Being a libertarian, I may not agree with the liberals but honesty and respect for the rights of parents prompt me to issue this warning the liberals, socialist-repubilcans and other collectivists.
The Harry Potter series of books is a libertarian propaganda disguised a children's book. Reading it to your children may interfere with the process of liberal indoctrination intended to make them passive pawns of a state. Here are the main points:
The wizard government - the Ministry of Magic- consists of self-interested conceited politicians and career bureaucrats concerned only with preservation and increase of their power. They constantly attempt to increase their powers.
Their methods of dealing with impending danger is ignoring it, rediculing people who raise the issues, slandering and threatening them. They engage in campaigns of character assassination against political enemies.
The government is patently incapable of protecting its citizens from unexpected or even known threats and interferes with their own provisions for protection.
The wizard society relies on the privately-run 100% reserve monetary system based on gold without any adverse consequences. Nevertheless, the government attempts to take over the monetary system in an undisguised grab for power.
There is no mention of any system of taxation. One can speculate that government services are paid by user fees (a fee for registering a contract?).
The government increasilgly assumes control of education, creating governmental approval of all teachers, restricting freedom of speech and restricting the freedom of gathering and association - requiring an approval of a government representative.
The ministry is censoring the supposedely free press, manipulate it and prevent the news from being reported.
The government passes increasingly restrictive laws supposedely intended for protection (of students) but in reality increasing the danger.
The government intercepts communications, searches and censores the mail.
The government creates a corps of "patriotic" citizens acting as informers, uses them to instill the culture of fear among teh population.
The government is specifically set on preventing the people from aquiring the means of defending themselves - for "safety purposes".
There is distinct theme of counter-egalitarianism. The most capable personages owe the bulk of their magical talents/abilities to their genes/sircumstances of nature, rather than nurture.
The positive heroes of the book are protrayed as distinctly individualist and non-egalitarian. They associate with whom they want, act decisively in fighting evil, etc.
The group positive personages actually create and train a (magically) armed militia group intent on protecting themselves and their close ones from inpending evil.
The state obviously mis-represents their activities as preparation for terror, military takeover, etc.
The troll is defeated by the unorganised militia, as well as otehr aggressors. Harry is not arrested for murder or violation of the troll's civil rights since he acted in self-defence.
Young people are entrusted with tools/weapons that can cause serious havoc as a part of their education. Nobody expects them to become proficient without risk.
Potentially dangerous/deadly training and sports are taught or particpated in with a straightforwardly and mater of fact acceptance of risk being a part of life and that it is up to each person to be responsible for their lives.
The most powerful wizard alive, actively avoids a position in government.
Hagrid does not wear a motorbike helmet for his flying bike.
Dumbledore arranges an informal adoption for Harry rather than putting him in care. Admittedly, it is not the perfect, but when is perfection really an option?
Hogwarts is a fee paying school, and does not follow the National Curriculum.
There is no indication that Harry pays inheritance tax on his holdings in Gringotts.
The goblins in Gringotts do not monitor/report large cash withdrawals, or in any way conform to regulations to prevent money laundering.
Gringotts Bank - is not an equal opportunity employer. But since customers are happy, it does not seem to botehr anyone.
The Minister's personal assistant resorts to the use of torture to retain power and is found to have sent assassins to take out Harry Potter.
You have been warned.
miko
