We know the other shoe is going to drop with these terrorists. We know Sadaam has anthrax and is probably involved with the anthrax letters.
We also know that Sadaam Hussein has smallpox, in vast quantities.
Children have the least advanced immune systems, and kids infected by candy would go back to shool for two weeks before showing symptoms of smallpox... thereby infecting many in the school. Further, NONE of these kids would even have the advantage of the old pre-1972 vaccine in their systems.
Halloween candy would be an ideal way to spread smallpox, should that be the next move of the terrorists.
Well, I don't like to spread hysteria either, however, one of the stores in question is very close to me. I am waiting anxiously for a good, innocent reason for why boat loads of candy were returned by Middle Eastern men with fake membership cards, and why this candy was then put back on the shelf. There could be a perfectly innocent reason. However, I find it odd that they haven't gotten to the bottom of this yet. Of course, if I didn't live in the area, or have kids, I wouldn't worry either...
Nothing like fomenting a little hysteria?
Sure there is. It's called "casting caution to the wind."
Remember the rentacops who told the people in the second tower to go back to their offices, because only the first tower was hit? Remember how thousands of people are dead because the rentacops didn't want to "foment hysteria"?
When middle eastern men are buying mass quantities of candy -- and then returning it for restocking a few days later -- that's just business as usual, right? Certainly no more "suspicious" than carring a box cutter onto an airplane.
By the way, tres drole advice vis-a-vis "Checking over the kid's candy and discarding certain items is something a responsible parent should always do."
Just out of curiosity, can you advise these "responsible parents" on how to determine if there's a microgram or two of smallpox on the candy wrapper?
If you haven't seen these yet, please take a look:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/552988/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/552863/posts
http://www.snopes2.com/rumors/candy.htm
Status: TRUE
Note that in one case, a large amount was *returned*, and put back on the shelf after being "checked". Did they check *every* piece of it? Impossible, IMO.