Be discerning before condemning--it cuts both ways
From the Harry Potter fansite, The Leaky Cauldron, comes a news story (Book Rumor: Bush administration denied J.K. Rowling medal because Harry Potter books "encouraged witchcraft") that a recent book claims Jo Rowling was considered, but rejected, for the Presidential Medal of Freedom because individuals in the White House condemned her books sight unseen. There certainly have been far too many people that promulgated the easily-discredited notions that she was a practicing witch and promoted witchcraft by publishing "actual spells" in her books, but let's be real here! The vast majority of the comments to the TLC story were ready to take the author's allegations as gospel truth. This in spite of the fact that TLC indicated that Laura Bush has talked of liking the books herself. To use an old cliché, "what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander." The HP books should not have been condemned without proper investigation, and the Bush White House should not be tarred with this brush merely on the say-so of this one writer who may have an axe to grind. Depending on their various political views, people may feel they have reasons to dislike GWB and his policies, but that is not reason enough to swallow whole a story of this nature.