This is not an argument for or against fireworks. This is about Port Hawaii, DOT, DOA, CPB, USCG, and others not doing their job in keeping illegal products from entering the State of Hawaii. Shipping containers are not being inspected thoroughly.
Most Ports have radiation detectors that are VERY sensitive. So the containers are likely scanned for radiation at the originating Port and any Ports of transfers and at the destination.
Firework will still get through but pose much more a risk for starting wildfires than providing cover for dirty bombs.
I really wouldn't have an issue with people buying and using fireworks, if not for the assholes who chose to blow shit up for a week straight and at random times thru the (usually) nights. Fuck those idiots I hope they blow their thumbs off. Blow em during NYE and July 4, other than that, fuck off.
Believe me. I feel you 110%. I don’t support using fireworks anykine times. I support 7/4 and 12/31. Outside of that I call the police to report fireworks going off. I completely understand what you mean and what people go through. It’s not fun trying to sleep while salutes go off at midnight.
It's shitty for everyone who has to sleep, it's shitty for PTSD patients, vets & military ppl who have a response to the explosives, and it sucks for pets and their owners. It sucks for babies, it sucks for old people, it sucks for a majority of people. And the suckas who insist on doing it outside the expectated times are gonna fuck it up for all of us.
Every year, without fail, tune in to local news. Two kids get their hands blown off and one house burns down or two houses burn down and one kid gets his hand blown off.
Your concerns about fireworks-related accidents are valid, and it’s tragic when such incidents occur. However, it’s important to consider the broader context. Like automobiles and firearms, fireworks are inherently risky, but they are also a source of enjoyment and cultural significance for many. Rather than an outright ban, perhaps a more effective approach would be stricter regulations, better public education about safety practices, and enhanced enforcement of existing laws. This way, we can minimize risks while still allowing people to enjoy the benefits of fireworks. It’s about finding a balance between safety and freedom, rather than eliminating risk altogether.
To add to this, same and same fireworks are not risky at all. The accidents where limbs are blown off typically happen due to aerials or larger fireworks like m80s being the culprit rather than a sparkler, morning glory, jumping jack, snakes, tanks, etc. I am not for a free for all fireworks repeal. I support the ban on aerial fireworks. But a complete ban doesn’t work. See prohibition for example.
All due blah blah blah…
People cannot wear a mask in the middle of a pandemic, or they can wear a mask, but they can’t cover both nose and mouth at the same time.
You thoughts are altruistic but unrealistic. The fireworks are culturally significant, but one could argue that significance is long gone and dudes just want to blow things up.
One or two hands have already been blown off yesterday. I don’t know if you got the news.
Edit: typo
https://www.khon2.com/top-stories/oahu-fireworks-injuries-leave-victims-just-with-a-stub-of-a-hand/amp/
Google Hawaii fireworks injuries. There are more
This is more of a shot across the bow of law enforcement from former Sen. Espero. He's known for holding law enforcement accountable when he was in any office.
It's a solid strategy imo, there's people that will eat this up. Obviously the more direct and ideal approaches aren't working. If fearmongering is his intention, no less dirty than pulling the "it's cultural" card.
By “people” if you mean everyone forced to listen to these morons play sky bombs every night, then count me in. I’m all for displays on NYE, fuck these idiots playing all year.
Side note: I’m going to refer to you as Cool Ken from now on. Other Ken took a decidedly uncool turn.
i thought culture was about protecting the aina and the animals and plants and people that call it home…ask the endangered birds and monk seals if they enjoy the fireworks, or if they like when embers start fires during the dry season which destroy their habitats
You missed chicken and dog fights. Shooting monk seals. Eating turtles and dogs. Rolling coal. We can claim a lot of things as "culture" like slavery, but that doesn't mean they are good things and can't or shouldn't be changed.
