This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The comments made by Cheryl Cope in her Aug. 4 Public Forum letter, "Bombs bursting in air," made me furious. Our independence was not gained by fireworks. I, along with so many others, am so weary of "holing up" and hiding out in my home, with a tranquilized dog and air conditioners, televisions and radios blaring to drown out the noise, for more than two weeks during July while neighbors all around are blasting fireworks until the wee hours of the morning.
I'm not talking about public fireworks displays or parents entertaining their children for a few hours. I'm talking about these bozos whose fireworks (probably not even legal) are getting more frequent, much louder and a lot later. And this is not even taking into consideration the pollution issue.
This year the noise levels and duration were unprecedented. These pyromaniacs are not motivated in the least by an ideal of patriotism but, rather, a manic desire to just blow things up and then do it over and over again, all the while fully aware there will be no enforcement of the laws.
True patriots wouldn't be blatantly violating the fireworks laws with regard to the legality of the fireworks they're setting off and the days and hours permitted, and would hopefully have a sense of respect for others. Patriotism? I don't think so.
Susan Horton
Midvale