Smoke alarms, shot guns and the American way of life

Ilike Americans. For all their flag-waving bravado and their decidedly skewed view of history I find them, for the most part, kind and generous. I grew up right on the border – Niagara in this case – and had friends and family in the states. I suppose this is why I am saddened by the way the country seems to be fracturing so badly under the sway of an increasingly partisan Congress and an increasingly bizarre president.

There has always been a violent side to things south of the border. Whether this is a result of the wrenching revolution that gave birth to the nation, the gun-fueled conquest of the west or the catastrophic civil war, I don’t know. But it’s there and likely won’t go away. A perfect example of just how different the attitude to fire arms is in the U.S. of A. occurred a week ago in Vermont.

Now, I won’t use names here since none of this has been proven in court but the witnesses are numerous and their testimony is in agreement and has found its way into the local paper. Still, a law suit is a law suit and one doesn’t like to put one’s employer in an awkward position. So let’s just call the protagonist, Fred.

It seems the local first responders were called to Fred’s home one evening recently when a fire alarm went off. When they arrived Fred explained that there was no problem and that it was merely the smoke alarm that had commenced beeping while he was cooking supper. He pointed out this was a frequent and annoying event since, for reasons only known to the contractor who had installed the device, the alarm was directly over the stove.

Fred asked the firefighters if they could just disconnect the alarm so he could cook in peace. After a quick inspection the firefighters told Fred that this wasn’t an option because the alarm was not battery powered but wired directly into the home’s electrical system. Here’s where things went south.

An angry Fred, obviously at the end of his tether and disappointed that the firefighters could do nothing for him, took matters into his own hands: In this case in the form of a shot gun that he fetched from another room. He then, “allegedly,” remember the law suit I spoke of, proceeded to dismantle the alarm by firing a round into the appliance. Just for good measure he then, “allegedly,” racked another round into the chamber and blasted away for a second time. Problem solved, and it hadn’t even required a ladder or a screw driver.

Understandably, this sudden gun fire, to say the least, startled the firefighters who I presume headed for cover. When the smoke cleared, however, they somehow managed to relieve Fred of his home improvement kit and stashed it in the back of their truck obviously fearful that there might be other appliances that irritated Fred.

Here’s where the difference in attitude towards fire arms that I talked about earlier came into play. An increasingly angry Fred, “allegedly,” returned to the house, where I presume he rummaged around in his small arms locker – a facility common to many American households – and procured a hand gun. Waving the hand gun he then, “allegedly,” demanded that the first responders return his shot gun. When they, unsurprisingly, refused to do so he threatened to do to them what he had done to the smoke alarm, yelling “You Mother (bad word) I’ll shoot you (bad word.) Thankfully the police, just like the Wild West marshals of old, arrived in the nick of time and talked Fred into dropping his weapon. He was then taken into custody.

This is where the story now stands. Fred has since pleaded not guilty to a felony charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, on the first responders not the smoke alarm, and also not DEAR EDITOR:

Wguilty to the lesser charge of reckless endangerment. A screener, hired by the court, has told the judge that she found no psychological problems with Fred and the trial is pending. Let’s hope Fred’s do-it-yourself initiative doesn’t herald a trend.

e, The Prom Fairies, would like to extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who made our 6th annual Bingo fundraiser a tremendous success!

Thank you to all of the Galt students who gave up their recess and spare time to wrap bottle caps, make signs and put them up for us.

To the volunteers: Students, Teachers, Friends, Husbands, Children, Galt’s Student council, The Cooks, Supervisors, The Tech team, Lennoxville Town Council, The 1st Lennoxville Scouts/beavers and their Leaders, Thank you for giving up your Sunday to come out and help us! Your time and effort on this day was invaluable. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you.

To all of you who donated prizes, or made a monetary contributions, We thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Without the support of local businesses and individuals who make these crucial contributions, The Prom Fairies wouldn’t be able to thrive. Thank you so much.

Thank you to everyone who attended our Bingo, without your support, we wouldn’t be able to be successful in helping so many students attend their prom.

NANCY GREY