I got to enjoy the company of my friend Tara from Indiana this weekend during the nation's largest annual fireworks display, Thunder Over Louisville. It kicks off the Kentucky Derby Festival, aka the only time of year when people actually want to visit Kentucky (sorry, I didn't mean to knock it-- it just isn't an exciting tourist destination most of the time ;)).

Now, I've seen a few fireworks shows in my day, and they rarely impress me anymore. But this was an entirely different class of fireworks display. There were two giant river barges shooting off explosives from the Ohio River, and fireworks also came off a city bridge spanning the river. There were fireworks I'd never seen before, including these red ones that floated away like bubbles after exploding. The opening salvo was equivalent to most grand finales I've seen. These folks can do fireworks-- it is a pyro's dream.

There was also an airshow before the fireworks. NNPCW alumna Ann Melton had e-mailed me before the show about a protest that was going on regarding this aspect of the festivities. The protest focused on the use of fighter jets and other military weaponry for the show-- these are used for killing and destruction in other countries, and yet we Americans watch them for entertainment. I didn't really think much about the whole protest thing before going, though. Usually, I think, those kinds of protests come off as extreme to the general population.

My friends and I were wandering around down by the Presbyterian Center, though, when out of nowhere came the loudest, most piercing screech I'd heard in a long time. It reverberated off the buildings as if something were about to collapse. I wanted to duck and cover-- it really did freak me out. Until I realized what it was.

The fighter jets were making a low pass over the city.

Yeah, those fighter jets were cool looking. I stared up at them in fascination as they flamed through the sky overhead, twirling along as unimaginable power propelled them forward. They were beautiful flying machines, indeed, amazing feats of technology.

Still, my first reaction to the sound of them coming was genuine fear. In so many places around the world, too, my initial response would have been entirely appropriate. To those of us who watched Saturday, these planes mean power and security, safety. They honored our greatness as a nation, and the women and men who died to secure that greatness. To people who "get to" watch an F-16 fly-by every day, though, they mean tragedy and death.

Perhaps the protesters weren't as extreme as I thought. Don't get me wrong-- I would love to see the fighter jets display at a fireworks show again. It is a fun show, and can be a powerful memorial to those who sacrificed for freedom. What I would love to see more, though, is for those planes to not be needed anymore. I want to know that a child anywhere in the world can look up at that F-16 with the same sense of safety that I can in Kentucky. And until then, I probably won't really enjoy the airshow that much.

"God shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." --Isaiah 2:4

Kelsey