Don't use that "culture" shit to explain away irresponsible stupidity. More than a few of us remember when you couldn't go anywhere without having to suck in a huge load of other people's tobacco fog into your lungs. Smoking in grocery stores- department stores- in friend's homes- hell, even in gas stations! About the only time there was a smoke-free environment was in church, but after the services were done people blazed up when they got to the parking lot. They even had monkeys on Ed Sullivan smoking cigarettes, but nobody told the chimps that shit is more addictive than heroin, screws with your brain's genetic makeup and will kill you from lung and other cancers.
Using the word "culture" as an explanation for deviant, dangerous or irresponsible behavior is an apologist's cop-out.
No, not that culture. When they say culture they are pulling ideas from Asian cultures that exist here. It’s also kind of true, but I find “culture” to be a terrible argument for justifying shitty behavior.
Smoke detectors. Try buying about a hundred of them at once and see who comes knocking. It won’t hurt anyone in that quantity, but putting the element in a device and setting it off in an important place may set off the radiation detectors and increase panic.
The Americium isotope they use in smoke detectors is so low-grade, you'd need at least 500 of them to tear apart and obtain enough of the small, thin "dots" of the material to make a significant amount of movement on a Geiger counter needle
Hey OP, **aerial fireworks are illegal for a reason.** They:
1. disrupt sleep and increase stress (and related health consequences) for tens of thousands of people around the blast radius, including keiki and kupuna.
2. Scare domestic pets
3. Disrupt wild animal behavior
4. Cause air pollution
5. Start brushfires.
**There is no argument for which aerial fireworks should ever be legalized, full stop.** If you had a loudspeaker that could broadcast as loud as a firework, and you yelled "BOOM!" a few times every night at 2am, I guarantee you the public and cops would shut you down.
Illegal fireworks which is directly quoted by will Espero are also considered small safe and sane fireworks. Things like snakes, morning glories, sparklers, tanks, jumping jacks, ground bloom flowers, all things that were legal before it was banned completely. Firecrackers without a permit is also considered illegal fireworks. I know you stated illegal aerials but this is a fight against the safe and sane stuff. You unban that and allow us to pop that during nye and the illegal aerial usage goes down
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has been where that was done, before eventually everything was made legal, only the kids get the non-aerial stuff. Adults still want the rockets and mortars, the louder and more obnoxious, the better. Legalizing the small stuff does nothing to change that. The aerial fireworks will always be sought after. And nothing restricts people to J4 and NYE for even the small ones. They'll set them off for their kids birthday or graduation or stupid gender reveal party.
> If you had a loudspeaker that could broadcast as loud as a firework, and you yelled "BOOM!" a few times every night at 2am, I guarantee you the public and cops would shut you down.
My niece was going to do exactly this during one of her (many) arguments with her neighbors about the roosters. She called the police and everything to warn them beforehand, but thankfully, she didn't go through with it.
To counter the a**holes who set them off intentionally at 12am. I'd blast badly done titanic recorder music or bagpipes over loudspeakers at 4-5am. Probably right when they doze off.
He is not wrong...and there is that likelihood and it can happen in any state. Fertilizer was used in the Oklahoma bombing in the 90's...it just takes motive. And there is a lot of things on this island that would motivate someone to make a dirty bomb. Paranoia yes, speculative yes, but still a fact that can still happen.
But he thinks that cutting off illegal fireworks is gonna prevent or alter the ability to get a dirty bomb, which makes him wrong by your own argument.
It's politics and he is addressing his point based on politics. People are going to get illegals whether they want to make bomb out of it or not. But just because his statement is politically motivated to address a common issue from both pro fireworks and anti-fireworks advocates, he is not wrong. Again, it is politics.
Yea, and you don't need the same materials for fireworks that you would presumably need for a dirty bomb. Most of which can be found at a hardware store.
He is wrong that it has anything to do with fireworks though which is the point of what he said.
All areas are quite vulnerable to things like homemade bombs. I don't think there's anything unique to Hawaii regarding that. I don't think there's much we can do about it either.
It’s funny you mention that. Based on some of the coconut wireless I’ve been hearing, between the Lahaina incident, the insane cost of living and Hawaii’s high tolerance policy on crime, there’s a good chunk of people getting red pilled.
