Official Criticizes a PBS Cartoon (White House Doesn't Like Lesbians)

[ruggerson]

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/national/26educ.html

<snip>

Published: January 26, 2005


ASHINGTON, Jan. 25 (AP) - Education Secretary Margaret Spellings denounced PBS on Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters, saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles.

The episode of "Postcards From Buster," which has not yet run, shows the title character, a bunny named Buster, on a trip to Vermont, a state that recognizes same-sex civil unions. The episode features two lesbian couples, although the focus is on farm life and maple sugaring.

A PBS spokesman said late Tuesday that the nonprofit organization had decided not to distribute the episode, "Sugartime!," to its 349 stations but that the Education Department's objections were not a factor in that decision.

------------------------------------------------------------

Have these people literally gone insane. Has it occurred to Margaret Spellings that lesbians pay her salary, and fund PBS, and deserve to be represented there as much as anyone else?

[WindRavenX]

1. geez, they're sure lesbo-ing up the place

:eyes:
People are insane. I swear to effin' god I am taking crazy pills.
I feel so bad that our gay brothers and sisters go through this shit.

[Jamastiene]

7. Thank you

It feels good to hear someone who feels that way.

[IowaGuy]

53. Man, I thought it was Cheneys...

that was always pushing this lesbian stuff in our faces...
;)

[gorbal]

116. Give PBS some feedback

Everyone should give PBS positive feedback about this cartoon-

http://www.pbs.org/aboutsite/aboutsite_feedback.html

or negative feedback for not showing it, whether or not you are in one of the area's it isn't shown.

:)

[Zebulon]

2. What is it

with the religious right and cartoons?

These people are nuts.

[yardwork]

101. The religious right doesn't like cartoons - from way back

They don't like cartoons, TV, movies, or anything involving fantasy, which they see as the work of the devil.

[bluestateguy]

3. Let's see, Sponge Bob, Tele-Tubbie, Postcards from Buster...

Any other make-believe, pretend characters that the Right would have us believe are corrupting our youth?

[goddess40]

45. Is that 10% of the cartoon population?

They should be represented, they are real part of the population and we shouldn't pretend they don't exist. (Of course I mean homosexuals not cartoon figures) What a horrible, disgusting thing to do to children that may already know their sexual orientation. I can only try to imagine how awful it must be to grow up knowing that there is something about you that disgusts others, what a big hit to the self-esteem.

I wish we could pretend the fascists didn't exist and make them go away.

[imenja]

4. How do they know the couples are Lesbian?

Do they have sex on the cartoon? I doubt it. Or are they assuming women standing together are lesbians? Who the hell cares. Let the kids have their cartoons about animals, farms, sponges, and tellytubbies. Those right wingers must have a mission to get rid of all children's television programming. They attack everything. They clearly have way to much time on their hands. They need to find something productive to do. I know, send them to Iraq!

[Jamastiene]

8. Or Afghanistan...

They really are too much. Sensible people don't think like they do. Where are they getting these ideas? Are they repressing something?

[WindRavenX]

10. Are they repressing something???

Are you kidding me? Heck yes they are!
American culture is so effin' repressed that we're substituting violence for healthy, loving human sexuality.
This country KILLS me sometimes.

[Jamastiene]

14. Most research

on homophobia shows that most homophobic people are really "latent" homosexuals. They won't let themselves see that their preoccupation with homosexuality comes from repressed urges they themselves have. Damn shame to think someone like Jerry Falwell hasn't been outed yet. Someone should start a campaign to point out his "effininate" qualities. I sure have noticed them.

[imenja]

16. Is this real scientific research?

It's what one always assumes to be the case, but are there actually scientific studies to establish that? It would seem a very difficult thing to measure considering by nature these are people who do not want to disclose their sexual preferences. How could a researcher distinguish between a latent homosexual and a run of the mill hetero-asshole.

[Jamastiene]

21. Yes

It is real research and has been done by various researchers. Just do a search on your favorite search engine for the words "homophobia"+"latent"+"research".

[AliciaKeyedUp]

37. Gee, it wouldn't be skewed a bit?

The homophobes I know hate the idea on religious grounds (and no, don't count me in there).

[Ripley]

48. What religious grounds?

I don't read the bible, but I've been told there is no mention of lesbians in it. Just that "man can't lay down with man" thingy.

