 30 mph!” Leaping into action aforementioned dipple-shit grabbed his trusty garden hose (water pressure 8 gallons per minute) and attempted to put the fire out.  Since he had used gasoline as a firestarter when the water hit the burning gasoline the burning gasoline went all over the ground AND the nearby brush.  Now he had 10 piles of trash and several bushes burning.  He thereupon decided to beat the fires out with a blanket. 

   5 seconds later he had:

   1. 10 piles of burning trash
   2. Several burning bushes
   3. One (1) burning blanket (remember the gasoline?)

   100 acres and two days later the resulting ad hoc, privately funded, forest renewal project was controled.

   Banning fireworks, matches, gasoline, or blankets is not going to save us from idiots and their idiotic actions.  Banning fireworks (and etc) will only prevent the common, average variety, idiot from doing common, average variety, idiotic things.  Alas, idiots are persistent, sneaky, and capable of preforming their idiocy under, over, and around any law or barrier that a free society can establish.

   Posted by AT in NM  on  11/21/03  at  12:51 PM

3. Alas, idiots are persistent, sneaky, and capable of preforming their idiocy under, over, and around any law or barrier that a free society can establish.

   Kinda inspirin’, aint it?

   Posted by  on  11/22/03  at  01:53 AM

4. Bet he was from Tejas . . .

   Posted by Claire  on  11/22/03  at  09:32 AM

5. So silence ....
   How if you catch some more angle from the right view

   Posted by Bali  on  01/07/04  at  01:30 PM

6. i think this website is gay and stupid

   Posted by  on  01/08/04  at  03:55 AM

7. Thanks for sharing, Cartman.  Now go out and play.

   Posted by Claire  on  01/08/04  at  06:53 AM

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