Harry Potter and the Extinct Political Movement

[Sailboat]

I just sent the following letter to the “editors” of the Wasington Post’s Express, the semi-literate newsrag they give away free to commuters.

On page 32 of the 04.05.2007 print edition of the Express, in a paragraph called “Wild About Harry,” the Express says "Mugwumps in Virginia just can’t get enough of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”.

A few moments of cursory research online – or asking any Harry Potter reader – would inform your writer that the term used in the books for non-magical persons is Muggles. Mugwumps were members of a long-extinct political movement within the Republican party from 1884. I find it implausible that anyone familiar with the term Mugwumps would make this error. Did spell-checking software suggest this substitution?

If the Express locates any Mugwumps in Virginia, or anywhere else, I’d rather hear about their political and historical views than their fondness for Harry Potter books.

I couldn’t find the error in the online version (http://www.readexpress.com/), but you can download the .pdf file for April 5 and scroll to page 32 yourself if you want to bother.

Sailboat