A reader shares this with the Green Institute

Dear Vice President Gore,

Watching last summer's July 4 fireworks display (and the smoke rising over Rochester, NY), I realized that we could probably do more to slow global warming by changing how we celebrate our's nation's independence than by all the other things we might do as individuals to reduce our carbon imprint.

Fireworks can be fun and exciting to see. The crazy and colorful displays of combustion over cities and towns all over America will be better when they are recalled as a quaint custom of our nation's foolish youth, rather than continued as a tradition through the 21st century.

It may be very difficult to create an effective grassroots movement to stop fireworks on July 4, in part because most of the political leaders in our country are afraid to advocate for changes in the habits of their potential voters and contributors. You, Mr. Gore, could be the exception.

America's addiction to unnecessary combustion can hurt us. Leaders who continue to enable the unhealthy tradition of fireworks (and the wars they recall) are not effective or visionary leaders. In a sane future, we can watch a DVD of beautiful fireworks from the past, say, circa 2007. There is no good reason to watch bombs bursting in our air ever again.