The Rockets Red Glare Punishable By Fine
This article in the St. Louis Past-Disgrace (er. Post-Dispatch) chronicles monstrous hypocrisy, and the author seems not to understand the implications (which is normal for the Bolshevists at the Disgrace.)
The city of St. Charles is a suburb of St. Louis, and has always allowed fireworks stands to sell fireworks while municipal ordinances banned setting them off. (I know from personal experience; as a young man I was shooting off bottle-rockets in the parking lot of a river access in St. Charles when, to my misfortune, a rocket I threw in the air landed on the ground and shot underneath a police cruiser coming on the lot to stop illegal fireworks. The police let me off with a warning-EVERYBODY on the lot was doing the same thing-but it was pretty hairy as the officers were not at all pleased.)
The hypocrisy of that is galling, since the city is happy to take the tax revenue from the sale of fireworks but will not allow their use. What makes this worse is that the city has legalized fireworks use on the 4th, but has hired extra police to ticket people before then. This proves that it`s all about the money in St. Charles. This is not about the public welfare as the authorities claim. This is a money grab for the city coffers.
Furthermore, the paternalism here is at odds with the whole philosophy of our Nation`s founding. America is supposed to be a land of freedom and independence. Our founders wanted a nation free from the heavy hand of government, free from unjust laws and a place where the citizenry would not walk in fear of government agents. Apparently the city of St. Charles does not agree; they are using force of arms to steal from people.
And the U.S. Supreme Court says our property rights should be in the hands of the local authorities!
St. Charles police to crack down on fireworks
Jason Lee
Of the Suburban Journals
St. Charles Journal
06/26/2005
ST. CHARLES
Even though fireworks vendors opened for business in St. Charles last week, residents may want to think twice about lighting any in the city before the Fourth of July weekend.
That's because St. Charles police warn they are taking a no-tolerance approach this year to combat their illegal use.
While this year marks the first that the City Council has legalized the private use of fireworks for people over 16 from July 3-5, police Chief Tim Swope says residents should expect strict enforcement from authorities until then.Advertisement
"We'll be out there doing everything we can," Swope said. "I want everybody to know this isn't going to be a catch-all, but with some education and some enforcement we will be able to have an impact."
Money allocated from the council will provide overtime pay for four to six officers to patrol each day for illegal fireworks usage, Swope said. The officers' overtime pay comes from a portion of the city's $76,000 take in total permit fees paid this year by 19 fireworks vendors.
Capt. Gerry Pollard, a department spokesman, said Friday morning that police so far had written 10 citations penalizing illegal use.
"We fully expect it to pick up in the next few days," Pollard said.
Under city ordinance, penalties for the illegal use of fireworks include a fine of up to $500 and up to three months in jail.
Fireworks tents opened for business Monday in St. Charles.
Ben Hodge and Josh Rivard, both 17 and of St. Charles, browsed through a multitude of bottle rockets Friday afternoon at a TNT Fireworks stand near Wal-Mart.
Hodge said he doubted the no-tolerance enforcement would prevent him from lighting some before July 3.
"We might use a few before the Fourth," Hodge said with a wry smile.
Rivard said he was buying some fireworks to use during his upcoming trip to a family farm in Illinois, where fireworks sales are banned statewide.
Others shopping for fireworks claimed it didn't make sense for the city to allow fireworks sales for two weeks, yet only permit their use for three days.
Scott Tracy, 37, of St. Charles, visited a tent near an Office Max store with his 10-year-old son Greg. Scott said he thought it was "a bit excessive" for police to penalize the use of fireworks when they're sold throughout the city.
"I don't know why they would allow these places to sell them all over the place but not let them be set off until the holiday weekend," Scott Tracy said. "As long as you're safe about it I don't think it's a problem. I don't let Greg and his friends set them off without me or another parent being around."
Swope said more officers would be patrolling for illegal fireworks usage as the week progressed.
