How the Sequester Grinches Stole the Fourth of July
We’ve done pretty well with making our second president’s dream come true. In fact, last night from my front lawn, I could see two different displays being set off over two nearby lakes, one to the north and one to the south. I literally didn’t know which way to look. But there are a lot of people who won’t be able to watch the fireworks displays this year. No fireworks on military bases is now official congressional policy.
That’s right. Fireworks have been cancelled on most military bases this year. The “Sequester”, designed by congress to make everyone so miserable they would never let it take effect, has put an end to John Adams’ vision in our most patriotic of places.
A few lucky bases have found a philanthropic civilian backer. Fort Hood, in Texas, has dipped into profits from their recycling center to save their show. But most of the men and women who serve this nation, and the children who stoically endure their long absences, will see nothing but dark skies.
Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Shaw Air Force Base, Parris Island, and the Cowpens National Battlefield, in South Carolina, McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey, are just some of the places that had to cancel their firework displays this year.