DanMargarita.com

This kind of reminds me of the mid-eighties when Bruce Springsteen was about to release his "Live" album (a form of recorded music that preceded CD's, for you youngsters). People camped out waiting in line for record stores to open for reasons that I still don't understand. It was not a limited edition album; millions were printed, record stores re-ordered them and today some 15 years after it's initial release, it can still be found in any half-decent music store.

There has been somewhat of a controversy here in the States over the Potter books.

It seems that some uptight folks feel that the fact that Harry is a wizard is going to lead their children into Satanism. In fact there those that refuse to use the name Santa Claus (no joke) because if you rearrange the letters of "Santa" it becomes, to quote Dana Carvey's Church Lady character, "Oh let's see.... who could it be.... SATAN?!"

These are also the people who listen to Bee Gee records backward to hear Satanic messages.

I should state here that I have not read any of the Harry Potter books and thus, perhaps, am unqualified to give an intelligent opinion, but that has never stopped me before.

Since the Potter series is the biggest thing to come from Britain since the Beatles, there has been no shortage of coverage of Pottermania in recent years, so it's not as though I know nothing about it.

I imagine that these folks have a v-chip installed to block out the Nickelodeon channel on TV so that their kids don't see the hideously evil "Bewitched" show, starring Elizabeth Montgomery. I could see where they live in fear that kids will be twitching their noses and making things disappear and conjuring up George Washington and other historical figures. Of course, that happens all the time.

Sure, I'd be concerned if the latest rage in children's books were:

"The Little Nazi That Could"

"Pooh's Battle with Booze"

"Bambi Gets Lyme Disease"

"Nancy Drew and the Case of the Re-occurring Sore"

"The Hardy Boys and the Bathhouse" or

"You're a Pervert Charlie Brown"

From what I understand, Harry is a good wizard who battles and triumphs over evil. So whats the freakin' problem?

There have always been tales of magic, fantasy and witchcraft. Yes there are people who practice witchcraft for what it's worth. What's more frightening than the unrealistic idea that someone making potions and chanting an incantation is going to change me into a toad, is the notion that some people are living in fear of this happening.

I've got to go now. My pot of Eye of Newt is about to boil over.