Censors Trying to Ban Book About Teen Wizard (OT)

[Penny & Bryce Linsenmayer]

No: HPFGUIDX 9862

Good morning --

Caius Marcius wrote:

> I'll be interested in reaction to this story, particularly those who
> interpret any criticism against HP from the so-called Religious Right as a
> call for censorship
>
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A63583-2001Jan15.html
>

My reaction is that *any* book-banning or censorship of reading material from
public institutions is wrong (wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!), no matter
whether it comes from the left or the right, whether it's done in the name of
multi-culturalism, political correctness or any other similar label or whether
it's done in the name of religion.  The bottom line is that it is *wrong* (IMO
of course).  :--)  I'm flat-out, indisputably 100% against *all* forms of
book-banning, no matter what the purported reasons.

The kids quoted in this article make the point against such censorship on the
grounds of multi-culturalism very well.  Perhaps Ebony will chime in with some
thoughts on this.

OT: why do you refer to the Religious Right as "so-called"?  It's my impression
that many fundamentalist religious groups refer to themselves in this vein, so
I'm confused why it's necessary to include the phrase "so-called."  Perhaps I'm
just misinformed though.  <shrugs>  To bring the question back to HP, I still
haven't heard any valid counter-arguments to the basic perception that all (or
an overwhelming majority) of the current attempts to ban HP from public schools
and libraries have been made on religious grounds, from conservative religious
groups.  If they've been challenged by more "left" oriented groups or on
grounds other than religion, I'll confess I haven't heard about it.

Penny