October 25, 2006

Do we look like criminals?

Yes unfortunately this is the eye catching headline of yet another flyer from cash spent by TNT fireworks. Of course the headline is over 4 young girls in patriotic dress with lots of flags. What a nice stock photo. Interestingly no pictures of any fireworks anywhere in any of the flyers...so does this mean the election is not about fireworks?

If LAAG had the same money that TNT does then we could send out a flyer with pictures of horrific injures caused by so called safe and sane fireworks. Fair is fair in the world of political ads right? We looked on Google and there are pictures. Click here for the photos. Caution as these are gruesome and shocking. And yes many if not most are of children.

As usual children are being used by the fireworks sellers as pawns. In reality they are the victems of fireworks sales as all the studies show that the vast majority of those injured are kids under 18 who cannot buy or sell safe and sane fireworks. What is "criminal" is the fact that children are being held up as being the ones who will be "criminals" if fireworks are outlawed. If fireworks are outlawed the parents will be the ones held responsible for their use, not their children. And they should be as it is also the parents fault when children are injured with "legal" fireworks.

Once again as adults we have to make decisions for our children. In reality, it is the adults that are acting like children in this campaign in favor of "smoke and sparks and free money".

Yes little Timmy will enjoy going to softball practice in a new uniform, but he will be handicapped by the fact that he has only one eye now or his hand was severely burned by a sparkler. Oh well at least his parents did not need to pay for the uniform. Maybe next year little Timmy can be used as a poster child in the next city to try and ban fireworks.

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