Witnesses say Pinkley was “trying to light off a large mortar while holding it directly above his head,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. “They say they tired to stop him, but he dismissed his friends, claiming he had done this before.”
There’s always some putz doing that, it seems.
I cannot think of anything more fun than being reckless with fireworks, off the top of my head.
Kinda like anal sex, it’s either something you’re into, or something that only makes you shake your head in bewilderment.
Ah, yes, there’s another place where you really should not hold fireworks…
As the child of a Vietnam veteran, i’ve always been sensitive to how uncomfortable the sound of fire works can be for some veterans. I have been a big proponent of switching to drone air shows.
But a couple of days ago i learned that for the new generations of vets (and refugees) it’s the buzz of a drone that sends ice water through their veins and bolts of lightening up their spines. I felt pretty stupud for not having figured that out. Because of course it would. There is no good way to celebrate war.
There is not.
I am a vet, albeit one not prone to PTSD in circumstances found around here. Although I was mildly reminded 3 weeks ago that nobody is fully immune everywhere. Shudder.
Where I live I have a good vantage to watch pro shows from home. Last Fri the fireworks I could both see and hear. The subsequent drone show was readily visible but silent at my range. Where I drone-shy that would’ve been a lot more tolerable; they were just dots of pretty light in the sky.
During the big fireworks show I saw, there was a little red and green flashing drone up there. I’m guessing from the city? Taking pictures? I have no idea. But it added an element of peril to the show, in the sense of, “Whoa, is this going to be the explosion that takes out the drone?”
The drone survived, though.
I love fireworks. I oppose the illegal use of them. Most people, especially drinking people, have no business with them. Fortunately in my subdivision they are forbidden. We still hear them, but it’s not so loud to be bothersome.
Not sure if this belongs here or not:
On mythbusters they tried to set a VERY dry christmas tree on fire with electrical lights, and more or less rated it “Busted”
Mind you, wiring problems can cause a fire.
The Palisades Fire in SoCal was possible caused by fireworks.
A few incident reports are still trickling in. Of course many fireworks mishaps never make the news at all.
Even the rich and famous aren’t immune.
Wish there was something to do every year besides stare in horror at the mostly preventable carnage and shake one’s head. But odds are for a repeat again in 2026.
There’s a lot of wreckage in a big country. This is just one small folly among thousands of kinds enacted by millions of people.
Maybe less staring will let you experience less horror.
I just shake my head at my fellow humans every day and move on with my own life untroubled by their follies. I have folly enough of my own to entertain and/or chagrin myself with.