Let the War Glorification Begin

As we prepare for America's collective birthday, the annual migration and tumult that takes place, in urban areas, in the countryside and in normally quiet neighborhoods around the country is amazing. In addition to the decking out of halls with red, white and blue, flag-like lawn chairs, ties, paper plates, napkins and lawn ornaments, we have casual Independence Day clothing, special sales and seasonal events that have woven themselves into a fabric of distraction unequaled by even the most adept illusionist. This relatively new holiday of early July surpasses the pagan and enduring celebrations of Winter Solstice (Christmas), Rites of Spring (Easter) or even Halloween. Even though campers have fled to the relative quiet of the woods, (many of them bringing explosive devices with them)and family picnics are going on around our cities, the few people left in each neighborhood seem bent on making as much noise as possible. Luckily, we have the technology to make plenty of noise without too much effort. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent each year to launch tons of exploding devices skyward eliciting oohs and ahs while scaring young children and pets.

Don't think for a moment that I don't enjoy a good fireworks display. The beautiful showers of sparks, the eerie light that beautifies onlookers with large soft sources of light, and the colorful displays have an undeniable special beauty. Who wouldn't like that part of this dubious holiday. For better and worse, we define our history by the wars we have fought. We revere the fallen as proof of our value as a nation. I think that too often we confuse our indoctrination with the actual facts. The recounting of our war studded history neglects the fact that a tiny minority has always forced our hand in the entry to all of these conflicts. The "reasons" behind our involvement in war have been overshadowed by the fact that a few people stood to make boatloads of cash from them, and the folks who would lay down their lives in the process have always been valued as less than the lives of those well insulated millionaires who stood to profit. We surely pair war glorification with our identity as a country. This, I fear, has the power to fuel our own undoing.

Spewing hazardous chemicals, the terrible loudness, frivolous waste and harm to our own people and property overwhelms the mind. This is all done in the name of celebration? Thousands of Americans will require hospitalization today, July Fourth, because of fireworks injuries. Hundreds of thousands more will suffer minor injuries that will be treated with drink, ice, various salves, bandages, home remedies or a combination of these five. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of property damage will occur today as well. Errant fireworks are indeed little bombs, too often in search of something to destroy. I have seen cars destroyed, siding blown off or melted, fires started, windows broken and bodies damaged by fireworks. This side of the equation is sickening, sad and senseless. I have personally experienced lasting effects from exposure to pyrotechnics and even so, I love a good salvo. Oddly enough, we live in a culture that lives for the moment and how we get to live afterward is of little consequence to us.