This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Cheryl Cope's love affair with "bomb" bursting fireworks ("Bombs bursting in air," Forum, Aug. 4), seems a bit out of place in a society 237 years after our democracy thankfully took hold. We apparently don't celebrate our use of exploding devices in killing thousands of Native Americans, exterminating thousands of species (and that's just animals), and lighting a zillion fires nationally, since exploding devices are still "so essential" to our life in the past 50 years. We are not a "young" (as in juvenile) country anymore, as Cope implied.
Can we at least consider the pain, anxiety and abject fear that this ridiculous worship of "bombs," glorified by exploding celebratory devices, causes victims of violence, military veterans and millions of animals (from my furry little dogs, to birds flying at night into windows and lights, and cowering cats) just trying to sleep through the night?
We used an atomic bomb to end World War II. Must we now use nuclear cherry bombs and radioactive M-80s to pay homage to this also? Have a heart and just cut out anything "bursting in air" — for everyone's calmer and safer holiday nights. Let's get our patriotic priorities straight.
Jeff Clawson M.D.
Salt Lake City