News: Ay, Ay, ay

I guess it makes sense, that if you think Harry Potter will turn your child into an evil-worshipper then imagine what might happen if they learn Spanish.

She wants Harry Potter to disappear

Mom seeks school ban on `harmful’ books
By Giovanna Dell’Orto
Associated Press
Published October 5, 2006

ATLANTA — A suburban county that sparked a public outcry when its libraries temporarily eliminated funding for Spanish-language fiction is now being asked to ban Harry Potter books from its schools.Laura Mallory, a mother of four, told a hearing officer for the state Board of Education on Tuesday that the popular fiction series is an “evil” attempt to indoctrinate children in the Wicca religion.

But Victoria Sweeny, an attorney for the Gwinnett County Board of Education in Atlanta’s eastern suburbs, said that if schools were to remove all books containing reference to witches, they would have to ban “Macbeth” and “Cinderella.””There’s a mountain of evidence for keeping Harry Potter,” she said, adding that the books don’t support any particular religion but instead present universal themes of friendship and overcoming adversity.In June, the county’s library board eliminated $3,000 that had been set aside to buy Spanish-language fiction in the coming fiscal year. One board member said the move came after some residents objected to using taxpayer dollars for readers who might be illegal immigrants.Days later, the board reversed its decision amid accusations that the move was anti-Hispanic.

As for the Potter books, Mallory said: “They’re not educationally suitable and have been shown to be harmful to some kids.” She said the books promote the Wicca religion, and yet teachers do not assign other religious books like the Bible as student reading.Mallory, who first tried to get her son’s elementary school to ban the books in August 2005, said Harry Potter is harmful to children who cannot tell reality from fantasy.Referring to some recent deadly assaults at schools, she said books that promote evil–as she claims the Potter stories do–help foster the kind of culture where school shootings happen.The state board will decide the case in December.Wiccans may consider themselves witches, pagans or neo-pagans, and say their religion is based on respect for the Earth, nature and the cycle of the seasons.

Copyright © 2006, Chicago Tribune

Spread the love

More Articles for You

Other Inheritances: Scent Memories from a Childhood at Fat’s Pet Shop in East Harlem

Before I ever knew what a perfumer was or that someone could make a living decoding and remixing scent, I …

Spread the love

Ghosts of the Palisades: Threads between memories, places and time

Somewhere tucked away, high on the Palisades, on lovely, dead end street, in the ether of the internet and Google …

Spread the love

Eight Goodbyes: Love, Loss, and the Six Years That Changed Everything

The first to die that year, the year before COVID-19 changed everything, was my aunt, Ruth or “Chin” as we …

Spread the love

How DNA, Haplogroups, and Genetic Markers Reveal Taíno Heritage

The Genetic Echoes of the Taíno People The Taíno people, the first known inhabitants of the Caribbean, have long been …

Spread the love

Unearthing the Invisible in Ben Brisbois’ Banana Capital: Unpeeling the Layers of Capitalism and Racism

The banana. Simple, ubiquitous, and unassuming. Yet, as Ben Brisbois reveals in his forthcoming Banana Capital, it’s anything but ordinary. …

Spread the love

Ditching The Algorithm: Why I Joined Bluesky (And You Should Too)

For years, social media has been both a megaphone and an equalizer, a place where anyone can share art, advocate …

Spread the love