[FizzFuzz]

55. and from what I understand, that "man shall not lie with man as a woman"

and "woman is for the use of man" is from Old Testament and its motivation is misogyny. Of course. (I may have the quotes paraphrased a little wrong, correct me if necessary)

[VegasWolf]

56. Yeah, and that one statement about homosexuals and whores and

stuff not getting into heaven. Glad I don't believe in it,
sounds like a very boring place.

[ashmanonar]

80. yea, i know...

why would i want to go to heaven if they aren't allowed to do any fun stuff there? all they ever seem to do in heaven is praise some bearded white guy...oh, wait...that's what they like to do anyways...

[Vanje]

68. The Bible

Ruth and Naomi : Total lesbos!

[elshiva]

104. Yep. and David and Jonathan, were gay

David loved Jonathan more than any woman.

[WindRavenX]

17. yup

And most human beings do not fit into the dichotomy of "gay VS straight" of sexuality; much has been researched to show most human beings have very fluid (no pun intended) sexuality. Most people probably would be considered "bisexual" (but that's a label, and really, labels are meaningless).

[ashmanonar]

81. yea...

i took an internet quiz (i know, not exactly the best source, but anyways) that said i was about halfway inbetween masculine and feminine...the way i figure it, that's a good place to be, (if i were to worry about such things...)

who the hell cares anyways, about what gender the person you love is? i'm hetero, and i LOVE my women, but i'm not above admiring a man.

[imenja]

13. What aren't they repressing

evidently it's everything but lunacy. That is on full display.

[VegasWolf]

57. Yes, but the lunacy is pronounced in the fundie nutcases. n/t

[CoffeeCat]

5. As a stay-at-home heterosexual mother of two--I protest!!

I'm a stay at home mom to my two preschool aged girls. We watch a lot of PBS cartoons and we enjoy Arthur. Buster the Bunny is one of Arthur's friends.

I would like to see these episodes!

I like the idea that my kids would see families that have "two mommy bunnies." They might not notice it, but if they do ask, I would be happy to say, "Some families have a mommy and a daddy--like in our house--but some families have two mommies and some have two daddies."

Then my kids could go about their day--completely untraumatized I'm sure.

I will write PBS. We are paying public television "members", and they need to hear from parents who would like their children to see Buster visit the maple sugar farm and meet some new bunny friends! :)

[Jamastiene]

9. Same way I was raised.

And I have to say, I am glad I was raised to not hate people. It is the one thing I never argued with my mother about.

[petemoon]

12. Well, said, TwoSparkles

My signature line would say it all, if signatures weren't turned off:

"I'd much rather try and explain to my kids why our neighbor married a box turtle than try and explain to them why our president is raping and killing children in another country and stealing their oil."

p :)

[saigon68]

25. raping and killing children in another country and stealing their oil

That would fit the War Criminal CHIMPANZEE to a "T"

[peacebird]

30. i like that signature line petemoon!

i like it a lot! you know the part I just don't get - Christ had some really nice, good, valuable advice which centered on loving ones neighbor and treating people, even the least among us, kindly and well. Taking care of one another.

How did his entire lifes MEANING get distorted into what calls itself "Christianity" today? The only "Christians" I hear about in the news are spreading hatred of those different from themselves, using their religion to demonize others. I think, from what I've read of Christ's teachings, that the most apt sentiment in the bible for these people is "Christ wept" - but I doubt they realize that it's THEIR ACTIONS causing his tears.

Not the love of two people who happen to be of the same gender.

just my 2cents, as your basic hetero woman whose at this point ashamed to be American and straight. Thank goddess at least I'm not christian too!!! What a horrific trifecta of shame THAT would bring.
peacebird

"peace & equality are moral values...."

[imenja]

15. oh, they're bunnies. I should have known

I should have known they'd be bunnies. The international dyke conspiracy has been working on infiltrating cartoon bunny populations for the last 15 years. Now that they have finally taken over, no one is safe anymore. Peter Rabbit must quickly seek cover with SpongeBob Squarepants to get away from the lesbian bunnies run amok. :tinfoilhat:

[BiggJawn]

28. Well, what d'ya expect?

Bugs Bunny has been cross-dressing and kissing guys for years...

It's all that slut Betty Boop's fault!

