" Was there any mention in the paper that a new last-minute location was being considered because of unharvested wheat crops in the area around IVC? Yes, I know that the land belongs to private owners and they can do anything they want with it. But Freedom Fest has been going on for almost two decades. Is it really a good idea to plant something nearby that is going to be nice and dry on July 4? But no one can say anything to the farmers until IVC looks into its own ag program and the decision to also plant wheat right next to the college. "

" you go Calipat... "

" This article was kind of skimpy on the details, other than the reasons we shouldn't try to set off our own fireworks according to one deputy. When are the shows going to start? Are their admission fees? How early should you get there to beat traffic? Is anything else going to be happening? Hopefully all of that info will be in tomorrow's article. Right? "

" I don't know the Constitution very well, where is that Freedom of Fireworks part?
Is that right by the Freedom to Trash the Ditchbanks part.
Have anyone of you freedom folks driven around IVC after July 4? It's looks like a dead fireworks grave yard from all the pigs that trash other people's property such as ditch banks and side roads. "

" Amen zanelisk and numerocinco! How sad we, as a community allowed the supervisors, including Larry Grogran, to take away one of our proud and few traditions and freedoms! How unamerican these supervisors are! There was only 1 hay stack that burned a couple years ago by I.V.C. and none the following year. The owner of the haystack was reimbursed. One haystack should not take away our freedoms!!! Perhaps we can reverse the ordinance when there is a changing of the guard and get our fireworks back. "

" Calexico can't afford fireworks because that money is now being used to pay for Luis Castro's translator. "

" straitup, calexico isn't having one because somebody embezzled all the money! "

" i have missed 4th of july for the past two years here in the imperial valley, due to call of duty overseas in iraq and i am very disappointed to get back home and not be able to light up the sky with fireworks this year. we have had a tradition of this and it saddens not only myself, but my nieces and nephews who have enjoyed fireworks in our backyard for years. thanks to those who made it illegal, go F#$! yourselves, you lost one vote here! "

" I wonder what the city cops would do if everyone went ahead and set off fireworks in the streets anyway. They can't give everyone a ticket.I think the cops would hide just so they wouldn't have to deal with it. They probably want to set them off too. "

" Sounded a lot like a press release put out by Leon himself. Apparently one sergeant speaks for everyone. "

" I always thought that law that made safe & sane fireworks illegal was stupid. "Oh I don't see why people should defy the law when they get some good views at ivc". Whatever. I still believe that was a freedom that was unjustly taken away. They failed to prove that they were the cause of the fires. Just because it's an old issue does not mean the fight is over. "

" I'm glad that a longstanding tradition of personal fireworks is still observed in Calipatria. Seems like maybe we are closer to being the real America up here.

Too bad the NWO folks have infiltrated the other parts of the valley, and indoctrinated the LEO community.

I spose it's called CaliPATRIA for a reason!! "

" This article with Mr. Leon sure made this special holiday weekend pretty gloomy. Hey, reporter, don't talk to Mr. Leon anymore about any holidays or festive events. He's just too depressing. You should have spoken with the events coordinators. "

" I have a novel idea, Why don't you stop having fireworks at IVC and let all of us go back to having a family get together at home and light fireworks out in the street in front of our homes like we had been doing for decades? Just because our supervisors folded to pressure from a couple of powerful farmers the rest of us have to do without. The only reason the haystack caught on fire was because everyone would go watch the IVC show from the ditch banks. So shut down IVC and let us go back to our family gatherings and BBQ's an forget the expensive fireworks displays. Calexico isn't having one because they can't afford it. Let these service clubs go back to making what little money they made by selling fireworks! It's rediculous that our elected officials took this freedom away from us. At least the ones that took this freedom away aren't going to be on the board anymore! Thanks allot. "

" Mr. Leon probley thinks gun ownership should be outlawed. That the speed limit should again be a mandated 55 mph. That public lands should be closed to the citizenry. That anything that resembles freedom and rights should be eliminated and made illegal. What did this county do from 1900 to 2007 without oppressive government intervention? Oh, by the way, rich-bit@h farmers didnt lose a dime from those stack fires thier insurance companies did. Hay prices are up today but in the past it was widely known among the farm community that the forth of July was prime time to torch those stacks of hay that werent going to break-even on the market. Insurance money was a profit-generator. It was always blamed on fireworks or vandals. No investigation would even consider insurance fraud against a big name local farmer, pilars of our society. The law enforcement bumper stickers of the past...."burn a bale, go to jail" were a great spin for on the take investigators. We never suspect those who are above reproach. Lets just keep striping away freedoms and traditions in the name of the law. "

" Yes, Westmorland its pefectly legal. "

" And they're legal in Westmorland too, right?

http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2008/06/29/local_news/news07.txt "

" Well, we are going to have a significant fireworks display on the Fourth, despite the county ordinance prohibiting such displays. Mostly because I'll be somewhere else. "