Thank You, Torrington, For Saving Independence Day: A Town’s Display of Mass Civil Disobedience
The following is a guest submission by Keith Farrell, student president of the University of Connecticut’s Torrington Campus and founder of the Spirits of ’76, a “non-profit organization dedicated to spreading liberty by inspiring involvement in community and volunteerism.”
In the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling on Obamacare and the constant erosion of Constitutional restraint which has transpired under the present administration, I was not feeling particularly enthusiastic about celebrating American Independence and individual liberty the way I normally do on Independence Day last week. To my surprise, however, the good citizens of city restored my cheer through an act of mass nullification of state and local laws!
In my state of Connecticut, fireworks are heavily regulated. Just a week prior to the 4th of July one of our local papers’ front page featured a state police bust on an illegal fireworks stash. In what is commonplace these days, the law is designed to regulate and restrict everyone on the basis that a few people may hurt themselves. Of course, if this logic were to be applied equally in our lives we would be forced to outlaw motor vehicles, bath tubes, and pretty much anything would pose a risk to would-be mishandlers. Regardless of how illogical it is, firework restrictions are commonplace in many states.
Living in Connecticut, one of the most liberal states in the country, I never would suspect that so many individuals would openly flaunt authority, but that is exactly what happened on July 4th this year. As soon as dusk began to set, the sounds of fireworks being set off across town and over the hills could be heard. My curiosity was piqued—these were much louder bangs than the legal noisemakers emit. Once I went to my porch, my suspicions were confirmed: the city of Torrington had turned into a giant illegal fireworks show! They were being lit off in constant display of rebellion from private parties across its rural neighbors and even from the rooftops of its urban downtown. The sky was alight with the colors and bursts of liberty!
You can read the rest of this article at: http://studentsforliberty.org/blog/thank-you-torrington-for-saving-independence-day-a-towns-display-of-mass-civil-disobedience/
Short URL: http://www.txwclp.org/?p=12858
Posted by rbutler
on Jul 11 2012. Filed under Libertarian News.
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