Lighting-Up The 4th of July...

 

By EDUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ

McALLEN, Texas | The American Pyrotechnic Association says Americans will spend way more than $100 million on 4th of July fireworks this year. Wow. Has the price of always-cheap, quick-bang Black Cat firecrackers risen that much? Yes. Same for sparklers and boomers.

Hey, it's a national celebration of Independence Day. The however-darkened skies delivered of late by the U.S. Supreme Court must be filled with noisy, colorful explosions. Freedom, we insist! If it costs a load over $100 million, then that's what it costs.

Said the APA, via axios.com: [ Sales of consumer fireworks are set to grow by $100 million this year, a 4% increase from last year, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association. Sales of fireworks used for professional shows fell 75% in 2020, the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, as lockdowns eliminated most public gatherings, APA data shows.]

We're hip to the tradition, only something pales here.

Our independence from the Brits came a long, long time ago. Man, that was another America.

We could sit here and jot down everything that has come down the racist/bigoted pike in the last decade and say: ". . .What freakin' independence are you talkin' about, Willis?!" But we won't. You have to have something to make you smile.

The Fourth of July is supposed to make all of us feel the patriotic tinge, that swelling or itching of the skin when the Star-Spangled Banner is played ahead of the downtown parade. "And the rocket's red glare, the bombs burstin' in air..." That sometimes corny stuff.

The words in the song were taken from a poem written by Francis Scott Key in 1814. According to Wikipedia, Key watched a night-time battle between Great Britain and the young United States that took place in Baltimore at Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.

It was in 1918 when the Star-Spanged Banner was first played in American sporting events. The song made its debut during the World Series when the Chicago Cubs faced the Boston Red Sox. Yeah, a sports tradition was born.

I couldn't tell you who gets credit for the best-ever rendition of the National Anthem at a stadium, but Jimi Hendrix played a wailing guitar solo of the anthem at Woodstock in 1969 that seems to forever get attention when people talk about who played it or sang it and where.

By the way, Gladys Knight sang the Star-Spangled Banner at the 2019 Super Bowl. In that one, the New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 in - you guessed it - a defensive battle.

In any case, July 4th is next Tuesday.

Buy yourself some fireworks at one of those roadside stands along those dusty, rural roads and join in the singing of the national song if you get the chance.

The country may be hiccupping political madness, but July 4th has nothing to do with that...

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