To the editor:

Location: water’s edge, Eagle Harbor. Day: July 5.

I woke up this morning to complete silence. Good, you say? Well, maybe not.

No dog barking. No geese honking. No crow crowing. No small songbird singing. Nothing.

There’s only one explanation that I can offer: last night’s fireworks.

Now before I get clobbered as “anti-patriot,” I’m as happy as the next person about kicking those nasty British monarchists out of our lovely cantankerous, democratic country. So don’t put me into that category. I love our Fourth of July 5K runs, parade, booths, car show and so on.

But the silence this morning got to me.

Can we conduct a sincere, non-divisive discussion about having the Fourth without fireworks? I know a whole bunch of birds would really be happy.

ROGER LAUEN

Bainbridge Island