D.C. defeats fireworks ban

John Adams once said the Fourth of July should be celebrated "with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for ever more."

Americans keep Adams's spirit alive with fireworks. All over the country, the sky becomes a crowd-pleasing canvas every July 4 as folks exercise their right to express their patriotism with exciting fireworks displays. But increasingly, the right-wing media and zealous local governments have lodged a war against this tradition.

My response to these party poopers is the same as it is to that of moral panic types like Jack Thompson who try to ban video games and music: If it offends you, don't do it. Simple. The fact that they don't fuck off proves one thing: They don't like it when people have a good time.

Those who'd ban fireworks or video games are the modern equivalent of the Puritans who passed the early blue laws. Enforcement efforts have been stepped up to ridiculous levels in recent years (such as when Rudolph Giuliani sent New York City police to a fireworks festival hundreds of miles from the city to confiscate attendees' cars).

With Independence Day lurking, officials in the District of Columbia proposed following the "lead" of numerous states by enacting tough new laws against fireworks. The plan would have banned entirely the sale or use of common consumer fireworks anywhere in the city.

They called it emergency legislation. I guess the city must not have any other problems if this was an emergency. The real reason officials put this plan on the fast track was so there wouldn't be any public comment on it.

The plan was praised with the usual "Think of the children!" chorus reminiscent of that of Rev. Lovejoy's wife on 'The Simpsons'. Of course this gimmick is a fallacious appeal to emotion. They were using it to try to unfairly tar the proposal's opponents.

The plan to ban fireworks proved massively unpopular among D.C. residents. And last night, City Council rejected the ban by a smashing 11 to 2 vote.

I question whether the government can even issue such a blanket ban of fireworks or most other products. Regulate it, sure. But to go after individuals for safely using pyrotechnics for their intended purpose seems almost as if the government is overstepping its bounds.

Banning does more harm than good. If fireworks are illegal entirely, it's impossible to regulate what's safe and what isn't. If they're legal, you can at least oversee their safety. If they're illegal, there's no guidelines for safe use.

In other words, the anti-fun crowd is out of excuses.

(Source: http://www.examiner.com/a-1421409~D_C__Council_expected_to_kill_emergency_fireworks_ban.html;
http://www.examiner.com/a-1423473~D_C__Council_rejects_fireworks_ban.html)