Barack Obama will be in the middle of a controversial event on New Year’s Eve in Hawaii that could interfere with his good health if he isn’t careful.
Everyone in Hawaii will face the same problems, and there are articles that warn about it everywhere on the islands.
Fireworks are the custom in Hawaii, and just about every family has a stash. Although aerial fireworks are illegal, some locals still keep them around. Firecrackers, however, are part of family fun. The smoke from the fireworks around Oahu, the island where Obama is staying, can be so thick that the city officials give warnings to everyone, especially to those with breathing problems.
Obama is surely familiar with Hawaii custom and the fireworks, as is everyone who lives or visits there during the holidays. Obama will be better off staying in Kailua on the breezier side of the islands, but he still will have to be cautious wherever he goes.
Fireworks are big business at the holidays. They are big business for the sale of them and also for the people who put out the fires started from them or tend to the injured later. Every year people debate the use of fireworks, and every year they continue. During the 28 years I lived there, having left the islands just three years ago, I experienced the thick smoke, the coughing and the debates about the fireworks. I was one of those who didn’t go outside until after the smoke had cleared.
The newspapers run columns every year, warning people what to do about the fireworks, where they can or cannot be used and how to avoid getting hurt. But every year the casualties continue. Furthermore every year there is a list of reported fires. People look out for them because the fireworks can go over rooftops, and wooden houses that are the usual type of home in the outlying areas can quickly go up in flames.
The Honolulu Advertiser reports that the 154,000 residents with impaired lung function statistically found in Hawaii must be particularly careful on New Year’s Eve because of the fireworks.
For those who are going to Hawaii for the holidays, here’s the place to find
the rules so you don’t become overwhelmed with the smoke.
Obama knows “da kine” (the kind) of custom in Hawaii for New Years and will take the precautions the local folk do. But just in case, here’s a healthy reminder: stay healthy and inside this holiday night because we need you in top shape tomorrow as you prepare to become President of the United States in January.
