When exuberance clashes with the law

I spent most of the day this July fourth in the fireworks booth that my company, a private Christian homeschool resource center, has operated the past two years for fundraising purposes. As hot as it was – the temperature topped out at 111 degrees by five in the afternoon -, I truly enjoyed briefly celebrating the unique experience of America’s Independence Day with the many people who purchased fireworks from us. 

I returned home around dusk, and until somewhere around ten thirty my neighborhood was treated to the booms and flashes that accompany the ignition of illegal fireworks. We had a neighbor just a bit southeast of us that must have spent a fortune on some pretty impressive, high-end pyrotechnics. By county and city ordinances, the law was repeatedly broken with an obvious disregard for residents in the surrounding area. And I’m confident that similar displays were ringing out all across Bakersfield.

My wife informed me that various social media sites were recirculating an announcement from a local television station that discouraged people from calling the police or fire department to report illegal fireworks activities. My takeaway from such an announcement is that, despite the fact that local laws were being flagrantly violated, the average citizen had no legal recourse in dealing with what amounted to extreme nuisances brought on by those who chose to let their unlawful exuberance rule the day, as many repeatedly have in recent years.

I’m not trying to be a humbug. I’m trying to point out that the line between freedom and the deliberate flouting of the law continues to be blurred by those who simply don’t feel like being considerate or courteous when it comes to something they feel entitled to do in the moment. Over the past decades, this attitude has become more prevalent when it comes to little things like blowing off illegal fireworks in July; blowing through a stop sign or red light because you just didn’t feel like waiting; tagging a wall with spray paint; shoplifting; ripping off packages from someone’s front porch; ripping out somebody’s catalytic converter; ripping off somebody’s toolbox; ripping off somebody’s car or truck. And so on.

Most Americans love and respect that we are a nation of laws. Most Americans acknowledge that many people do not respect that our laws define our nation as the beacon of freedom to which we aspire. One moment of disregarding a stop sign or a red light can bring about death. One moment of disregarding the sanctity of private property might devastate the family whose car or truck or tools were stolen. One moment of disregarding fireworks ordinances might start a fire that engulfs somebody’s house.

I contend that most Americans far outnumber the many who have little or no regard for our nation’s laws. As citizens who play by the established rules, we have a responsibility to expect – and at times remind – those around us who don’t feel obliged to follow those established rules. We cannot assume that the record numbers of people from all over the world that are streaming across our boarders by the thousands every week are all coming from parts of the world that respect the rule of law. It is up to We the People to maintain that standard, one of the standards upon which our nation was founded.