Fireworks have come under fire recently here in the U.S., after a series of tragic national news stories involving fireworks incidents, including the Boston Marathon bombing. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was charged with WMD possession after allegedly using ordinary July 4th firecrackers to blow up the Boston Marathon. In 2012 a careless fireworks company named Pyrotecnico left behind several live shells in Waltham, Ware and Stoughton. Fortunately, no one was injured in that mishap as all of the missing explosives were eventually recovered and detonated safely.
A question arises: If July 4th fireworks are now to be considered weapons of mass destruction, then why isn’t the Department of Homeland Security closely monitoring each and every fireworks display in the “Homeland” to ensure no more deadly explosives go missing or, God forbid, end up in the hands of terrorists? Indeed, given the recent dramatic increase in fireworks casualties, why are thousands of cities and towns across America still being allowed to play around with deadly WMD at all?
In 2013 alone, 11,400 people were injured by July 4th WMDs with eight confirmed deaths. If we include those killed on Boylston St, then that death toll was 11. Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. Given that Congress abolished the Bill of Rights to keep us all safe after 9/11, surely the Boston firecracker bombing is cause to abolish the 4th of July.
Remember: freedom isn’t free. If we want to remain a free country, then we must be willing to give up more of our freedoms.
