Lee Cataluna: Let’s look at the fireworks problem from a different angle

Honolulu Police Department finally made some arrests in the horrible New Year’s Eve Fireworks Explosion that killed five people.

Good. Let’s hope that the Honolulu prosecutor’s office brings their “a game” to these cases. People need to go to jail for printing explosives in their neighborhoods and killing people.

The legislature has to come up with laws that are easier to enforce and harder on people who engage in this meaningless dangerous reveal.

Now that these parties seem to step up, we can draw attention to what we can do, us regular civilians, those of us who nervously water down on our roof, calm our pets and ask for heavy rain every New Year.

We have to get on it from a different angle.

The part that is our responsibility is the children. Our own children, the neighbor -children, nies and nephews, the children we teach the class or see in the church, and the random neighborhood children who have no regularly looking for them.

We can do things to keep the kids in safety, even if the idiot adults in their lives continue to buy and blow illegal explosives.

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For example:

If you are a parent and you take your kids to a New Year’s party or a fourth July -picnic and you see someone who stands up stacking with illegal antennas somewhere behind the buffet table, you grab your Keiki, tell them: We are going home , ”Go into the car and flee to safety.

If you are the aunt who is responsible for the party, you gather everyone’s children and get them out of there or you put your finger in the light of the one standing next to a cake of aircraft that holds a lighter or one punk or a flare and say, ”does not do this over here. There’s Keiki around. ”

Full Court Press, Makua League.

Let’s teach the children to protect themselves too.

This means that poster competitions in the public libraries with crayon drawings saying, “Happy New Year means no one goes to the hospital” or “Fireworks are not good luck if you are arrested.”

That means stickers and t-shirts from the fire department that read: “Sparky The Fire Dog Saying Don’t be stupid. Air fireworks are illegal and deadly. ”

This means that teachers add their lessons: “Always wash your hands when you go pot; Say thank you and thank you; If your uncle lights fireworks in your garage, run to a neighbor’s house and call 9-1-1. “

And coaches add their PEP conversations: “Play clean. Respect Ref. Never give up. And fireworks are bursting your fingers. “

Pediatricians can add a question like “Is someone in the child’s life who is likely to ignite fireworks around the home?” Under routine herds of good babies. If the answer is yes, the conversation for the prevention of injuries will be.

High School Health Classes can spend a day on what can happen to the human body when pyrotechnics go wrong.

There may be essay competitions about “social security and common sense.”

Cluest counselors can take their students to keep signs outside the state’s capital that require legislators who write and pass bills that have real teeth.

Children should not just be made aware of the dangers. They have the right to be angry with it.

In some homes, it is money that could go to their university teaching that is being shot out in the night sky. Children must feel authorized to go in for themselves. We are pursuing after any other thing that has the potential to hurt children, from candy-flavored nicotine to soda machines on a school campus, but we allow them to grow up and think that New Year’s Eve at Oahu is normal, literally normalizing this war zone insane .

It’s hard for a child to tell that Uncle is showing up at a party with arm loads with explosives, “Hi Uncle, can’t we do it anymore? It’s really dangerous. “But it is harder to go through life with less than 10 fingers. It’s harder to go through life with regret.

Let’s urge the legislators to become serious with fireworks and let the police, Sheriff, ATF and City Prosecutor Steve Alm know that we want conviction and prison time for the people who sold fireworks as well as those who bought them and set them on fire.

Let’s make sure we see a noticeable change from these agencies. But let’s also let the younger generations know that what they are growing up with is not right and is not safe, and things need to get better, not bigger every year.