Don't do this...

One of the loves I have of this country is its free speech (mostly free anyway). Now every once in a while, someone gets carried away. Someone like this: 'Ban Harry Potter or face more school shootings'

A woman who maintains that the Harry Potter books are an attempt to teach children witchcraft is pushing for the second time to have them banned from school libraries.

Laura Mallory, a mother of four from the Atlanta suburb of Loganville, told a Georgia Board of Education officer that the books by British author J.K. Rowling, sought to indoctrinate children as Wiccans, or practitioners of religious witchcraft.

Referring to the recent rash of deadly assaults at schools, Mallory said books that promote evil - as she claims the Potter ones do - help foster the kind of culture where school shootings happen.

That would not happen if students instead read the Bible, Mallory said.

She added that the books were harmful to children who are unable to differentiate between reality and fantasy.

The children, she said, try to imitate Harry Potter and cast spells on classmates.

"They're not educationally suitable and have been shown to be harmful to some kids," Mallory said.

She argued that teachers do not assign other religious books like the Bible as student reading.

This goes a bit far. Teachers do assign readings from the likes of JRR Tokien and CS Lewis...which are clearly Christian orientated. At any rate, I'm careful about what books should be banned (there are some that I think should be left out of grade school libraries...stuff like 'A Rumor of War' and some other more explict stuff should probably be left to junior high and up). Now, I did note that they found the most...uh...eye-catching statement (and a dumb one at that) to post up. That being a UK website, I do wonder how many think the US is full of these "nutters?"