Dear Editor:

I am a returned veteran from overseas and have had my fair share of war noise and the terror and horror that goes with it. It greatly saddens me that I have served you in this capacity only to come home and find out that so many people are trying their hardest to duplicate these same horrifying sounds via their unlawful use of fireworks. Even I cannot tell the difference between some of these fireworks and shotguns or some of the cannons that I use to hear.

To come home and find out that your definition of freedom includes the ‘willful traumatizing’ of many of your neighbors, just because you can ‘get away with it’ because a policeman is not standing at your side 24 hours a day is shear idiocy.

The same is true for these ridiculously loud motorcycles that go speeding through our city with total impunity. I constantly here about 10 of them every day and they are 4-6 city blocks away. Between the hours of 10 p.m. and 1 a.m., I am awakened every night by several of them on Florence Avenue and Old River School Road. Is this truly how you view the correct usage of freedom?

I was certainly traumatized enough while serving in the military, but to come home and find out you are doing this on purpose – well, to put it very politely I just can’t describe to you how demoralizing and moronic this is when I see way too many Americans misbehaving in this fashion, with no concern whatsoever for your fellow neighbors.

I truly hope many of you will read this and reconsider your actions and activities, and your definitions of freedom!

Also, shame on the city officials for not frequently speaking out on these issues until they are resolved with a greater level of maturity.

Raymond Gomez
Downey