The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the nation’s highest civil award, and is given to individuals who have contributed to: 1) the security or national interests of the United States, 2) world peace, or 3) cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.
In his new book, Speechless: Tales of a White House Survivor, former Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer reveals how politicized the revered Presidential Medal of Freedom became during the Bush administration.
Latimer writes that administration officials objected to giving author J.K. Rowling the Presidential Medal of Freedom because her writing “encouraged witchcraft”.
Full Article at Think Progress
Oh dear. This is ridiculous. I enjoy reading these blogs, they make me laugh. Keep them coming Derren!
Oh the Irony given the Bush connections to Bohemian Grove … which for anyone not familiar incorporates mock human sacrifice amongst other things…
It really is an eye opener .. look it up
Who in their right mind would want a “Presidential Medal of Freedom” anyway?
Ahh, that’s sad. Did no-one explain it was only a story, when they read to George at bedtime?
In other news, when do we get a new website banner promoting next Friday’s show?
Seriously?
Incredible.
They do have a point though.
The Bush administration did some terrible things. But not honouring JK Rowling just about tops the list.
Well, it is only a set of kid’s books she wrote – ones which caught the eye of money-makers – she didn’t resolve any world issues. Of course the books have encouraged millions of children to read more… fantasies and… stuff.
I’m not dissing her at all, really. I’m just saying why would she be up for such an award anyway?! Nevertheless, look at the line-up who got them – war-mongering, megalomaniac men! As ever. Sigh. When will teh women get a chance to put things right?
I thought George Bush was Voldemort, which would make it obvious why she didn’t get it.
if he had objected to it on the grounds that they are over-hyped, badly written tosh, he may have had a point.
Oh for goodness sake. I must admit, my knowledge of the ins and outs of bible is a little limited but I imagine that a story about someone turning water into wine can also be interpreted as ‘witchcraft’.
@ScreamingGreenConure – ‘I thought George Bush was Voldemort’ Hoho!
if i was her i would demand a recall on all her books in america just to be a*sey back. How rude of them. What’s wrong with witchcraft anyway its not real magic. Grrr.
And it promotes centaurs, tht’s truely disgraceful.
He’s afraid of witchcraft, but spend his youth circle jerking unto the skull of geronimo at Skull & Bones.
helen beat me to it! Add plagiarized to the list though.
I don’t care what anyone says, I’ve read all the HP books and really enjoyed them. But think this is a bit ridiculous, I agree. I do think some people have trouble differentiating between fact and fiction.
LC x
@ SGC – That’s exactly what I was thinking. You read my mind. Are you Criss Angel?
and whats wrong with that i say!
Hahaha aww only in America!
@ JayKay
Bloody men! Hahaha.
On top of all that, most of the b*stards still leave the toilet seat up… or leave it down and piss over it, you get a choice, lol.
We’re not all bad though, trust me.
Some of us still manage to try and be ‘nice’ regardless of what the world throws at us, even if a little whingy and low on self-confidence/belief sometimes.
As for the main article…
If the main concern of the government was that reasoning… They obviously feel they have something to worry about.
Of course, this is something I’ve thought for a long while… they should worry, lol.
Pax, amor et concordia!
x
People think too much!
Bush wants Hermoine obviously, he was probably mad that she wasn’t real and told JK to make her real then she’d get it, (that’s what i personally think)
Oooh, new heading…..love it! (anything to with odds and gambling is fine with me!
)
LC x
I think it’s pretty obvious that the real reason Bush wanted Harry Potter banned was because he kept getting nightmares from all the scary bits…
*head hits keyboard* Oh…..for the love of God…….
I wonder if it was the fact that 3 youngsters help to usurp people in authority that they objected too… Either that or that 3-headed dog… maybe they should refuse to give ancient Greeks similar rewards for the same reason.
Then again, the notion that Iraq was hiding WMD is pretty fantastical too; “let’s make weapons appear from thin air.. Shazaam!” Those bloomin’ magicians, how dare they :-p
…and you expected better from the ‘edookashun’ president? And his merry band of Deatheaters? (the ones who advocated torture?)
Though as much as I admire JKRowling’s stuff (who else could get 8-year-olds to eagerly look forward to reading 800 page books?–seven of them!), I’m not quite sure why a Presidential Medal of Freedom is really appropriate anyway.
I adore Harry Potter- I am seriously in love with the books (don’t get me wrong- I do love ‘proper’ books too
)
But for a cultural contribution to be equal to contributions to: “1) the security or national interests of the United States or 2) world peace” then I think it would have to be a LOT more important than Harry P!
Oh and- ‘Presidential Medal of Freedom’… really?!?
:S
Mmmm are we living in the 1500′s still?
I’m not the worlds biggest Harry Potter fan (I own all the books, but have only read bits of a few of them), but sheesh… this makes me want to get out my wand to Expelliamus them all. What is this, the middle ages?
have not read h.p. i think wichcraft would have been seen by our own typical americans if they havent done it it not worth noticing.
And yet they don’t see the witchcraft of the bible….
If it wasn’t for the fact that the name Bush is in the title, this post would have shocked me.
As a massive Harry Potter fan, I just don’t know what to say to that. Encouraging witchcraft is the very last thing she does, I think if you hadn’t read the books the fact that witchcraft was involved would be very obvious, but when you read it, there are so much more important themes. *sigh*
Anything that someone doesn’t believe is always worth ridiculing. I have read the books and I found them enjoyable and very creative!! Those moron admins. couldn’t look past that and see her imaginative, creative way of thinking and awrd her for that; regardless of what was the main premis of her books and movies. That was a bias in it self. Such a shame to look at things one sided like that!!!!! Thanks for bringing it to our awarness Derren.
Oh, then they can discard all cartoons as well … they all contain magic and superpower .. most of the time.
[...] Shared Bush Officials Objected To Awarding Medal To J.K. Rowling Because Harry Potter Books Promote Witchcr…. [...]
Conclusive proof…Bush was a Satanist; who else would be afraid of a witch?