The gist (in case you don't want to click the link and read the whole thing) is this:
Linda Bird, a Canadian woman, was caught trying to enter the U.S. with contraband. Some sort of weapon? Illegal drugs? No, much worse. It was-- *gasp* --a Kinder Surprise egg. (I've never seen one in person, but I understand they are chocolate eggs with a small toy-- the "surprise"-- very, very visibly "hidden" inside.)
Bird learned U.S. authorities have banned the candy because they come with a plastic toy inside that could, if eaten, choke a small child.
"It's just a chocolate egg," Bird said. "And they were making a big deal. They said 'if you were caught with this across the border you would get charged a $300 fine,'" she said.
...
The U.S. takes catching illegal Kinder candy seriously, judging by the number of them they've confiscated in the last year. Officials said they've seized more than 25,000 of the treats in 2,000 separate seizures.
Thank goodness they caught that wicked woman before she brought her scary candy into the country and choked some innocent American child with it!!!!!!!
Come on.
We can't ban everything that a child could possibly choke on. Parents should have enough common sense to know how to take care of their children, including keeping them away from choking hazards. How many people do you think manage to get their hands on a Kinder Surprise egg without knowing that there's a tiny toy inside?
What about Cracker Jack? Do those still have tiny toys hidden in the box? (Of course, these days it's probably nothing but a sticker, if even that...) What about the Golden Age of Cereal, when kids' (sugary) cereals often came with a small toy at the bottom of the bag? (Probably another thing of the past. When I was a baby/kid, they didn't know about all these things, apparently. I wore my pacifier like a necklace, on a piece of yarn, for instance. It's a wonder I didn't end up strangled. Yet here I sit, typing silly little blog entries.)
Maybe Kinder Surprise eggs are banned because, since they're made and packaged overseas, our government can't regulate that they come with a choke hazard warning printed on them...
Does anyone sleep easier at night knowing that Kinder Surprise eggs are illegal in the U.S.? ;o)
