We’ve previously discussed the FDA’s ban on importation of European “Kinder Surprise” kids’ treats (a toy wrapped in a chocolate egg) and last night conservative writer Mark Steyn ran into the law, as his kids saw two of the confections confiscated at the Canada-U.S. border. The Border Patrol agents would not allow the kids to separate the chocolate from the surprise, eat the chocolate on the spot, and then take home the toys. “The real choking hazard,” he observes, “is the vise-like grip of government.”
Plus: “Woman campaigns to legalize chocolate Kinder eggs” [Northwest Florida Daily News]
10 Comments
It could have been worse. They could have subjected his kids to a full body search. All I can say is that Mark Steyn should be thankful that he didn’t get arrested for child abuse. After all, it’s for the children™.
Soon they will. When the TSA has stopped people from using air travel, they’ll need a new place to harass them, and what better place than border crossings?
Railway station and bus terminal “security checkpoints” coming to a city near you too.
For those who may be unfamiliar with these eggs: what is really nuts is that the toy is securely enclosed in a plastic capsule that is far too large for a child to choke on. In order to get to the tiny pieces, you have to open the capsule, which is too difficult for toddlers.
Government out of control. Defund the whole monstrosity and start over.
random, those capsules can be too difficult for an adult to open. I know, I’ve tried.
The ban on kinder eggs is idiotic. There’s no real choking hazard, but because it technically runs afoul of some rule, the bureaucrats mindlessly ban it. And I mean mindlessly literally. A mind can use its independent observation of reality and rational judgment to guide its actions, or it can surrender those things and blindly follow rules, which is what people mean by “mindless”. One of the defining characteristics of American life today is how mindlessness is taking over, in large part, in my opinion, because of way that the government is issuing endless regulations to micromanage every aspect of American life. All of this helps spread the mentality of blindly following rules, rather than exercising independent thought.
The ban is idiotic for another, more basic reason. As one commenter to Steyn’s post said, most fruits (e.g., apples, oranges, peaches, apricots, etc.) all have “non-food” inserts that present a choking hazard – the seeds.
Have your kids open them. They’re good at that. 🙂
It’s worse. They are deliberately and obstinately mindless. It’s almost like they deliberately search out stupid things to harass us with.
This would be hard to choke down.
http://thecraftorialist.com/2011/02/21/a-star-is-born-ergool-1-ball-project/kinder-surprise/
[…] Via Overlawyered. […]
@GregS
I dunno, having a thought on the issue (by the rule enforcers) might lead to a worse outcome than rule-hugging.
Also, fruits are Good For You(tm).