In reply to Carbon :
Great view point - I never thought of this. Thank you.
Except for snakes, sparklers, and smoke bombs all these fireworks are illegal in Illinois but in reality you wouldn’t know it.
In reply to Carbon :
Great view point - I never thought of this. Thank you.
Except for snakes, sparklers, and smoke bombs all these fireworks are illegal in Illinois but in reality you wouldn’t know it.
In reply to Carbon :
I agree that it should be a day of reflection, but it's clear to me that this is not what is going on around me for the most part, and spending today traveling and paying for lodging to get my dog away from the worst of it isn't "remotely inconvenient". If I had any hope that the folks lighting off mortars down the block were having a somber reflection on the realities of armed conflict, I'd be a lot less aggravated about the difficulties it creates for me.
Your closing is pretty dang insulting to someone who's going to spend more time and money getting away from the day than most folks are going to spend celebrating it. And I've got it easy compared to my dog.
Buy the loudest, most annoying bunch of fireworks and set them offin the middle of the night on a random Wednesday in February. That'll learn them.
Now, before the hyper-sensitive folks chime in, I'm kidding. But I've been tempted to do this myself.
I used to build fireworks. A 3" black powder mortar is pretty loud. Doubly true when you overload the the mortar and it all explodes on the ground. Loud enough go rattle your chest.
I haven't built anything in years though. It's a fairly dangerous hobby and losing a couple of fingers didn't sound like much fun. I still have several pounds of chemicals that tempt me on occasion.
I do enjoy a big bang though. We have quite a few neighbors that set off piles of them, and the town's professional display launches about 300 yards from my house. We will be sitting in the driveway watching it tonight. 
We are lighting off 253 small and large (350 and 500g) rounds with approximately 330 breaks plus a variety of smaller percussion devices.
I have 3 neighbors within a mile. I am reminding to neighbors that tonight is the 'Murica Sparkly Boom Boom celebration and they are welcome to swing by.
You all are as well ;)
Carbon said:I have an alternate view of this holiday season.
I see it as a reminder to all of us that all that War is loud, scary and disconcerting, and we should remember that it's a real thing that has happened throughout our history. We can pay homage to that fact by pretending that every one of those explosions could have been your ass at many points in history. It in some small way puts us in touch with a reality that we choose to disassociate from. It's meant to a) remind us that war is scary, not a button to be pushed lightly, and b) that people have sacrificed incredibly for what we have. I'm not an apologist or patriot, I just choose to look at this time as something important. There are lessons that these customs we havecan teach us. Or we can just whine the fact that it's remotely inconvenient. Up to you.
Remotely inconvenient? Tell that the the veterans who are shaking in their house because it is giving them horrible flashbacks.
There is very little thought that is being put into any of this more than “Murica, let’s blow E36 M3 up!”
there is a time and a place for it, but let the neighbors know so they can prepare, or else go to an area where it won’t disturb people.
So, I am a patriot, and I thank every single person I see in any kind of uniform, veteran hat, or parent with a "proud parent of a Marine" type bumper sticker, and I want them better cared for 365 and better appreciated and thanked for their service. BUT, they fought, and died, and brought back crippling injuries for our freedom to celebrate our independance, speak our minds, pray, or whatever the Hell else it is that a free society wants to do that doesn't infringe on another's safety, rights and well being. I dont agree with fireworks before noon on the 4th, or after midnight same day, but there has to be a limit to how much we have to give up for someone else's comfort and I certainly will not skip an important holiday celebration like this, the one where we told an unjust government to kiss our collective ass. This is one day we should stand up and say we are proud of what our forefathers did for us, with or without a bang, because as Americans we have the right to choose. For the record, I come to the family lakehouse, far away from the city
I don't want to trample on anybody's freedoms, but the thought process here is a little silly if you think about it.
"Hey, it's Independence Day! Let's figure out a way to celebrate our freedoms and honor the sacrifices our service men and women made to achieve them."
"Yeah, that sounds good! We can celebrate America by buying some overpriced Chinese explosives at a pop up store on the corner and we can blow them up and cause mental distress to many of the people we're trying to honor."
Justjim75 said:So, I am a patriot,... that doesn't infringe on another's safety, rights and well being.
Isn't that what this thread is all about? The assertion by some that they have to blow E36 M3 up and ruin their neighbor's peace and quiet (not to mention safety) in the name of patriotism?
You want to honor the sacrifice of others by showing a lack of self-discipline and disregard for common courtesy to your neighbors, not to mention the laws those brave Americans fought to protect?
Go ahead and wave your flag but you're doing it wrong.
Datsun310Guy said:Gents. Sarcasm is high on my list.
I will not be messing with these bombs next year besides these type fireworks are illegal in Illinois.
Living in a state where they ARE legal (PA), it's TONS of fun...
