Let's see here, Harry Potter books increase levels of interest in reading among the younger generation, they make Jerry Fallwell, Pat Robertson, Karl Rove and the rest of the Republican Religious-Right apoplectic and reading Harry Potter books secretly takes-up propaganda and brainwashing time during which the GOP's insane children are normally forced to read various "Holy death and dismemberment for Jesus Christ" books by Tim LaHaye.

 Frankly, I don't see any down-side whatsoever.

Here's my challenge to any far-thinking, bright-minded academic who cares to do the research, compile the data, get LOADS of grant money and make themselves a famous hero and a champion of literacy over all the world: Compile three control groups, one group of children that are being forced to read Tim Lahaye's "Left Behind" series - about the Christian far-rights nightmare apocalypse and doomsday rapture fraud-for-profit religion, a second group that is allowed by their smarter, less-crazed parents to read all the Harry Potter books and anything else they want to read - everything that they can stuff into their school lockers and backpacks, and a final group that, like their parents, reads absolutely nothing.

Let's see which group cranks out the responsible, civic-minded leaders of tomorrow, which group propagates the largest group of serial killers of tomorrow and which group spawns the largest number of aliterate, myopic, right-wing Republican "feeding-tube conservative consumers".

..