Cookies are made with sugar. Too much sugar is bad for you. But you knew that. In fact, you’ve probably known that since you knew what cookies and sugar were. That’s because you’re not stupid.

But Meme Roth, president of the National Action Against Obesity organization, seems to think that she needs to take your hand and show you the right things to eat. And that means No. More. Girl Scout cookies. She wants to ban them. Hide your Samoas.

Roth has been trying to get the cookies banned for years now, and she and her organization started 2008 with the goal still in mind.

Most of us know that Bill O’Reilly loves to give people a hard time. So he didn’t hesitate with the princess of skinny, Meme Roth. And she admitted to O’Reilly that she likes the cookies, but “America likes them too much.” She says two in three adults are so obese that they’re sick. And in children, one out of three.

I’ve heard that before, of course. But I’ve yet to see proof. Walking around campus, driving around the Des Moines and Ames area, going on vacation, I can’t say that two out of three adults I see are ill with fatness. And certainly not one in three children.

But let’s just say it is true that most of us are too fat for our own good. The answer is to tell people what they can and can’t eat? To ban Girl Scout cookies?

The cookies come out once a year for a couple months. So even if someone does buy a box of Thin Mints and gobbles them down, it won’t make that big a difference long-term.

Roth explained the horrors of Girl Scout cookies to Fox’s Neil Cavuto recently. She said two Samoas contain 150 calories and 11 grams of sugar. The horror.

She also said that Americans “fantasize” over Girl Scout cookies. Well, she admitted herself that they’re “delicious.” But I really doubt many people spend all year dreaming about Girl Scout cookies.

They are, however, an American tradition. And part of Girl Scout’s brand identity. Peanut butter? Jelly. Winter in Iowa? Sleet and ice. Girl Scouts? Cookies.

Another of Roth’s arguments is that Girl Scouts is a “civic organization.” And that such groups should not use junk food to make money.

I don’t see why not. Fundraisers for most organizations occur only a few times a year. And what else should Girl Scouts sell to raise money? Girl Scout lettuce? Sounds tasty, I think I’ll go get myself a box.

Look, one reason cookies sell so well for fundraisers is that they’re a treat, a dessert. So on special occasions, you buy a box or two of cookies.

And, is it just me, or are we all tired of being told we’re fat?

I could tell you that America’s idea of fat is ridiculous. That a couple decades ago, thin did not mean almost skeletal. Just look at the difference between the girls on “America’s Next Top Model” and Marilyn Monroe. But that’s another column altogether.

If people like Roth are concerned about obesity, they should make efforts to educate adults and children alike about moderate eating instead of trying to regulate food consumption.

People are smart. They know sugar’s bad. The thing is, the occasional Girl Scout cookie is a world of happy for your tastebuds. And that’s so worth the 75 extra calories.

– Bailey Lewis is a sophomore in English from Indianola.