Everything Burns: Amnestia ahora
At one point in the conversation, the following security problem came up: How do you prevent kids from visiting your house twice on Halloween, and double-dipping from the finite cauldron of precious treats? (“Harry Potter! Weren’t you just here? Scram, you Gryffindor scum!”)
Proposed solutions ranged from marking each kid with a paintball gun to attaching RFIDs to the treats you give out. Each of these solutions, while feasible, has its drawbacks (lawsuits, expense, etc.) I think the only reasonable solution will involve a little bit of infrastructure.
Having just read Bruce Schnier’s latest book, Beyond Fear (Worth reading. Can loan or swap), I’ll apply Bruce’s Five-step process for security measure analysis of a National Trick-or-Treater Registry and ID card. This would require all children and young adults to register with a federal agency (The Department of Homeland Defense is a logical choice, here) so that participating households could assign or withhold treats based on whatever criteria they determined suitable.