The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Thanks to All the Tip-Jar Hitters!

Posted on | April 15, 2026 | No Comments

That is a 200-gram firework “cake,” a multi-shot repeater that shoots 20 aerial bursts in about 24 seconds. We just ordered a case of 18 of those — $154.90 wholesale, but with the 25% Early Bird discount, we paid just $116.18 to add 360 shots into our Fourth of July finale.

After publishing the “Big Yellow Button” post Sunday morning, I left it “sticky” at the top of the page for three days, and am grateful to everyone who hit the tip jar to contribute to our purchase of eight cases of fireworks — including 168 mortar shells and two beautiful zig-zag cakes called “High Stepper” — 200 shots in 25 seconds:

 

Among the contributors was a young Virginian named Jonathan, who attended last year’s show and helped with the final set-up. Thanks also to Mr. McCartney; Robert in Oak Brook, Illinois; Charles in Teaneck, New Jersey; and Mr. Schmidt in San Francisco. Gary sent $25 and the message, “Make it spectacular!” (We will!) Mr. Yoder from Pennsylvania contributed, as did Mr. Dodge and Mr. Miller, both of them from the good part of Maryland. Mr. Heath from Texas kicked in, as did Mr. Spear, who shared that he enjoys reading updates about my Army son. Cheryl gave the patriotic sum of $17.76, as did William and Irvin, both of whom expressed their admiration for Mrs. McCain (and her bikini).

Finally, we got $25 and a message (“Blow shit up. Buy McBurgers.”) from someone named Kevin in Nye County, Nevada. Seems suspicious.

Anyway, the order has been placed and will be picked up tomorrow or Friday by one of my sons and, perhaps you might ask, “Is this enough fireworks?” Friends, there is no such thing as “enough fireworks.” Eight cases is a nice start, but with the clocking down to the 4th of July — a mere 80 days away now — we continue our quest to acquire the quantity of pyrotechnical awesomeness required to celebrate the 250th anniversary of our independence. By the way, all of y’all are invited to come see the show in Berkeley Count, West Virginia; if you’ll be in the vicinity, be sure to get in touch. Thanks to everyone who has contributed so far to our celebration, and to our other readers, I once more remind you that the Five Most Important Words in the English Language are:

HIT THE FREAKING TIP JAR!



 

Category: Shoe Leather Fund

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