Not everybody obeys the rules on fireworks

Ah, here we are in beautiful Federal Way. The city has chosen to entertain us with fireworks and other programs in the heart of the city (not where most of the the residents live, by the way) to help alleviate the problems that have been apparent since the “no fireworks allowed” laws hit the books a number of years ago.

Having experienced that mess in the past, I’m home this Fourth of July, hoping for a relatively quiet evening.

I’ve taken care over the last few years to impress upon my children that the law says no fireworks, and that means no fireworks. I’ve followed that principle since the law was passed, even though it is obviously not a popular law. Despite the pleas of the kids, we’ve not purchased even a sparkler since the city passed the law.

Although there have been annual reports of less injuries and fires since the passage of the law, I’ve seen little evidence that the sheer numbers of fireworks users have declined in my neighborhood.

My biggest complaint isn’t with the city, however. Were I the lonely police officer driving through my neighborhood tonight, I doubt I’d be inclined to start trying to enforce the obviously unenforceable codes. It’s with my neighbors and friends in the community who live and work in our city, who obviously could care less about the law if it means that they have to give up something.

I’m now the bad guy, of course; my children didn’t get to participate in the war zone around our neighborhood.

Thanks, neighbors, for helping me teach my children respect for laws. Not!

Norris L. Johnson Jr.

Federal Way

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