As violent street protests rocked American cities from New York to Seattle, Washington, Department Of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Michel Leblanc assured rioters he was “looking into ways in which we can get you your treasured Internet toilets” as quickly as possible.

American customs officials have delayed the highly-anticipated arrival of the Japanese Internet Toilets, or “It’s”, as they are commonly known to American enthusiasts, citing “important national security concerns.”

“You take it apart, and the components can be used to launch missiles,” stated Harlan Krouse, a US Customs Officer involved in ordering the seizure of a shipment of twenty eight “It’s” at JFK International Airport.

“You re-shuffle the components, and you can make a missile. With that in mind, you can guarantee your kid is not getting one of these for Christmas,” Krouse added.

Comments like these have done little to alleviate tensions between the general public and Washington over the seizure of the new-fangled Japanese lavatories. After months of hype by major media outlets and on the Internet “Blogosphere,” demand for the toilets, known commonly in Japan as “Bobbi-san,” (Mr. Bobby), was high.

“The @#$&*$% government!,” exclaimed one frustrated homemaker. “President Bush told us the best thing we could do for the economy was to ‘spend’, and I’m here – I got my money right here, but now they don’t want me to spend it – it don’t make sense.”

Despite heavy rioting over the weekend by disgruntled consumers, New York City Customs doesn’t seem to be thinking about releasing the twenty eight “It’s” held at JFK any time soon.