Fireworks users are terrorists

I want to discuss the New Year's celebration, with the worst illegal fireworks I have ever experienced in my entire life here on Oahu. There is no such thing that fireworks is a local tradition or a religious tradition because it didn't start on New Year's Eve; in fact, those who celebrated began in October and continued every night till New Year's.

These individuals are outright terrorists — they have ruined every holiday: Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, especially Christmas Day and the New Year's Eve celebration, till 4 a.m. New Year's Day.

This type of illegal fireworks has no place in residential neighborhoods and should only be in designated areas for display. Do you know how it feels to be shelled for 10 hours? These explode like a big bomb and scare the hell out of babies, children, seniors and pets. You become shellshocked, and every loud sound scares your senses, rattles your nerves and you can't get a decent night's sleep.

It would be in the interest of public safety to ban all fireworks on Oahu before someone is injured or killed by dangerous loud explosive aerial fireworks — and make it happen before October.

City and state abet terrorism

For a payoff of $201,375, the city of Honolulu and the state of Hawaii are blatant sponsors of terrorism. That's the monetary take on the sale of 8,055 fireworks permits at $25 a pop.

As a result, this New Year's Eve on Oahu there were 16 incidents of New Year's Eve-related fireworks incendiary disturbances, ranging from structural to rubbish fires. In addition, several fireworks caused severe injuries.

These detonations caused post-traumatic stress syndrome flashbacks, cowering pets and wildlife, traumatized infants and elderly, severe breathing problems and unsightly burn markings and litter.

Added to that were many cases of “;collateral”; damage. My $900 Kamaka ukulele along with several glasses vibrated off a shelf and smashed on our tile floor when a particularly egregious aerial bomb exploded. Outside, the clueless culprits guffawed at the hilarity of their mindless actions.

If New Year's Eve fireworks are intended to drive away evil spirits, they are doing the exact opposite. All the evidence clearly shows that fireworks attract and feed evil spirits. Yet another example of unintended consequences.

So let's keep the aloha spirit alive by letting the pyrotechnic professionals dazzle us at events that call for fireworks — and keep it out of the hands of the amateurs.

Illegal fireworks are intolerable

This is far and away the worst I have seen regarding the reckless use of illegal fireworks in the 10 years I've lived here. For all the publicity about police crackdowns on this environmental, health and psychological menace to the people and property of this county, I for one didn't see a single cop respond to any of the abundance of illegal fireworks in Aiea.

We need to demand an environmental impact statement of allowing fireworks at all before we are subjected to another monthlong buildup and what is sure to be a weeks-long die-down of fireworks in this city.

As it stands, this is intolerable; one cannot even leave to go to a relatively quiet hotel in Waikiki to avoid the worst of it because then one's property is left at risk. But if one stays home, many of these illegal explosives being launched could literally blow up your house. Where is the law and order?

Some of us love all the fireworks

Judging by all the letters, I may be one of the few who thoroughly enjoyed New Year's Eve. I never looked forward to fighting the crowd at the public fireworks shows. Thanks to my neighbors, I didn't need to go further than my driveway. The show this year was better and longer than ever before. Somewhat surprising, the kupuna visiting my house were extremely impressed with the unlawful pyrotechnics. They could be heard saying, “;No need go Magic Island anymore!”;

Yes, I get the nervous pet thing, I understand the asthma and the many other reasons some would like a ban on all fireworks. In the future, I would urge the renegades to keep it to the 31st as the explosions in the days before and after New Year's Eve only help fuel the cry for an all-out ban. Taking away fireworks is taking away a practice that serves, to many, as a way to blow off steam.

As witnessed a few days ago, there must be a lot of steam on this island. Cap it and we may find ourselves like Los Angeles, where every New Year's you will find law enforcement officers hiding under freeway overpasses, shielding themselves from the many bullets that rain down from the sky.