Halloween Trick or Treating Spooked (AK Gov. Huckabee tells familes to forgo trick or treating)

Singapore-Reuters Wire ^ | Saturday October 20, 2001 | Sarah Tippit

[umbra]

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is discouraging parents from letting their kids going trick-or-treating at all on October 31.

Huckabee said he wasn't worried so much about a genuine anthrax or biological warfare attack as he was about the likelihood of a flood of calls from jittery parents about suspicious candy. "The last thing we need is for law enforcement to get a bunch of calls from parents who open their kid's bag, see Pixie sticks dust and think it's anthrax," Huckabee told reporters on Thursday.

"We simply don't have law enforcement resources to test every single Pixie stick and see if it's anthrax, which it won't be," the Republican governor said.

He encouraged parents to find other options this year such as Halloween parties at home or at church.

[umbra]

Do you have a link for the New Jersey article where 22,000 pieces of candy had been bought by Middle Eastern men this week? (FBI is looking into it as we speak)

[rwfromkansas]

I just checked my pixie stix bags and, before eating, checked the color. There is a green one that is light enough green I could consider it possible someone might get spooked by it.

[CathyRyan]

Hell Dog Gone, you can terrorize the terrorists with breakfast sausage. ;)

[Sabertooth]

"Do you have a link for the New Jersey article where 22,000 pieces of candy had been bought by Middle Eastern men this week?"

Large candy purchases
investigated by FBI

[anymouse]

Sabertooth - member since September 15th, 2001

Link is busted, so is Sabertooth's brain.

Small Pox bacteria limited to 2 small viles - 1 in CDC in Atlanta, 1 in Secure Mil lab in Russia. No credible threat.

[katykelly]

The Gov and his rock band played at our Ball in DC. He is well aware of FR.

[Dog Gone]

Good point. If any little kids come to the front door on Halloween dressed as an arab terrorist, they get a hot dog.

Their parents can figure out whether it's beef or pork.

[Ciexyz]

Grape pixie sticks? That sounds as scary as grape Kool Aid.

[snippy_about_it]

Watch it now. Governor Huckabee is a Freeper and friend of FR and caught quite a bit of grief for being a friend.

He is just trying to reduce the load on his law enforcement. I can just imagine that this hysteria will be nationwide as Halloween begins.

[BunnySlippers]

Here in Los Angeles people don't go out often. I haven't had my doorbell ring in 7 years ... and I'd be wary of answering if it did.

[Qathleen]

If any little kids come to the front door on Halloween dressed as an arab terrorist, they get a hot dog.
Their parents can figure out whether it's beef or pork.

LOL

[onedoug]

Buckling at even the thought of the enemy.

[Sabertooth]

Hey I don't even care how long you've been a member...

Where have you been?

Sadaam Hussein's son-in-law defected in 1995 and claimed at the time that he had smallpox. UN weapons inspections proved this. Hussein even admitted it, and claimed he had destroyed the supplies, although it's believed he had other stockpiles.

Even 60 minutes reported last week that Hussein has smallpox bio weapons.

This is widely accepted by just about everyone.

For more on Hussein, take a look at this...

Sorry about the busted link. Here it is...

http://www.bergen.com/news/candy1200110207.htm

[waxhaw]

I think Gov. Huckabee is wise in this. By the way, our church (which is by no means liberal, but a non-denominational Bible church) is having an "alternative" to Halloween get-together for the kids. We think of it as "claiming" this event for Christ and it works. Parents and their children have a good time together.

[FITZ]

I'll probably take my kids trick-or-treating. If they're spiking the candy, then the candy is going to be dangerous if you buy it for a church party, block party or anything else. A family could buy the candy for their own use and won't be safe. If they're putting smallpox in the candy, they'll be putting it in everything else we buy too.

[Sabertooth]

I haven't made a decision one way or another about Halloween candy. I'm going to wait a week and see.

[Sabertooth]

I agree about the safe Halloween killjoys.

I think the problem is the adults who've made it their holiday, dressing up and going to parties rather than handing out candy. Hell, my parents never dressed up, and neither do I.

I used to go out on Halloween unsupervised with my friends when I was 6 or 7. But every house on the street had a pumpkin and candy back then.

When I've taken my daughter out, more than half the houses are dark, and there are vanloads carpet bagger colonista kids without costumes getting bussed into better neighborhoods for loot.

Just a different atmosphere all the way around. It's not a holiday where the kids in the neighborhood take priority anymore.

[Clovis_Skeptic]

I shop at Costco weekly, and seeing a middle eastern man pushing a flat cart around full of candy, and cigarettes is not that unusual. They stock there mini marts with purchases from there.

[Sabertooth]

I understand that. But these guys were buying enough candy to fill a few pick-up trucks, were paying thousands of dollars in cash, were using a fake Costco ID, and one is being held by the FBI.

All I'm saying is that something's up.