Thankful for the city’s freedoms

We give formal thanks in November. On that day we devour big birds

and sip chardonnay and pinot grigio as family, and the drone of

televised football surrounds us. No argument, it’s good stuff.

But as tomorrow is July 4, I’ll lay it out there that the Fourth

of July is a far more meaningful thanksgiving holiday than the one in

November, when about all I’m thankful for -- aside from my family --

is Zantac and the awesome turkey sandwiches that follow.

Thanksgiving should be in abundance this Fourth of July. We can

still fly our nation’s flag outside our homes, we still have a free

press, we still have the right to own guns, and we still have many

avenues of free speech and due process by which we can air our

grievances and take our government to task for its wont to be

arrogant, over-reaching and boneheaded. For sure, we should be on our

knees in thanks that we have brave men and women still willing to

volunteer for our armed forces, fighting and often dying for our

freedoms.

There’s one other thing. In Costa Mesa -- yes, thankfully -- we

still have the freedom to post a row of lawn chairs in the front yard

and spend a few hours waving sparklers and gazing at cascading

showers of sparks from the safe-and-sane fireworks we buy at the

stands in town.

That we still have this endearing ritual of the American

neighborhood in Costa Mesa is not a throwaway aside. In recent years,

any number of otherwise well-meaning Costa Mesans have stood before

the city council demanding the prohibition of safe-and-sane

fireworks. And that the current and past councils have resisted --

though last year, just barely -- is worth an extra sparkler or

Piccolo Pete this year.

Thankfully, Costa Mesa protects tradition.

But my fret is that while many Costa Mesans will be thankful on

the Fourth of July for the privilege of their frontyard fireworks

show, complacency will replace that thanks on July 5. That’s when the

City Council will convene its first meeting of the month. It’s also

when the push to ban the sale and discharge of safe-and-sane

fireworks in Costa Mesa will begin anew.

The refrain of would-be prohibitions will be all too familiar.

They’ll tell horror stories about all the noise, and how their

Schnauzers spent the evening with bug eyes and shaking as if they’d

been imprisoned in the refrigerator. There’ll be complaints about the

smoke and about the debris left in the streets and how those ugly

fireworks stands aren’t becoming of our township. We may hear, too,

that some unfortunate soul set a housecoat ablaze with a sparkler.

But, most often, the hue and cry will revolve around accounts of

mortar shells exploding overhead, bottle rockets streaking skyward,

or the concussion of M-80s shaking bedroom windows in their frames.

Of all the gripes, the latter drives me to indignation. Mortars,

rockets and M-80s are already illegal. Nonetheless, fireworks

prohibitionists will sloppily lump these dangerous fireworks in with

the safe-and-sane variety. Their theory? That if you ban legal

fireworks it makes it easier to root out the illegal ones.

Were such a ban to arise in Costa Mesa, next year’s Fourth of July

celebration will feature mortars, bottle rockets, M-80s and roman

candles exclusively. The criminals will have a great time, while

law-abiding families who once enjoyed this fine tradition of the

American neighborhood will be left grousing that the first victim of

illegal behavior is freedom.

So this Fourth of July as you enjoy your family’s fireworks show,

be thankful. And also follow the rules: Only discharge safe-and-sane

fireworks, and only on July 4 between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Don’t

discharge fireworks in parks or on school grounds, and be sure to

clean up when you’re finished. Most importantly, if you witness the

discharging of illegal fireworks, report it to the Costa Mesa Police

Department.

Safe-and-sane fireworks are a great Costa Mesa tradition. It’s a

tradition to be thankful for, and a tradition worth protecting.

* BYRON DE ARAKAL is a writer and public affairs consultant who

lives in Costa Mesa. Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily

Pilot hotline at (714) 966-4664 or contact him at

[email protected].