The difference between real and make-believe

Why is it that some people have such a difficult time telling the difference between real and make-believe, between fictional fantasy and religion?

You got to be dumber than a box of hair to think that Harry Potter is actually a religion.

But, as one of my good friends once said, there is nothing so stupid that someone won’t do it … at least once. I am so glad this mindless tripe is clogging our court systems.

From the AP: A suburban Atlanta mother who believes the best-selling Harry Potter books promote witchcraft said Tuesday she may take her quest to ban the writings from her county schools to federal court after a state judge rejected her latest effort.

     Laura Mallory, who said two of her four children attend public schools in Gwinnett County, told reporters it may be time to rethink her arguments with the help of an attorney.

     ‘‘I maybe need a whole new case from the ground up,’’ said Mallory, who was not represented by an attorney at the hearing.

     Her comments came after Superior Court Judge Ronnie Batchelor said evidence previously presented by Gwinnett County school officials supported their decision not to remove the books from school libraries.

     Batchelor rejected Mallory’s appeal of the local school district’s decision, which was upheld earlier by the state Board of Education.

     Mallory has tried to ban the books from county school library shelves since August 2005, arguing that the popular fiction series is an attempt to indoctrinate children in witchcraft.

     School board members have said the books are good tools to encourage children to read and to spark creativity and imagination. In May 2006, the county denied Mallory’s request. In December, the state Board of Education upheld the county’s decision.

     J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books, published by London-based Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, tell stories of children with magic powers. They have been challenged numerous times since 2000, making them the most challenged texts of the 21st century, according to the American Library Association.

     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.’’

     Mallory said she has testimony from children who have read the Harry Potter books and have thought about acting out spells described in the books.

     ‘‘They don’t want the Easter Bunny’s power,’’ Mallory said. ‘‘The children in our generation want Harry’s power, and they’re getting it.’’

     But Victoria Sweeny, an attorney representing county school officials, said the officials were well within their right not to remove the books from library shelves. She said the court is bound by that decision.

     ‘‘I’m not here to defend Harry Potter,’’ Sweeny said. ‘‘I’m here to defend the Gwinnett County Board of Education’s right to make lawful decisions.’’

 

 

Bystanders who watched beating suck worse than guy who did it

The bastard who beat this WWII Vet should get to spend a bunch of years in jail.

The folks who stood by a watched it happen but did nothing should be sentenced to be his bitches.

Apathy has led to more evil in this world than anything else. Just ask the people who survived the concentration camps.

Dickhead NASCAR fans

For all you fans who threw shit at the race Sunday, please, feel free to die on my birthday. It took a lot of effort for a handful of people out of, what, 160,000, to turn what was a great day of fun for everyone else into something of a shitfest. Next time you feel the need to come to a sports venue that costs a ton to get into and people drive for hundreds — in some cases thousands — of miles to attend and mess it up, try staying home and dry humping your dog. That’ll be better for all of us.