Tag: #4th of July

No comments

Independence Day Prayers

  By ,

Independence Day Prayers

25 things to love about America

Independence Day Prayers

 

By Cate Rees-Hessel

 

I recall as a very young teen wearing a red white and blue satin scarf top while having a picture taken with Senator John Heinz when America turned 200. We had to use an actual camera with a flash bulb back then.

This year I added special decor to my patriotic decorations, planning on watching fireworks, and standing for our National Anthem at the water park. A concert might be nice, too. As much as I love celebrating our nation, I am very disturbed by the fact Donald Trump is in the Oval Office – that puts a damper on the festivities. During the bicentennial we had a real president, James Earl Carter Jr.

Is it wrong to want to celebrate presidential impeachment or 25th Amendment invocation for our nation’s birthday party? Nope, it is not, because I love my country and our military. I want the felon imbecile out of office before we can’t celebrate 251 years of freedom. We must, however, endure, try to make the most of the 250 years, and continue to pray our freedoms are not taken away along with our Social Security.

Will ICE agents ruin events this Independence Day? Will “The Donald” embarrass our country even more than he already has? Will there be a social media rant on the Fourth of July from Trump wrongly blaming Presidents Obama and Biden for everything that has gone wrong for the orange monster? Can we expect a surprise military dictator parade?

Let’s try our best to enjoy ourselves on this patriotic holiday. Here are a few things we can do to have some fun for our nation’s birthday. There should not be any Trump MAGA rally when we need to be celebrating our 250 year old democracy. As Pride Month comes to a close, we stand with the LGBTQ community. As we continue to celebrate the birth of our nation this month, let’s not let the Republicans ruin our holiday. Here are 17 cute ideas to remember 1776:

  1. Make a flag cake using blueberries and cherries or strawberries with vanilla frosting
  2. Wear patriotic attire, my favorite is my Made in America Tee.
  3. Listen to Lee Greenwood sing “God Bless the USA” and try not to cry. I respect Mr. Greenwood’s refusal to sing at the 2024 Republican convention.
  4. Grill some corn on the cob and unprocessed hot dogs
  5. Leave fireworks to the professionals like the fabulous Zambelli Fireworks. Home fireworks are unsafe and responsible for numerous Independence Day injuries and fires.
  6. Watch a patriotic film or read a patriotic book. I suggest the American Revolution documentary by Ken Burns.
  7. Play baseball, or if you are fortunate to have a MLB team go out and cheer on the hometown boys.
  8. Attend a patriotic concert or play.
  9. Enjoy a parade.
  10. Envision a beautiful blue wave while at the pool or beach
  11. Plan a picnic in the park.
  12. Take a drive in the country
  13. Check your local museums, libraries, and municipalities for special events to commemorate our nation’s 250 year history.
  14. Check your cable or streaming service for shows celebrating the birth of our nation. For example, The Disney Channel will have 24 hours of special programming on July 4th.
  15. Find fifty year old photos or souvenirs from our bicentennial to display and look over, sweet memories.
  16. The Washington DC History and Culture organization had a special two night virtual program featuring the music from 1976. Play those old tunes on a turntable and dance like everyone is watching.
  17. Eat warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream and pray for our country.

That blue wave is coming soon…but only if you vote.

 

Fireworks At Home Can Burn Big

  By , , ,

Fireworks At Home Can Burn Big

Fireworks At Home Can Burn Big

 

By Wes Hessel

 

Natural Inclinations

When Fourth of July rolls around, the desire for something to light up the night and go boom grows large, as does the temptation to DIY.  It always holds true, fireworks are best left to the professionals, as the consequences can be life changing.

Even Sparklers

The fact is even simple pyrotechnics are potentially quite dangerous.  Sparklers burn at temperatures in the area of 2000 degrees – that is about nine and a half times the boiling point of water, high enough for some metals to melt.  The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has said sparklers account for over ¼ of the ER trips for injuries caused by fireworks, and “For children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for nearly half of the total estimated injuries.”

Causing Fires

The NFPA reported in 2017 fireworks led to about 19,500 fires: almost 1 in 10 of those to structures, 500 of them burning vehicles, and 17,100 outdoor or other fire types.  Five years later (2022 – the latest available statistics), these stats skyrocketed (pun intended) to 31,302 blazes – 3,504 structures, 887 vehicles, 26,492 outside, and 418 unclassified. These incidents caused six deaths, 44 injuries to civilians alone, and $109 million of property damage directly connected.

Young Children

Direct fireworks injury numbers are also sobering: three years ago, an estimate of 10,200 ER visits with treatments. Based on the CPSC (the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) report on fireworks for that year, the NFPA stated: “Over half of those injuries were to the extremities (29% hands and fingers, 19% legs, 5% arms) and 35% were to the eyes or other parts of the head. Children younger than 15 years of age accounted for 28% of the estimated 2022 injuries.”

Triggers

And there are other factors to consider, such as the loud noise-young children cannot only be scared by it, but their hearing can be damaged. People with PTSD often can be triggered by such stimuli, and one isn’t always aware of who is living with this condition. Our pets, also, may not react well to the sound and light effects of fireworks; as a personal example, last year on the 4th I took our puggle for a quick bladder break before we left to watch pro fireworks. Someone in the neighborhood shot off a pyrotechnic and our fur baby turned tail, literally, and practically dragged me to get back in the house. Keeping small, loved ones, be they human or pet, inside will keep them safe from falling fireworks debris and the effects of the strong sounds.

Conclusion

It’s not worth the risk to take fireworks into your own hands – you or someone else could easily get burned in more ways than one.