Posted on 10/30/2007 10:11:26 PM PDT by Santa Fe_Conservative
Edited on 10/30/2007 10:38:14 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. - A boy playing with matches started a fire in north Los Angeles County that consumed more than 38,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes last week, authorities said Tuesday. Sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht said she did not know the boy's exact age, but she believed he was younger than a teenager.
The boy, whose name and age were not released, was interviewed a day after the Buckweed Fire was sparked Oct. 21, said sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht.
"He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," said Hecht said in a statement.
The boy was released to his parents, and the case will be be presented to the district attorney's office, Hecht said.
The 60-square-mile fire began in an area near Agua Dulce and quickly spread by fierce desert winds. It was among more than a dozen major wildfires that killed 14 people and blackened 809 square miles from Los Angeles to the Mexican border.
Authorities arrested five people for arson during that period, but none have been linked to any of the major blazes.
Very admirable job. Well done.
We go out of town.
My God, how about teaching children right from wrong and consequences. You cannot hide everything from a child or they will not be able to function in the adult world once they reach it.
Stop dumbing down our children, make them functional.
When I was a child I set a National Forest on fire by building a “camp fire” in a rotted hollow in a dead log, a really big dead log. I thought I had put it out, but it was smoldering and that was something I had no clue about at the time. It was a small fire when it was discovered and only consumed a few acres before it could be put out. Lucky for me it was not dry or windy when I set this fire. I think I was about 8 or so, and other than lectures from Forest Rangers and being yelled at by my parents no other actions were taken. At one time we really did believe children were children in this country and did not get over board when things like this happened.
It really seems odd to me that in the past everyone was expected to take responsiblity for their actions, and now they are not really- excuses abound. Yet now when fires are accidentally set or set by children many think someone should pay. I do of course think in a case of actual arson someone SHOULD pay.
Stop dumbing down our children, make them functional.Some risks are just to expensive to take a chance on. Fires in a place like Southern California are one of them.
There's a reason young children can't drive cars, not that they don't try it sometimes. There's no shortage of mistakes for them to make. They should be protected from the worst of them.
At one time we really did believe children were children in this country and did not get over board when things like this happened.Good post. Children are gifts from God and should be treated as such. Imperfect as they are. That goes for the Hispanic ones as well.
LOL, I guess you learned the hard way.
I do feel for your sister though. I’m sure she was trying to please her dad.
Thanks. You do what you can and hope for the best.
Not teaching a child to function in society and around dangers is the greatest risk of all; one that is too great to take a chance on.
Of course, maybe you need someone to raise your children for you, like a village... or Hillary.
But, personally, I raised my kids to know that there are rights and wrongs, and when you commit a wrong, you will pay, usually pretty swiftly with a swat to the hand.
You teach your kids right and wrong with things that don’t cause fatalities. I don’t have a problem with teaching right from wrong, but some things you don’t mess around with.
Right from wrong pales to a tin can soaring 30 feet in the air...even when it blows out all the neighbors windows. Ask my brothers. And they function fine. Dads all. Successful all.
Now she's an RN. oops.
But, personally, I raised my kids to know that there are rights and wrongs, and when you commit a wrong, you will pay, usually pretty swiftly with a swat to the hand.I think he was asking parents to keep the matches out of the reach of children. How Hillary got into this is beyond me.
Somehow I don't think a swat to the hand will bring back the neighbors houses. Reminding parents to be extra careful doesn't seem out of line.
No, you teach your kids right and wrong, period. More importantly you teach them right and wrong for more serious consequences.
If you go out drinking and driving, here are the consequences: someone can and will die. If you play with matches you will get burned, you can burn down the house, and someone can die. But more importantly, you will deal with me, mom.
Disagree? Make your case. For every single contrary instance you can cite (of assorted crimes reported in the LBM, not to mention those that they refuse to report) where the ethnicity of the perp IS reported, I will cheerfully cite you 10 or a dozen wherein the ethnicity of the perp is NOT reported, because -- solely because -- the perp is a member of some sort of minority that has been ''discriminated against'' and is therefore one of the bLBM's protected classes.
My apologies for the run-on sentence above.
BTW, is it appropriate to say ''Hi, Heels'', or should it be ''Hi, Hi Heels''? If the latter, should we rewrite the Army's ''Caissons'' song's lyric to be ''For it's Hi-Hi-Heels, artillery's on wheels...etc...''? ;^)
Long before this kid was out playing with matches, there should have been consequences that had lasting effects.
Locking up the matches in hopes that he/she will never find them leads to kids playing with matches once they get their hands on them.
Kid can get matches on the street, from a friend, after the 4th of July. Rather than try to keep all sources of danger locked up, how about teaching.
All of us tried to get it out but it quickly got beyond us, so at that point they decide to skedaddle and scooped me and my brother into the car.
A potential disaster I did perpetrate was somewhere around 59 to 62. Close to dusk I was playing around on some earth moving equipment in a residential construction zone, jumping from piece to another and messing around with the levers knobs and controls. I think it was one of those hinged scrapers I was on when it started up, and after about 40 seconds of it running it got moving at a slow speed.
About that time with all of its various undulating motions, I quickly realized I had no control over this beast, and I leaped off hard as I could into the dirt. But it was not over yet for me, because the beast was angered about being awakened, and had begun a wide turn and the monster was coming back around towards me! I shot like a rabbit toward and through some piles of dirt and got the hell out of there. I took one last look back, and the monster was still going around in a circle looking for sight of me.
I think it is a good thing that parents are unaware of 99.5% of things that happen with/to their kids until several generations later :-)
If you go out drinking and driving, here are the consequences: someone can and will die. If you play with matches you will get burned, you can burn down the house, and someone can die. But more importantly, you will deal with me, mom.I'm in favor of giving kids more room to make mistakes. But there is a need for balance. There has to be some middle ground between locking them up for life and giving them a swat on the hand....
Rather than try to keep all sources of danger locked up, how about teaching.
I think you're talking about older kids here anyway. The article made it sound like this kid was around 10 or so. Drinking and driving isn't usually a problem with the preteen set. We generally don't let them drink or drive.
So I'm careful with my brush.
You can call me Her Majesty Hi Heels or, in greeting, Hi, her Hi-ness Hi Heels. Your choice..... Most just call me Heels or HH. As an explanation, I was sitting at my 'puter the day I signed up and pulled off my pumps. At that exact time the program asked for my id name. So I put in Hiheels.
I admit I have quite a few pairs of shoes. Not because I'm like fetish about them, but simply because I don't toss them. I still have my moccasins from 1960s. I have 253 pairs of shoes at last count. But I've bought some since. And I have a daughter. She has some.... Well, a lot. We just never know when we're gonna need earth shoes....or clogs... or cowboy boots ( I have 15 pairs of cowboy boots in assorted colors). Halloween ... we're there. You non-keeping people are just jealous IMO. Cuz you haven't the storage room.
So if you are talking about a 10 year old, or older, how do you propose locking up all matches and lighters from them. Don’t you think by this age if you haven’t taught them properly, locking things up just to avoid danger is a little too late?
And someone else brought up driving at an early age as not happening. I grew up on a ranch and was driving long before it was legal for me to do so. But, I knew the consequences of the actions I was taking.
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