Fireworks & Pit Bulls - misunderstood?

The subject of these thoughts in my head is a bit old, but still relevant. (Above is a picture of Philly that I wish I could say I took - it's looking down on the Art Museum during a 4th of July celebration). As I got some fireworks to set off this past 4th of July, I was a bit entertained at the reaction they elicited in people, and after the 4th, I sat back and wondered where it all comes from. My conclusion? It comes largely from the media, and the few idiots who act irresponsibly when lighting and setting off fireworks. Not a whole lot different from owners of Pit Bull Terriers. Think the metaphor is a nonsequitor? Gimme a second.

Every single year around the 4th, the media runs reports about the dangers of fireworks to scare the living shit out of people . Okay, fair enough. Because there are far too many people (and one would be too many) who think it's funny to mess with M-80s, quarter sticks, and other very powerful fireworks, and they end up doing great harm to themselves and others, and sometimes even death.


I did a Google image search on firework injuries, and some of what can be found will turn your stomach, quite literally. This is the only one I found that I'd post to this blog. Obviously a pretty nasty burn.

These reports serve a purpose, and one can hope they only give a few morons pause before they do something stupid. But, what these reports also do is give people the impression that anything on the planet with a fuse will blow your head off if you go near it. Pretty funny.

To wit, during our annual July 4th party, when I brought some Black Cat firecrackers to our rooftop deck to safely and harmlessly set off just off the one side of our deck, one of our guests screamed, "You're going to set the building on fire!" and she wasn't kidding. It took me a few minutes to stop laughing before I could light them. Afterwards, I dished out a good ribbing, "Quick, get a bucket of water! The roof is on fire! Arrrrrrrraaaaagh!!!!"

After this year's party, I won't be getting anymore to set off in front of people at a party again. Hey, we don't throw parties to anger people, much less scare them, so it isn't worth it. But, fireworks can be pretty, safe and fun if you know what you're doing, and you light them safe and sensibly. I'm confident that I'm all of those things. It's not a game, and I don't mess with M-80s and the crazy stuff, ever.

I grew up around fireworks. I'm used to them. Does that mean I'm an expert? Nope. But you know what? I'm not an expert at driving a car, drinking alcohol or firing a gun, and all three are legal and can be worlds more lethal than a firecracker.

After our party, I was discussing people's reactions with Vandra, and since I have a profound love of metaphor, I told her that I was reminded of people's reactions to Pit Bull Terriers.

I've been around Pit Bulls and Rotweillers for many years. Like many things, including fireworks, they are misunderstood. Why? Because there are a few irresponsible idiots out there who abuse and mistreat the animals, and by training them to be viscious. When that happens, there are bound to be very bad and sometimes fatal consequences. Deaths have occurred from Pit Bulls, and in almost all cases, it's because of improper supervision of the dogs, or in some cases, parents not paying attention to where their child was, leading to a tragedy.

That's why when you bring up Pit Bulls, you often get very negative reactions in people. Just like fireworks.

Up until the last 20 years, Pit Bulls enjoyed a pretty good reputation through the years. For instance, check out this patriotic American poster, which dates to World War I. ...

Don't get me wrong - I've never owned a Pit Bull, nor will I ever. I wouldn't mind having a Rotty someday, but they can be more than a handful because of their size, and I don't like lots of pet hair. If I ever own a larger dog, it will be a Lab. My point in all of this is that there is a lot of misinformation out there about Pit Bulls and Rotties because of a small number of bad incidents, just like fireworks.

But, we will stick to smaller dogs when we become dog owners. We've already decided that when we move to Cali, we will get...

a Dachsund (a black and tan like this one) and...

a Welsh Corgi. I love both very much, and they are anything but a threat.

If people are safe and sensible, fireworks, like Pit Bulls, can be safe, and a whole lot of fun, too. Banning both is foolish; why deprive us all of something enjoyable because a few people don't know how to conduct themselves? This same line of reasoning also relates to Claratin-D and the bullshit I now have to go through because some drug fiends like to use it to cook up Meth. More on that soon.

Finally, SOMETHING to celebrate...

YES! The Heat captured their first NBA title last night over the Dallas Mavericks. It was awesome and fun to watch - Pat Riley winning his 5th, Shaq his 4th, and, best of all, watching Dwayne "Flash" Wade win his first.



For those of you living in a cave, it's official - Flash is the next big thing in the NBA. The next Kobe, if you will. Sure, LeBron is awesome, but Flash has jewelry now. I've waited 18 years for Miami to win a title, and it was worth the wait.

I became a Heat fan in '88 when I was a junior in high school. To that point, I never was much of a hoops fan, but all of my friends had favorite NBA teams, so I figured it was time for me to get on board. Since I have a penchant for disliking local teams, Philly specifically (and for those of you who don't know, that continues to this day!), I figured I'd pick a new team, so I went with Miami, for two reasons: I liked their logo, the flaming basketball, and until very recently, I always wanted to someday move to Florida. All of these things came together to make me the perfect Heat fan. The team initially showed its appreciation by losing its first 17 games to begin the inaugural season. They've come a long way!



The Diesel has some nice hardware this morning. Nice job, fellas!

Naturally, In all of my excitement, we went to our rooftop deck to celebrate things right. Take a look. ...



Time to holler!



She's lit!



4...



3...



2...



1...



Liftoff! Ummm, canister shells. Now THAT'S a way to celebrate a championship!



I just like this photo. Notice the rubble on the table.



The aftermath. I have to get a tripod so I can get cool sky shots. For those of you reading this who are worried, I'm very careful when I set off any fireworks. I grew up around them, and I don't play games with them. It's just like anything else dangerous - if you are careful and respect what something dangerous can do, you should be fine. Accidents happen from stupidity and ignorance.

Anyway, I thought it was an appropriate way to celebrate a Heat victory... with heat! Imagine what an Oiler Stanley Cup Celebration would have been like?!? Oh well... next season! Looking back, I wish I would have watched more Heat games this year during the regular season and playoffs, but with the Oilers success, that took up a great deal of my time. Hey, I've got just so much time for sports, and hockey is always king. But, I recorded the Heat victory and will burn it to DVD. I love technology!

Sports fans, be warned. This is the year of the RJ team! Next up: The Dallas Cowboys and Boston Red Sox.