"This year, when a fireworks-related call comes out, we will definitely respond to those," Swope said. "We expect to handle more calls the closer we get to the Fourth of July."
The city of St. Charles is a suburb of St. Louis, and has always allowed fireworks stands to sell fireworks while municipal ordinances banned setting them off. (I know from personal experience; as a young man I was shooting off bottle-rockets in the parking lot of a river access in St. Charles when, to my misfortune, a rocket I threw in the air landed on the ground and shot underneath a police cruiser coming on the lot to stop illegal fireworks. The police let me off with a warning-EVERYBODY on the lot was doing the same thing-but it was pretty hairy as the officers were not at all pleased.)
The hypocrisy of that is galling, since the city is happy to take the tax revenue from the sale of fireworks but will not allow their use. What makes this worse is that the city has legalized fireworks use on the 4th, but has hired extra police to ticket people before then. This proves that it`s all about the money in St. Charles. This is not about the public welfare as the authorities claim. This is a money grab for the city coffers.
Furthermore, the paternalism here is at odds with the whole philosophy of our Nation`s founding. America is supposed to be a land of freedom and independence. Our founders wanted a nation free from the heavy hand of government, free from unjust laws and a place where the citizenry would not walk in fear of government agents. Apparently the city of St. Charles does not agree; they are using force of arms to steal from people.
And the U.S. Supreme Court says our property rights should be in the hands of the local authorities!
St. Charles police to crack down on fireworks
Jason Lee
Of the Suburban Journals
St. Charles Journal
06/26/2005
ST. CHARLES
Even though fireworks vendors opened for business in St. Charles last week, residents may want to think twice about lighting any in the city before the Fourth of July weekend.
That's because St. Charles police warn they are taking a no-tolerance approach this year to combat their illegal use.
While this year marks the first that the City Council has legalized the private use of fireworks for people over 16 from July 3-5, police Chief Tim Swope says residents should expect strict enforcement from authorities until then.Advertisement
"We'll be out there doing everything we can," Swope said. "I want everybody to know this isn't going to be a catch-all, but with some education and some enforcement we will be able to have an impact."
Money allocated from the council will provide overtime pay for four to six officers to patrol each day for illegal fireworks usage, Swope said. The officers' overtime pay comes from a portion of the city's $76,000 take in total permit fees paid this year by 19 fireworks vendors.
Capt. Gerry Pollard, a department spokesman, said Friday morning that police so far had written 10 citations penalizing illegal use.
"We fully expect it to pick up in the next few days," Pollard said.
Under city ordinance, penalties for the illegal use of fireworks include a fine of up to $500 and up to three months in jail.
Fireworks tents opened for business Monday in St. Charles.
Ben Hodge and Josh Rivard, both 17 and of St. Charles, browsed through a multitude of bottle rockets Friday afternoon at a TNT Fireworks stand near Wal-Mart.
Hodge said he doubted the no-tolerance enforcement would prevent him from lighting some before July 3.
"We might use a few before the Fourth," Hodge said with a wry smile.
Rivard said he was buying some fireworks to use during his upcoming trip to a family farm in Illinois, where fireworks sales are banned statewide.
Others shopping for fireworks claimed it didn't make sense for the city to allow fireworks sales for two weeks, yet only permit their use for three days.
Scott Tracy, 37, of St. Charles, visited a tent near an Office Max store with his 10-year-old son Greg. Scott said he thought it was "a bit excessive" for police to penalize the use of fireworks when they're sold throughout the city.
"I don't know why they would allow these places to sell them all over the place but not let them be set off until the holiday weekend," Scott Tracy said. "As long as you're safe about it I don't think it's a problem. I don't let Greg and his friends set them off without me or another parent being around."
Swope said more officers would be patrolling for illegal fireworks usage as the week progressed.
"This year, when a fireworks-related call comes out, we will definitely respond to those," Swope said. "We expect to handle more calls the closer we get to the Fourth of July."
posted by Timothy Birdnow | 5:28 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home