Expelliarmus!

Latimer writes that administration officials objected to giving author J.K. Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom because her writing “encouraged witchcraft” (p. 201):

This was the same sort of narrow thinking that led people in the White House to actually object to giving the author J.K. Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged withcraft.

Strange that she didn't hex the Bush administration to failure and contempt.....

oh.



Rowlings clearly has done the Imperius Curse on some of her fans, though. They feel no shame...

How truly American.

The public humiliation and hanging of witches.



PZ Myers of Pharyngula:

The ACLU is suing Union Public School Independent District No. 9 of Oklahoma. The reason is bizarre: administrators at the school have harrassed and violated the civil rights of a young woman named Brandi Blackbear because — and I'm a bit ashamed to admit this can go on in my country — they accused her of witchcraft. They say she used a magic spell to make one of her teachers sick. In retaliation, she has been subjected to searches and public humiliation, and the school has banned the wearing of non-Christian paraphernalia.

From the ACLU site:

In its legal complaint filed today in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Oklahoma, the ACLU said that school officials not only suspended Blackbear for 15 days in December 1999 for allegedly casting spells, but also violated her religious freedom when they told her that she could not wear or draw in school any symbols related to the Wicca religion.

The ACLU lawsuit also accuses school officials of violating the young woman's due process rights when, in the spring of 1999, they suspended her for 19 days over the content of private writings taken from her book bag. Officials had searched her possessions based on a rumor that Blackbear was carrying a gun, although no weapon of any sort was ever found. To date, school officials have not returned Blackbear's writings to her.

Before these incidents, the ACLU complaint said, Brandi Blackbear had no discipline problems and had a perfect attendance record. Since being accused, she has "suffered continuous ridicule and humiliation," and "become an outcast among her fellow students," according to the complaint. She has also fallen behind in her school work because of the suspensions.

"It's hard for me to believe that in the year 2000 I am walking into court to defend my daughter against charges of witchcraft brought by her own school," said Timothy Blackbear. "But if that's what it takes to clear her record and get her life back to normal, that's what we'll do."

The ACLU is seeking an undisclosed amount of punitive and financial damages on the Blackbear family's behalf, a declaration that the school violated the student's rights, an injunction preventing the school from banning the wearing of any non-Christian religious paraphernalia and an order expunging her school record.

"The actions of the school have inflicted severe emotional damage on a very sensitive young woman. This lawsuit will allow her to reclaim some of her self-esteem by vindicating the violation of her rights in a court of law," said John M. Butler, an ACLU cooperating attorney.

The case is Blackbear v. Union Public School Independent District No. 9, et al. Defendants named in the lawsuit are Union Eighth Grade Center Principal Jack Ojala, Speech Therapist/Counselor Catherine Miller, Union High School Assistant Principal Charlie Bushyhead and Counselor Sandy Franklin.

Truly a tradition to be proud of...

crossposted at SteveAudio

That will teach you that God is Love!

Jesus' General:

Gov. Palin's witch-fighting network had it's first big success in Alaska, five years later, when they took on a witch who worked in the Alaska State Prison System. Here's how Gov. Palin's witch-fighting mentor, Mary Glazier, describes their victory:

As we continued to pray against the spirit of witchcraft, her incense
altar caught on fire, her car engine blew up, she went blind in her left
eye, and she was diagnosed with cancer.

So remember! God loves you!

Should I be worried?

Someone from South Africa googled: juba witchcraft clear liquid control and got my blog...

Apparently J. K. Rowling is a witch

Because she writes about wizards and witches and stuff so she must be one and it must be evil because witches are evildoers and must be burned or drowned or something....

Discussions found on the threads on Amazon discussing the sale of Rowling's The Tales of Beetle the Bard:

Gary Oates says:

Not that I have anything aganist witches, but I think now its fairly obvious that Rowling and her writings seem to be favoring a certain sect of paganism where she cleverly hides her beliefs and practices in a story where everyone can have a witchy, magical good time. There are several books that back me up available on this website stating that the Harry Potter books encourages kids to take an interest in witchcraft and a few even raises the possibility of real white magik spells in the Harry Potter books. The skull on this auctioned book and the drawings of several paganistic objects associated with witchcraft (including wizardry) only makes it more obvious. Just making a point to those who are confused about this whole issue... By the way, what is the difference between white and black magik when the power behind the both kinds of magik and their spells come from the same source?

I wonder what it feels like to be so benighted....

It's only good for MY God, not yours

Because everyone knows my God is the right one and your god is stupid:

PZ Myers at Pharyngula notes a court case that was shot down:

At Tuesday's hearing, Mallory argued in part that witchcraft is a religion practiced by some people and, therefore, the books should be banned because reading them in school violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

"I have a dream that God will be welcomed back in our schools again," Mallory said. "I think we need him."

Nothing is as American

As a good old-fashioned witch hunt:

The Repository in Canton, Ohio reports on a teacher who is suing The Hampton Bays school district in Long Island, N.Y for firing her because they believed she was a Witch. Lauren Berrios, who is Jewish, claims that rumors of witchcraft started circulating when she didn't attend Christian services that she was invited to.

"In 2001, Lauren Berrios filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Central Islip saying she was fired because co-workers wrongly believed she was a witch. Berrios is Jewish and said the witchcraft rumors surfaced because she turned down invitations to attend Christian services. The accusations intensified after a fifth-grade reading lesson on the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when Berrios mentioned the Salem witch trials in a historical context, said her lawyer, John Ray."

The school claims that the firing was due to poor performance, but this doesn't seem to add up with reports on Berrios's performance at her new job in Atlanta where she was voted teacher of the month. Berrios's attorney also claims to have some fairly concrete evidence proving that the school thought she was a Witch.

"Ray said he has strong evidence to prove Berrios was fired amid religious hysteria. He said he plans to call former principal Andrew Albano as a witness. Ray said he will read testimony into the court record of Albano saying during a deposition that he believed Berrios practiced witchcraft. Albano could not be reached Monday."

If Berrios wins this case (the suit is for 2 million dollars), it could act as a strong deterrent against future arbitrary firings due to a perceived adherence to a modern Pagan faith. Her experience mirrors many modern Pagans who are in the "broom closet" due to working in places with a predominately Christian staff (or clientele), and who fear the effects of the "rumor mill" on their livelihood. Opening statements for the case are scheduled for Wednesday.