[hyphenate]

86. Ah, but the chief sexual bunny

has to be Roger Rabbit--remember, he wears pants for a reason! He's the only one for Jessica!

[VegasWolf]

59. Yes, pick on soft, gentle, little furry creatures that just LUV to LUV. n/

[janetle]

52. Me too

I am a stay at home heterosexual mother of two, too. Only my kids are 19 and 16. We raised our children and taught them that gay and lesbian people were born and that it wasn't a "lifestyle". My husband's assistant is a lesbian and she has been with him for 20 years. She is a part of our family and my kids love her and have known her their entire lives.

The fruit of our efforts now shows because both of my kids have embraced gay friends into their groups. They have no issues and complete acceptance and it is wonderful indeed to see. I wish it could have been this way when I was in high school. Unfortunately, the right's efforts of promoting non-acceptance which is HATE is taking us back to those painful days and condoning anew ostracism in high school.

[CTyankee]

67. My granddaughter has a friend with two mommies

but they live in a nice liberal community in Massachusetts. Nobody seems to be freaked out about it. The girl gets invited everywhere and no one seems to have problems with their kids having play dates with her. In fact, her mommies have one of the nicest houses in town!

[youngdem]

73. I could not agree..

more. I am a mother with a four year old son, I doubt my child would even notice.What are the chances of a child really commenting on this? My two older children know that some families are same sex, they could not care less. It only becomes a big deal when homophobic parents make it a big deal.

[Citizen Jane]

76. My toddler daughter's classmate in preschool

Has two Mommies and they sometimes both come to pick her up. So, I've already addressed this with my daughter. My solution, "Look, it is -------- and her Mommies. Isn't she lucky she has TWO mommies. Wow!"

Nope, no trauma has resulted yet. She was more interested in learning what the word "lucky" meant.

Disclaimer: My daughter thinks Mommies and Daddies are great; I am not trying to say Mommies are better than Daddies and she understands that.

[driver8]

6. These people need to get lives...

Aren't there more important things to worry about than this? How about teaching kids to read and do arithmetic?

This shit is getting out of hand...next thing you know, the "government" will make gays wear a big "G" on their clothes. Their way of thinking seems to be, "If no one mentions the gays, we can pretend that they don't exist!"

Fucking idiots.

[sui generis]

36. yeah - the only "lifestyle" going on here is the complete

obsession with homosexuality that some of these bigots have 24/7.

[Mad_Dem_X]

110. They are obsessed with everything sexual

Violence and bloodshed are allowable, but anything even remotely sexual is a no-no. These people are totally warped.

[ashmanonar]

83. or how about making sure kids have interests besides math and science and

english in school? how about music, or art, or literature? bc i'm an artist, i'm biased, but it's true! kids in art or music learn much better than kids who learn only the logic-based areas (math, science, etc)

[Hizzy]

90. I couldn't agree more..

I grew up dancing and taught dance for several years and now have two nephews who love art. I've found that those children not only learn more quickly, they apply what they've learned more frequently. I'm fed up with the black and white, one right way, thoughtless nature of conservatism. I don't want our youth to take what is given to them without questions... I want them to take what's given to them, work though it, and decide for themselves!

[ashmanonar]

92. exactly!

"I want them to take what's given to them, work though it, and decide for themselves!"

couldn't have said it better myself.

[driver8]

98. It is so sad that art and music programs are being cut

in our schools, but somehow the government always manages to find an "extra" 80 Billion or so to spend on killing people.

Why don't we all quit paying taxes until Shrub and Co. learn how to share and get along with other people. I'm sick of watching all of this money getting pissed down the drain.

[loritooker]

11. I sent PBS a letter encouraging them to air the episode. I'm mad.n/t

[SemperEadem]

18. Can gays and lesbians choose to not have their tax money spent

supporting a government that refuses to respect and protect their rights to exist? Seems to me, that if the government wants to tow this line, they should do it without the tax money of those they seek to disenfranchise.

[Rainscents]

20. These people are insane

and right wing nut jobs needs new hobbies to find. Bunnies are very sociable animal and they (females) are always together and they love to groom each other.

[hamerfan]

61. Can you say,

"Taxation without representation"?

[AuntiBush]

19. Isn't PBS a Paid by Viewer Station?

Poor bunny Buster, and I feel very strongly that all Gays are my brothers and sisters, as well!

