Reason why GWB will be remembered forevar

[BeBMan]

JK Rowling lost out on US medal over Harry Potter 'witchcraft'

New book claims that Bush administration officials objected to giving JK Rowling a presidential medal of freedom on the grounds that her Harry Potter books 'encouraged witchcraft'

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* Alison Flood
* guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 29 September 2009 11.27 BST
* Article history

writer JK Rowling

JK Rowling: missed out on presidential medal of freedom for her Harry Potter books over 'witchcraft' allegations. Photograph: David Cheskin/PA

A memoir by George W Bush's former speechwriter claims that Bush administration officials objected to giving JK Rowling a presidential medal of freedom on the grounds that her Harry Potter books "encouraged witchcraft".

According to the liberal American blog Think Progress, Matt Latimer's Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor reveals how politicised the medal, which is America's highest civilian honour, became during the Bush administration.

Latimer, whose memoir was published last week by Crown in the US, says that the "narrow thinking" of "people in the White House" led them "to actually object to giving the author JK Rowling a presidential medal because the Harry Potter books encouraged witchcraft".

The medal is given to "individuals who make an especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests of the United States, world peace, cultural or other significant public or private endeavours". During the Bush administration, it was awarded to individuals including Tony Blair, Harper Lee, Muhammad Ali, Alan Greenspan, Nelson Mandela, Doris Day and Charlton Heston.

The first 16 recipients of Barack Obama's presidential medal, handed out in August, included Stephen Hawking and Senator Ted Kennedy – who, according to Latimer's book, failed to receive the medal during the Bush administration because he was "a liberal".

Not only that everything was (is?) his fault, Bush also hates freedom AND Harry Potter. It's all true!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/sep/29/harry-potter-rowling-medal

[Ben Kenobi]

I'm glad the US has the taste to indulge themselves in the erudition of Teddy "Chappaquiddick" Kennedy.

It's a shame Mary Jo Kopechne was unavailable for comment.

[Zkribbler]

Whaaattttt????

That has less to do with the opening post than bringing up the fact that GWB went AWOL during the Vietnam War, even tho he was posted stateside.

Or maybe we should talk about how Republican Speaker Delay supported slavery, including forced abortions, on Guam.

Try and stay on topic, huh?

[Felch]

Why does a popular fiction writer deserve a Presidential Medal of Freedom? I realize that some who have received it were no more deserving than her, but I'd rather the medal be reserved for people who made a real impact on the world.

[rah]

Ditto. Exactly what I was thinking.

[Drake Tungsten]

Why does a popular fiction writer deserve a Presidential Medal of Freedom?

Especially some British *****.

[rah]

The first 16 recipients of Barack Obama's presidential medal, handed out in August, included Stephen Hawking and Senator Ted Kennedy – who, according to Latimer's book, failed to receive the medal during the Bush administration because he was "a liberal".

Yeah, it was because he was a liberal.

[MikeH]

the funny thing about that is, I believe the Bush staffer saying they didn't give it to him for "being a liberal", rather than not giving it to him for the many sensible reasons for not giving it to him.

[BeBMan]

Why is it important if Harry Potter was a liberal????

[DinoDoc]

What did Hawking do to deserve a Medal of Freedom?

[rah]

and isn't he a liberal.

[Tattila the Hun]

What did Hawking do to deserve a Medal of Freedom?

Yeah, the guy doesn't even have freedom of movement.

I do hear he's rather brilliant.

[Drake Tungsten]

If he's so brilliant, why hasn't he won a Nobel?

[Guynemer]

Because the Swedes hate cripples. :wiglaf:

[DinoDoc]

I do hear he's rather brilliant.

So?