Thoughts on possible US Wizarding culture, was Worldwide Ministry

[Cindy <cid62@yahoo.com>]

No: HPFGUIDX 48162

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, jazmyn <jazmyn at p...> wrote:
 
> I called it the United States Department of Magic myself as most US 
gov
> 'departments' start with United States and rarely if ever, 
American.  ie
> United States Department or Agriculture, etc.

Well, actually I did, too, I just wasn't specific in my posting. 
Blame it on the lack of coffee.  ;-) ;-)


 In fact, the FBI having a
> secret group of aurors that even the muggle President doesn't know
> about, which uses both magic and FBI information resources, while
> appearing to be muggles.  They 'pridicted' the 9-11 terrorist 
attack,
> but noone would believe them and another (muggle run) dept took 
credit
> for their work anyways. However, I never can finish a story to a 
point
> where I would post it anywhere. ;)

That's a shame, as I like that idea. I posited the NYAF (New York 
Auror Force) and the Dept. of Magic's Central Auror Division (which 
is much like the group you describe above).  

> Also proposed there were three major Magic Colleges in the US. One 
in
> Salem, MA, One in San Francisco, CA and one in Austin, TX 

Yep--as all are, IRL, major centers of neo-Pagan activity.  

> 
> Yes, I can see the USDM being very bureaucratic and can see them 
making
> sure they have wizards or witches placed in muggle government for '
> inteligence reasons '.  One fan fic I read had the HP crew coming 
over
> and taking out all the 'bad wizards' going over the heada of the 
local
> wizarding governement. PLUS having the US Wizards asking for help 
from
> the British MOM?  What?  The US asking for help in their internal
> problems from ANYONE?  The writer must OBVIOUSLY have been stoned
> because Americans are too bloody proud to ask anyone for help, you
> know.  

Well, having once worked for a government contracting firm, I can say 
that the US government does, in fact, outsource many things. ;-) In 
my fic, I had a certain wizard from the Committee for Disposal of 
Dangerous Creatures get asked over, as a consultant, to help his US 
counterparts from time to time.  I think it depends on the problem.


I would also suspect that there are a LOT more wizards and
> witches in the US, due to larger overall population and the 'melting
> pot' ideals of the US, meaning more wizards getting involved with
> muggles (and giants, house elves, anything breathing).  One could 
only
> imagine what the 60's were like to the USA's Wizarding World?  
Oooo..
> boy.  "Man, I'm so stoned. Is that a centaur your girlfriend is 
with? 
> Groovy.."  (the mind boggles)


ROFL!!!! ;-)

> Another thing though, I can see magic being regulated in the US not 
so
> much at the federal level as the state level.  ie. It may be 
illegal to
> turn someone into a ferret in California, but not Texas. ;)

Hmmm. Hence a possible defense for Professor "Moody's" actions in GOF 
could have been: "He needed ferretin'"?  
;-) ;-) ;-) 

Cheers,
Cindy


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