That Ain't My America

I know, I know, Lynyrd Skynyrd already has a song with a title like that. But, that was the feeling I got on Sunday, the 4th of July. Now, let me just say that it wasn't becuase of something serious, like disrespecting the flag, or disrespecting someone in uniform. If that were the case, I'd still be in jail! I said this to myself when I tried to buy some fireworks for my daughter. She's 2 years old and this is probably the first Independence Day that she could somewhat comprehend the meaning. So, I thought, like most other dads, that I'd go down to the local Dollar General and get some legal fireworks. When I was a kid, you could get one of those variety packs that had mostly sparklers but also some fiery, multi-colored projectiles. Well, not anymore. At my local store, you couldn't even buy sparklers! That Ain't My America! I had to settle for smoke bombs and several variations of the same confetti-popping thing. My daughter was still impressed but that's not the point. Have we really come to the point where we can't even buy sparklers? Jeesh.