Month: July 2008

…on how much they’re actually going to enforce the fireworks laws locally, especially after making a point to tell everybody they’re going to?

As everybody knows, the 4th of July is one of my least favorite holidays, as I live about two blocks from Pilot Butte, which they set on fire around this time every year. Which means I’m right in the middle of where everybody goes to party, get drunk, and shoot off a crapload of illegal fireworks. Generally speaking, I don’t mind the illegal fireworks, if they are used safely and properly (meaning not in the middle of a dense residential neighborhood). But who does that, minus the folks shooting them off the Butte (and even they catch acres of land on fire)? Nobody is safe — they’re too beered-up. I spend the entire evening watching bottle rockets and other flying projectiles land in my yard, worrying that they’ll catch something on fire. Considering how dry this area is, and how fires are already burning up around eastern Oregon, I won’t be surprised at all to see a fireworks-caused fire this year.

But sadly, I don’t envision their newfound willingness to enforce actually changing anything. These laws have been on the books for years, and they haven’t stopped anybody in my neighborhood at all, nor have I ever seen a law enforcement presence (and yes, I have called before when I feared fire).

So, anybody want to make any bets on how many fireworks citations they’ll give out this year? I’m willing to bet it’ll be less than 10.