No trick: 2,000 kids knocking on White House door

Source: Associated Press

WASHINGTON – It's the ultimate trick-or-treating treasure, that one house on the block that offers the coolest candy and surprises galore.

This year it's the big gated place on Pennsylvania Avenue, No. 1600. Welcome to the White House, boys and girls.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama awaited more than 2,000 children Saturday night from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. The Obamas themselves were to spend time handing out goodies to the trick-or-treaters on the most famous front porch in America, the North Portico.

What do you get for Halloween at the White House?

Not bad, kids: A box of White House M&Ms with the president's signature imprinted on it, a sweet dough butter cookie made by White House pastry chef Bill Yosses, a National Park Foundation Ranger activity book, and a serving of dried fruit mix made up of cherries, apricots, pears, apples and papayas.

By early afternoon, a big, stuffed, black spider was dangling in a web of string from the top of the portico, and pumpkins had sprouted up around the columns. The White House will be lit orange for the occassion, and three giants pumpkins — about 1,000 pounds each — will be on the grounds.

The loot is just part of the treat for the kids, ages 6 to 14. The White House said that set to roam the North Lawn were fairies, bubble makers, wandering trees, Star Wars characters, theater actors and artists and a "skeleton band."

Not to mention the worshiping of dark forces.

GOP top honcho, Glenn Beck must be informed of this.

i get free candy, some fruit trail mix, a cookie, some cool books, AND i get to meet the President and his family... indoctrinate me all you want, that is a sweet deal.

i see no downside to this. People can rumble all they want about politics and how their agendas are not being met, sometimes, doing nice things to help improve the national mood is just as important. Face it, if FDR didn't do those Fireside Chats and let the nation sink into a topor, I doubt we'd have reacted and recovered as well as we did... WW2 notwithstanding.

That Michelle Obama is probably cooking up some babies with her organic vegetables.

i wish i was a kid again....

True it's roots are religious, Saimhain, Day of the Dead, and Harvest Moon, but today's holiday bears little to no resemblance to the religious holidays that Halloween borrows from. Unless there is some new religion based on extortion of treats at the risk of getting one's house or person tricked....

after all the OTHER and possibly more important crap they need to fix first.... :eyes:

seriously, who gets this lathered about a holiday with semi-religious, pagan, and secular roots... oh, fundies... but that's their job.

Unless the Obama family is going to be performing a Black Mass or any other Mass, I think it's safe to assume it's just what it seems, a Halloween party for kids and their parents.

Sometimes a cigar is just that, a cigar.

like the Fundies have done so they can still have their Halloween fairs without having to admit it's really a HALLOWEEN Festival. :eyes:

holiday. Halloween is a contraction for All Hallow's Eve - or the night before All Saints Day in the Christian calendar.

We can't let it all keep the fundamentalists up at night, can we?

And I somehow don't think that's gonna happen.

As it is, it's two unrelated holidays that happen to share the same calendar date.

and its actually people besides whitehouse staffers!!

Sorry kids, I got bills to pay (shows my empty pockets)

elves here buddyboy? :evilgrin:

lived in DC, I'd be there. :-)

'but I'm a ghost! a ghost i tell you!'

There are kids, some of them little in the White House and as fun loving parents, the Obamas are all about the children.
Republicans don't do fun.
Although having the Bush's in the peoples house for 8 fucking years was scary enough for me!

probably not. If Dick Cheney answered the door I'm sure that would be enough to send he young'uns running.

neat time everyone is going to have. Of course the religious right going be yelling and screaming see I told you he was the devil.

and was immediately ejected

Sadly, the trick part is being lost in the ether of candy.

how the mean old Rethugs make this into a "they are poisoning the kids minds.

'M&Ms with the president's signature imprinted on it' More indoctrination.	onehandle	Oct-31-09 05:22 PM	#1
ok, let me get this straight:	keroro gunsou	Oct-31-09 05:36 PM	#4
It's a joke, son (or daughter) (n/t)	Retrograde	Nov-01-09 12:56 AM	#33
You should also mention to Beckahole	leftofcool	Oct-31-09 05:56 PM	#9
lol	liquid diamond	Nov-01-09 12:07 AM	#32
hot damn	keroro gunsou	Oct-31-09 05:31 PM	#2
Shouldn't Halloween be a no-no at the WH? It has religious meaning.	virgogal	Oct-31-09 05:36 PM	#3
Only if thinking makes it so.	keroro gunsou	Oct-31-09 05:39 PM	#5
Then the name should be changed.	virgogal	Oct-31-09 05:43 PM	#6
right, i'm sure they'll get right on it	keroro gunsou	Oct-31-09 05:51 PM	#8
Yah change the name to "Harvest Festival"	Raine	Oct-31-09 06:25 PM	#15
To "Candy giveaway", I suppose	Deja Q	Oct-31-09 06:40 PM	#17
I don't believe the name reflects the druid	JerseygirlCT	Oct-31-09 06:57 PM	#20
Which religion would that be?	leftofcool	Oct-31-09 05:57 PM	#10
It doesn't have religious meaning to the occupants of the WH..	Kahuna	Oct-31-09 06:12 PM	#13
Then so should Christmas.	liberalmuse	Oct-31-09 07:18 PM	#22
Sure, and after that they'll cancel the easter egg roll n/t	eggplant	Oct-31-09 08:29 PM	#26
Oh, come on. By now it has no more religious meaning than Thursday does. (nt)	Posteritatis	Oct-31-09 08:43 PM	#29
I'm Heathen	XemaSab	Nov-01-09 01:10 AM	#34
And if the WH so much as glanced at your rituals that would mean something	Posteritatis	Nov-01-09 10:23 AM	#35
How cool.......	samplegirl	Oct-31-09 05:44 PM	#7
sweet! i can't wait for the pics	d_b	Oct-31-09 05:58 PM	#11
Might as well, no candy this year, can't afford it...	DiverDave	Oct-31-09 06:04 PM	#12
Oh no....not FAIRIES!!!!!!	woo me with science	Oct-31-09 06:21 PM	#14
you got something against	keroro gunsou	Oct-31-09 07:11 PM	#21
COOL ... I wish I was under 14 and	Raine	Oct-31-09 06:26 PM	#16
a kid was detained for showing up wearing a white sheet	mule_train	Oct-31-09 06:47 PM	#18
If this is what they are doing for Halloween, can you imagine what Christmas will be like?	givemebackmycountry	Oct-31-09 06:50 PM	#19
Anybody know if w did this?	flying rabbit	Oct-31-09 07:19 PM	#23
WOW, I wish I were home again so I could take my kids there. What a	southernyankeebelle	Oct-31-09 07:25 PM	#24
one kid said he wanted the same treats the bankers got	mule_train	Oct-31-09 07:47 PM	#25
Okay, I want to see them TP the White House	tavalon	Oct-31-09 08:35 PM	#27
I wanna goooooooo!	Bette Noir	Oct-31-09 08:41 PM	#28
Cant Wait To See	SweepPicker	Oct-31-09 08:53 PM	#30
Just wait until the fundies get wind of this pagan ritual.	Historic NY	Oct-31-09 09:06 PM	#31