Fireworks Ban

Unless I am truly missing somthing here, I know there is a fireworks ban here in Colorado. But....it is 10:45 pm and some idiot is shooting off fireworks in our neighborhood!

In Denver, penalties can include a $999 fine or even a year in jail. My dogs literally go crazy every year because of the fireworks. I have to deal with them howling and barking (inside the house mind you) because I am terribly afraid to leave them outside during the so-called festivities.

So tell me, now that the fine seems to get stiffer and stiffer, why do people disobey the laws and still play with fireworks? I guess my biggest concern is the idiots that want to experiment with them on animals. If I hear another story of an dog or cat maimed by an insensitive teenager or adult I will lose my mind!

It's 10:49 and the little shit is still setting off fireworks. I grabbed these facts from our newspaper The Rocky Mountain News about illegal fireworks:

* Police wrote 158 citations last year to people who were using, selling or carrying illegal fireworks.

* In Denver, penalties can include a $999 fine or even a year in jail.

* Instead of driving your neighbors and their howling pets nuts, go to any one of the sanctioned fireworks shows in the Denver area. See county and city Web sites for information.

* Nationwide, 10,000 people are injured every July 4 - most of them under age 15. Most injuries are to the extremities and eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

* A sparkler reaches a temperature of 1,200 to 2,000 degrees - the same as a welding torch. Grabbing a lit sparkler can net someone an immediate third-degree burn, said Denver police technician Dean Christopherson.

* "Every year we have individuals hurt because they've gone across the (county) line and purchased illegal fireworks," said Denver Fire Chief Nick Nuanes.

* Snap pops are legal. The pea-sized devices contain a few grains of sand that have been coated with a tiny amount of impact-sensitive silver fulminate twisted together in a piece of tissue paper. The silver fulminate ignites when the popper is thrown against a hard surface, according to the Web site pyrouniverse.com.

Denver firefighters demonstrated the sheer destructive power of various fireworks Sunday by blowing up a honeydew melon and a watermelon.

They also blew up a rubber glove and started an impressive fire using paper debris and wayward fireworks.

Ok so now we know these little tidbits, will this year be any different than previous years? This year can the 4th of July be a safe and happy celebration for everyone, or do we have to read or watch the casualties on the news?

10:52 and I feel like screaming bloody murder! Do you know what's rude? Suppose people are tucked soundly in their beds, dreaming of dancing fairies and BOOM! Startled out of a golden slumber, reaching for your telephone to call the police because you think you've been shot...

10:54 where is this little jackass? That's three more for the count.