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.

[riley1992]

"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,"

ROTFL. People are entirely stupid enough to do that, too.

[Alas Babylon!]

Actually, on Fox News Sunday, Senator Frist, the only Senator who is a medical doctor, while being interviewed by Britt hume, admitted that OTHER states, besides the USA and Russia, have the smallpox virus. Britt tried to get him to say which states, but Frist said he was "uncomfortable" going into further details and didn't want to name them. He also said the US is on a crash program to manufacture smallpox vaccines. He said there are 2 million now, there will be 40 million within 8 months, and 300 million by 2004.

I think the threat is a possibility. Will it happen? I don't think so, but I certainly hope & pray not.

[xsmommy]

go ahead, take a swing at me, i make my kids wear helmets! : )

[juliabrock]

Forgo trick or treating? No way! Halloween used to be my favorite holiday when I was a kid; kids today don't know what they missed. Luckily I live in a small town, and everyone knows each other - no poison candy here!

[Humidston]

You are one sick puppy, LOL!!!!

Biggest problem is that I like it!

[Dan Day]

Actually, on Fox News Sunday, Senator Frist, the only Senator who is a medical doctor,

Frist also has some of the best "one stop" information on biological weapons that I've seen yet, on his Senate website: http://frist.senate.gov

[riley1992]

I love a man with a twisted sense of humor. LOL

[Dan Day]

And you know, of course, exactly what I'm giving out - pixy sticks, instead of the usual candy bars, milk duds and whoppers. May even dress the part, LOL - I may even be able to scrounge up some Arabic music to play loudly in the background for all those soccer moms that walk their kids along. I'm a really bad person.

Greet them all at the door with "Allah akbar".

[xsmommy]

May even dress the part, LOL - I may even be able to scrounge up some Arabic music to play loudly in the background for all those soccer moms that walk their kids along.

i am gonna fly my 3 down your way just to trick or treat at your house....

[Libertarian_4_eva]

No way dood I loved holloween way too friggen much to give it up. I am too old to go door to door but I will be throwing eggs at the little brats on my block.

[Artist]

"Luckily I live in a small town, and everyone knows each other - no poison candy here!"

That's not the problem....The concern is that the candy that people buy in the stores may have been contaminated with smallpox. Admittedly, it seems farfetched, but these large purchases of candy ($80,000 worth) using fake ID have the FBI involved.

SMALL POX AND HALLOWEEN CANDY- A short primer on viral disease transmission

[Dog Gone]

I've tried to make Halloween fun and briefly scary for the kids who ring my doorbell in past years. I've dressed as Dracula and played scary music too loud, among other things. It's fun to make the little kids nervous, etc.

But this year, I think I'll pass. Despite what I said, I probably won't even give out Pixie sticks.

I have no desire whatsoever to cause parents to freak out, and I don't want the cops to come question me about an arab terrorist costume I'm wearing. I don't need the hassle and, even if stupid parents are panicking needlessly, I won't get any joy out of causing that kind of scare.

[Sabertooth]

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

For your perusal...

October 20, 2001

A Scramble to Counter
Any Threat of Smallpox

By MELODY PETERSEN and KEITH BRADSHER

"After announcing plans to stockpile 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine,
the government must now determine where it can quickly get so much...."

[Woodstock]

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.

I have been thinking about this and the mind can run away with bad thoughts. But, what IF candy was purchased, tainted with *something* and resealed before sale? Couldn't mini-marts (or any other store) sell candy that adults think is safe? Does this mean no candy from school parties, churches, or block parties - let alone trick-or-treating?

[newzjunkey]

This 'trunk' thing presumes you trust your congregation doesn't have any nut cases. Sounds like a bad idea to me.

[newzjunkey]

I'm sure there is no AIDS and no drugs either. Nut cases live in all sorts of areas. What makes you think a 'small town' is immune?

[SanAntoneBlue]

AK = Alaska, not Arkansas

[Clovis_Skeptic]

the threat of someone "resealing" candy...then placing it on the shelf for sale..possibly tainted...is why we pray over our food (and candy) before we eat it...