Dispatches from Vancouverstan
Marissa and I agree that one benefit of being townies is we don’t freak out over the amount of fireworks set off, night after night, this time of year.
This is all we know. We don’t know how people celebrate the Fourth of July elsewhere.
According to the emails received by elected officials, we are in the minority. Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart was kind enough to share two messages he’s received.
“It’s like getting correspondence from the front,” Stuart said.
Email #1, from a fan of the show “Dog Whisperer.”
Can’t we end this madness of 4-5 days of people shooting off fireworks. Most communities ban them except for July 4th. Look what a noted dog expert, Cesar Millan has to say:
“More dogs run away on the Fourth of July than on any other day of the year. The sounds of fireworks – the artificial squeal followed by the giant burst of explosives and subsequent whimper – drives dogs nuts! And for many, it triggers their innate flight instinct.
Many people equate the sights and sounds of Independence Day fireworks with the trauma that dogs can experience in thunderstorms. But there’s a difference. For one, thunderstorms are Mother Nature. Two, fireworks are closer to the ground and more vibrant. And three, dogs are not prepared for the sudden booms and flashes and burnt aromas that come with what is
one of many Americans’ favorite holidays. Remember, dogs experience the world through their senses – nose, eyes, ears.”
Email #2, from a woman named Florence:
The war has begun once again, and I’m urging the County Commissioners to put more restrictive limits or put an all-out ban on personal fireworks. If past years are any indication, I will not be able to get a decent night’s sleep until near the end of July. The regulations here are so lax and enforcement is so lacking, that I can’t help but think the Commissioners are getting a big kick back from fireworks sales. I also saw in the Oregonian today that the fireworks sold in Washington are not even legal in Oregon. So why is that? Do they have more sense than we do here??
I’ve never in my life lived in another area where people were allowed to go so completely overboard with this stuff, and I’ve lived in many different cities and states. Had I known that this was not only tolerated, but seemingly “blessed” in the Vancouver area, I would never have moved here.