Random rockets and whatnot have been going off for days. Followed by all of the local dogs going berserk.
And since you can buy them all over the place around here, this goes on pretty much all berking year. But July is especially noisy...
On the good side, they're usually finished by 10 PM or so.
NOHOME said:Large balloons, like the kind you sit and bounce on.
Filled with Oxy acetylene from the cutting torch.
The way the men in my neighborhood celebrated the 4th every year until I was 18.
Materials needed:
1 10 acre field
1 55 gallon drum
1 small tin of "carbide" for miners lamp
1 gallon of water
1 small firecracker with a long (5 minute) fuse
Procedure:
Call fire company to warn them
Assemble materials and run like hell
I won't edit my earlier post but I'll apologize for it.
I get the patriotism. I really do.
I just don't think amateur explosive mayhem expresses anything other than immature self-gratification.
But I'm not here to start a fight about it. Sorry to come off too strongly.
RevRico said:I find 3"titanium mortars do a good job.
Agreed, nothing like ML 3-inch mortar, here are some Canucks attracting unwanted attention with one 
bludroptop said:I won't edit my earlier post but I'll apologize for it.
I get the patriotism. I really do.
I just don't think amateur explosive mayhem expresses anything other than immature self-gratification.
But I'm not here to start a fight about it. Sorry to come off too strongly.
John Adams, America's First Vice President, said:
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
And that's why we have fireworks.
In reply to bludroptop :
In reply to bludroptop :
I understand both sides and like I said in my post, noon to midnight, ONE day of the year, only with off the shelf, legally acquired fireworks. That's the only way I do it, and I hand out HF safety glasses and ear muffs to everyone present. I'm just saying i know a lot of vets, active duty, retired, fire, rescue, EMTs qnd LEO and they all want us to be as free as possible. "Just dont drive drunk, shoot, or shoot up and I'm cool" a sheriff friend always says and that kinda covers my feelings too.
I haven’t set any off in years as we spend our money in other things now a days. But I still love it. We put effort into it and had some decent displays for $100 or so.
Yall can get pissy all you want. It’s your right to do so. I’d just find a better outlet personally. Life is way to short to have a stick someplace uncomfortable all the time.
Hell. I might take the .45’s out and make some America noises now just because I can.
Dr. Hess said:And that's why we have fireworks.
This ain't about fireworks, its about respecting your neighbors. But thank you for your input.
bobzilla said:....Hell. I might take the .45’s out and make some America noises now just because I can.
Probably obvious to most here, but if you do, fire it into the ground, not the air.
The terminal velocity of a bullet is still pretty high.
9:15 PM as I type this.
About 20 min non-stop.
aircooled said:bobzilla said:....Hell. I might take the .45’s out and make some America noises now just because I can.
Probably obvious to most here, but if you do, fire it into the ground, not the air.
The terminal velocity of a bullet is still pretty high.
A lot of this goes on in Chicago this time of year. And every weekend too.
Call me a party-pooper, but I always hope for a good soaking rain on the night of July 4.
The neighborhood 'displays' seemed to end at a decent hour this time around (10:15 PM) but I have a hunch they're just saving their stuff for the weekend.
bobzilla said:I haven’t set any off in years as we spend our money in other things now a days. But I still love it. We put effort into it and had some decent displays for $100 or so.
Yall can get pissy all you want. It’s your right to do so. I’d just find a better outlet personally. Life is way to short to have a stick someplace uncomfortable all the time.
Hell. I might take the .45’s out and make some America noises now just because I can.
I did, Bob. Let off a whole box of Store Bought 45 ACP in the back yard, because 'Murica!! Damn, it was GOOD, too.
Ransom said:In reply to Carbon :
I agree that it should be a day of reflection, but it's clear to me that this is not what is going on around me for the most part, and spending today traveling and paying for lodging to get my dog away from the worst of it isn't "remotely inconvenient". If I had any hope that the folks lighting off mortars down the block were having a somber reflection on the realities of armed conflict, I'd be a lot less aggravated about the difficulties it creates for me.
Your closing is pretty dang insulting to someone who's going to spend more time and money getting away from the day than most folks are going to spend celebrating it. And I've got it easy compared to my dog.
The point being that We have it easy compared to people that when they heard the loud noises, their friends were dead and their legs were missing afterward. It should be a little scary, it's to remind us that war can be close to us like it's close to other people. We've just grown so delicate that even simunitions are too much for us to bear. The post could have been less snarky (likely would've been more effective had it been) but my point remains valid. Personally, every explosion I hear makes me smile and appreciate.
I'm visiting family in Maine, it's very quiet for the most part.
While there are a few loud bangs from some of the nearby islands, I don't hear any gunfire.
It's nice to not have to worry about being hit by a bullet. There's always some gunfire mixed in with the fireworks in most places I've been.
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