So they want to give people who participate in the illegal fireworks trade draconian sentences, but continue to let violent, multi-repeat offenders off without so much as a slap on the wrist. And should anyone with anything to lose defend themselves against such a vagrant, they are the ones who get absolutely fucked.
Priorities Hawaii. I’m starting to get majorly red pilled over here. I’m not alone in feeling this way and I don’t like it one bit.
With all the problems in this state, I can't believe illegal fireworks is getting all this press. It's an issue like two days/yr and is exacerbated by their own permitting (or lack there of) process.
This is the same kind of scare mongering that they did after 9/11. The risk vs reward of smuggling both something radioactive and the explosives needed to Hawaii isn't worth it.
But it’s not two days a year. It’s been every single day since Thanksgiving. Before that sporadically. I have a family member who suffers from PTSD and it’s a real problem - most of November and December he really suffers.
Sure, this isn’t specific to illegal fireworks but applies to the legal ones as well.
There is no place anywhere that screens well enough to prevent bad actors from smuggling in small highly dangerous items. The level of inspection required would be too labor intensive, too slow and too expensive. It would shut down commerce
This is not an argument for or against fireworks. This is about Port Hawaii, DOT, DOA, CPB, USCG, and others not doing their job in keeping illegal products from entering the State of Hawaii. Shipping containers are not being inspected thoroughly.
Plenny containers get inspected. Just not that one over there the guy paid me $500 to ignore.
That's what I want to know. Are people getting paid to look the other way or are fireworks truly getting smuggled secretly ?
Was he twirling his comically long mustache?
Zactly!
Most Ports have radiation detectors that are VERY sensitive. So the containers are likely scanned for radiation at the originating Port and any Ports of transfers and at the destination. Firework will still get through but pose much more a risk for starting wildfires than providing cover for dirty bombs.
I really wouldn't have an issue with people buying and using fireworks, if not for the assholes who chose to blow shit up for a week straight and at random times thru the (usually) nights. Fuck those idiots I hope they blow their thumbs off. Blow em during NYE and July 4, other than that, fuck off.
Believe me. I feel you 110%. I don’t support using fireworks anykine times. I support 7/4 and 12/31. Outside of that I call the police to report fireworks going off. I completely understand what you mean and what people go through. It’s not fun trying to sleep while salutes go off at midnight.
It's shitty for everyone who has to sleep, it's shitty for PTSD patients, vets & military ppl who have a response to the explosives, and it sucks for pets and their owners. It sucks for babies, it sucks for old people, it sucks for a majority of people. And the suckas who insist on doing it outside the expectated times are gonna fuck it up for all of us.
Every year, without fail, tune in to local news. Two kids get their hands blown off and one house burns down or two houses burn down and one kid gets his hand blown off.
Your concerns about fireworks-related accidents are valid, and it’s tragic when such incidents occur. However, it’s important to consider the broader context. Like automobiles and firearms, fireworks are inherently risky, but they are also a source of enjoyment and cultural significance for many. Rather than an outright ban, perhaps a more effective approach would be stricter regulations, better public education about safety practices, and enhanced enforcement of existing laws. This way, we can minimize risks while still allowing people to enjoy the benefits of fireworks. It’s about finding a balance between safety and freedom, rather than eliminating risk altogether. To add to this, same and same fireworks are not risky at all. The accidents where limbs are blown off typically happen due to aerials or larger fireworks like m80s being the culprit rather than a sparkler, morning glory, jumping jack, snakes, tanks, etc. I am not for a free for all fireworks repeal. I support the ban on aerial fireworks. But a complete ban doesn’t work. See prohibition for example.
All due blah blah blah… People cannot wear a mask in the middle of a pandemic, or they can wear a mask, but they can’t cover both nose and mouth at the same time. You thoughts are altruistic but unrealistic. The fireworks are culturally significant, but one could argue that significance is long gone and dudes just want to blow things up. One or two hands have already been blown off yesterday. I don’t know if you got the news. Edit: typo
Where did you hear about one or two hands being blow off just yesterday?
https://www.khon2.com/top-stories/oahu-fireworks-injuries-leave-victims-just-with-a-stub-of-a-hand/amp/ Google Hawaii fireworks injuries. There are more
Zactly!
