Happy 4th of July

In celebration of our independence from high taxes and over-bearing governments (hey, maybe we need another one of these...) we here in America blow shit up every summer at back yard BBQ's. Since Southern California is one big tinder box and no one can be trusted with dangerous things like real fireworks we always have to go to Mexico to get the good stuff or in true Biltwell fashion, we'll just make it our damn selves. My favorite book as a kid was the Anarchists Cookbook. We made a lot of stupid things from the pages of that great manual. There's a related web site here, and somewhere online you can down load the book in PDF format, or better yet buy the book.

My favorite recipe for fireworks is simple. Buy as many Picolo Petes from the local Safe and Sane fireworks stand if you can even find one of those. Pull the plug out of one end and empty all the contents into a empty paper towel or toilet paper roll, with one end folded over and taped securely shut. Do this with as many PP's as you can afford. At least a dozen. Tamp the powder down in the tube and then insert a fuse from one of the Pete's and fold the top closed, making sure that there isn't any wasted space inside. The idea is to have the tube packed tight with powder. Then tape the whole thing up real nice with duct tape, obviously exposing the fuse. Light that baby and run. We put a 5 gallon paint bucket over one at a party down in Lakewood a few years ago and it shot that sucker about 100 feet in the air. Cool stuff, but it'll blow your face off so use a long fuse and don't throw them at anyone. Good luck!