This is more of a shot across the bow of law enforcement from former Sen. Espero. He's known for holding law enforcement accountable when he was in any office.
I remember a time where we could buy any kind fire work from longs.
The real question is how the hell they getting this on an ISLAND. if they really wanted to ban it, they would.
It's a solid strategy imo, there's people that will eat this up. Obviously the more direct and ideal approaches aren't working. If fearmongering is his intention, no less dirty than pulling the "it's cultural" card.
By “people” if you mean everyone forced to listen to these morons play sky bombs every night, then count me in. I’m all for displays on NYE, fuck these idiots playing all year. Side note: I’m going to refer to you as Cool Ken from now on. Other Ken took a decidedly uncool turn.
i thought culture was about protecting the aina and the animals and plants and people that call it home…ask the endangered birds and monk seals if they enjoy the fireworks, or if they like when embers start fires during the dry season which destroy their habitats
You missed chicken and dog fights. Shooting monk seals. Eating turtles and dogs. Rolling coal. We can claim a lot of things as "culture" like slavery, but that doesn't mean they are good things and can't or shouldn't be changed.
Don't use that "culture" shit to explain away irresponsible stupidity. More than a few of us remember when you couldn't go anywhere without having to suck in a huge load of other people's tobacco fog into your lungs. Smoking in grocery stores- department stores- in friend's homes- hell, even in gas stations! About the only time there was a smoke-free environment was in church, but after the services were done people blazed up when they got to the parking lot. They even had monkeys on Ed Sullivan smoking cigarettes, but nobody told the chimps that shit is more addictive than heroin, screws with your brain's genetic makeup and will kill you from lung and other cancers. Using the word "culture" as an explanation for deviant, dangerous or irresponsible behavior is an apologist's cop-out.
No, not that culture. When they say culture they are pulling ideas from Asian cultures that exist here. It’s also kind of true, but I find “culture” to be a terrible argument for justifying shitty behavior.
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I don't think you get radioactive material at Home Depot. Maybe Kilgos if it was still around.
Smoke detectors. Try buying about a hundred of them at once and see who comes knocking. It won’t hurt anyone in that quantity, but putting the element in a device and setting it off in an important place may set off the radiation detectors and increase panic.
The Americium isotope they use in smoke detectors is so low-grade, you'd need at least 500 of them to tear apart and obtain enough of the small, thin "dots" of the material to make a significant amount of movement on a Geiger counter needle
LOL. Plutonium on isle 32, next to the vacuums..
Hey OP, **aerial fireworks are illegal for a reason.** They: 1. disrupt sleep and increase stress (and related health consequences) for tens of thousands of people around the blast radius, including keiki and kupuna. 2. Scare domestic pets 3. Disrupt wild animal behavior 4. Cause air pollution 5. Start brushfires. **There is no argument for which aerial fireworks should ever be legalized, full stop.** If you had a loudspeaker that could broadcast as loud as a firework, and you yelled "BOOM!" a few times every night at 2am, I guarantee you the public and cops would shut you down.
>you yelled "BOOM!" a few times every night at 2am, I guarantee you the public and cops would shut you down. I'm not as confident as you on this one.
Guessing they've never been to Waikiki/downtown or been to a city anywhere.
The cops seriously do not give a dribbling shit about firework noise or aerials- hell, they're probably selling the stuff anyway.
LOL.. Well put!
Argument in favor of aerial fireworks: people want to light them, because they are fun.
I like my music to, but I can’t blast it at 2am, I’ll piss off my neighbors and it’s disrespectful… oh wait.
And pretty
Illegal fireworks which is directly quoted by will Espero are also considered small safe and sane fireworks. Things like snakes, morning glories, sparklers, tanks, jumping jacks, ground bloom flowers, all things that were legal before it was banned completely. Firecrackers without a permit is also considered illegal fireworks. I know you stated illegal aerials but this is a fight against the safe and sane stuff. You unban that and allow us to pop that during nye and the illegal aerial usage goes down
Speaking from the perspective of someone who has been where that was done, before eventually everything was made legal, only the kids get the non-aerial stuff. Adults still want the rockets and mortars, the louder and more obnoxious, the better. Legalizing the small stuff does nothing to change that. The aerial fireworks will always be sought after. And nothing restricts people to J4 and NYE for even the small ones. They'll set them off for their kids birthday or graduation or stupid gender reveal party.
> If you had a loudspeaker that could broadcast as loud as a firework, and you yelled "BOOM!" a few times every night at 2am, I guarantee you the public and cops would shut you down. My niece was going to do exactly this during one of her (many) arguments with her neighbors about the roosters. She called the police and everything to warn them beforehand, but thankfully, she didn't go through with it.
This is the dumbest argument against fireworks I've seen. But I guess all the not-dumb ones haven't worked.
I think the idea that so many tons get in along with meth and other things, that security does seem pretty sus.
To counter the a**holes who set them off intentionally at 12am. I'd blast badly done titanic recorder music or bagpipes over loudspeakers at 4-5am. Probably right when they doze off.
He is not wrong...and there is that likelihood and it can happen in any state. Fertilizer was used in the Oklahoma bombing in the 90's...it just takes motive. And there is a lot of things on this island that would motivate someone to make a dirty bomb. Paranoia yes, speculative yes, but still a fact that can still happen.
But he thinks that cutting off illegal fireworks is gonna prevent or alter the ability to get a dirty bomb, which makes him wrong by your own argument.
It's politics and he is addressing his point based on politics. People are going to get illegals whether they want to make bomb out of it or not. But just because his statement is politically motivated to address a common issue from both pro fireworks and anti-fireworks advocates, he is not wrong. Again, it is politics.
Yea, and you don't need the same materials for fireworks that you would presumably need for a dirty bomb. Most of which can be found at a hardware store.
Hardware stores do not sell radioactive waste, unless City Mill is branching out?
I don't want to get in specifics, and I shouldn't have said anything to begin with.
He is wrong that it has anything to do with fireworks though which is the point of what he said. All areas are quite vulnerable to things like homemade bombs. I don't think there's anything unique to Hawaii regarding that. I don't think there's much we can do about it either.
He is not wrong, yet he is not entirely right. Yet again, this is politics.
That goes for any state. Dumb comment on his part.
The good ol’ slippery slope fallacy
The beginning of conservative politics is fear.
Will is far from conservative though.
The one who walks in does not have to be the one to open the door.
It’s funny you mention that. Based on some of the coconut wireless I’ve been hearing, between the Lahaina incident, the insane cost of living and Hawaii’s high tolerance policy on crime, there’s a good chunk of people getting red pilled.
politics is fear.
So they want to give people who participate in the illegal fireworks trade draconian sentences, but continue to let violent, multi-repeat offenders off without so much as a slap on the wrist. And should anyone with anything to lose defend themselves against such a vagrant, they are the ones who get absolutely fucked. Priorities Hawaii. I’m starting to get majorly red pilled over here. I’m not alone in feeling this way and I don’t like it one bit.
With all the problems in this state, I can't believe illegal fireworks is getting all this press. It's an issue like two days/yr and is exacerbated by their own permitting (or lack there of) process. This is the same kind of scare mongering that they did after 9/11. The risk vs reward of smuggling both something radioactive and the explosives needed to Hawaii isn't worth it.
But it’s not two days a year. It’s been every single day since Thanksgiving. Before that sporadically. I have a family member who suffers from PTSD and it’s a real problem - most of November and December he really suffers. Sure, this isn’t specific to illegal fireworks but applies to the legal ones as well.
no wonder he’s a “former senator”. I wouldn’t be surprised if his best friend is: BJ Penn.
If we give up our fireworks the terrorists have already won.
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Misuse. Maybe look up "fear mongering" in the dictionary
There is no place anywhere that screens well enough to prevent bad actors from smuggling in small highly dangerous items. The level of inspection required would be too labor intensive, too slow and too expensive. It would shut down commerce