Funny isn't it; Repuks, and the Off-the-Charts Evang-Nuts sure don't mind Gays paying into the tax system, though.

Hypocrites!

[Piperay]

22. What about Lynn Cheney's book

seems that she felt lesbianism was a fine topic for a book :shrug: guess since she was making a buck it was OK. x(

[Tsiyu]

23. Kids deal with this stuff better than adults do

if they haven't been freeped out by Asshole fundy/homophobe parents, that is.

[xchrom]

24. oh that wacky margaret spellings

and her hateful bigoted ways.
and to think -- our vice presidents daughter is lesbian -- and campaigned for this admin.
:eyes:

[rodeodance]

26. so PBS folded because of the Educ. Sec was critical of it!! crapo

This has got to stop!!!!

[rodeodance]

27. Now we for sure know the views of the Educ Sec!!

[catmandu57]

29. One of two things is going to happen

Either people will say enough of this crazy shit and stand up to these bullies, or the shit house rats will get their way and we'll all have to wear identifying labels.
Big red G's, Big red C's, Big red L's etc...

[Rockholm]

31. Read this in the Boston Globe this morning!

I am raging with anger at these people. What the fuck is wrong with them. They hate gays so much that they have to attack CARTOONS???!!!!I have NEVER seen cartoon characters having sex. These fundies need to seriously get a grip.

[ashmanonar]

85. well, there's some anime...

but that's an ENTIRELY different subject...:evilgrin:

[Rockholm]

87. I kinda had a feeling that that would be brought up.

Sure, but those anime sexbots are drawn HOT. SpongeBob, is not hot. OK, someone may find a yellow sponge sexy, but not me.

[ashmanonar]

89. lol

indeed.

[ruggerson]

32. 1-800-872-5327 - Press Option 5 - Dept Of Ed Main Number

They open in half an hour. Let 'er rip.

Maybe someone in DC can dig up Spellings direct line as well.

[ruggerson]

34. 202-401-1576 - Office of Public Affairs

You will get a live person.

[keith the dem]

33. In a related cartoon gay topic-

Go to this link:
http://www.ucc.org/news/r012405.htm

[since72]

38. United Church of Christ

As a long time agnostic (and a lapsed Catholic) I have to say that chuches like the U.C.C. and their followers give me some hope in the future of organized religion and its' ability to be a positive force in society. Credit where credit is due and scorn where it belongs.

[keith the dem]

46. The purpose of the ads

was to reach out to people who are turned away and/or turned off by the church, many, ironically, for moral reasons.

[sui generis]

35. it's not a LIFESTYLE. It's a life.

As someone who happens to be alive and queer I can say with complete and absolute authority, and much more so than a heterosexual person, that I live a life, and not a lifestyle.

Anybody who uses that term "lifestyle" is not living in the same reality as the rest of us.

[FizzFuzz]

69. yep, I absolutely HATE that word, "lifestyle".

Makes my skin crawl.

[elshiva]

105. Amen. It's truly a great life!

[FizzFuzz]

108. The outer package doesn't matter, it's the love and connection between two

The outer package doesn't matter, it's the love and connection between two hearts/minds that counts.

I'm bi, and was once in a relationship with a woman....mostly I've been with men.

She was perhaps the love of my life, though. Partly, that is because she was very severly emotionally damaged, in ways that dovetailed with my own extensive baggage.

I wanted to marry her, but unfortunately, she couldn't sustain the relationship. That was the roughest breakup I've ever had, but I learned alot and grew alot personally from the pain of that split. It was The turning point that I needed to face the work I needed to start on myself.

[Stepup2]

39. Well I think

the dept of ed, which is under the watchful eye of this administration, wants to make sure we remain invisible.

Then it is okay to discriminate in some small minds who think, well golly gee, we don't have any people around here like that.

Also, if we remain invisible we are not seen as tax paying, law abiding, friends, neighbors, and co-workers: you know humanbeings.

Instead we can remain the fictional boogey people to be used to froth the fundies and others into a hate filled motivated froth that can be counted on at election time.

Gotta throw the fundies red meat from time to time to keep em happy and fuel the embers of their hatred.

Most importantly, this sort of action from the dept of ed amy have a chilling effect on others who might say something positive to counter the hate.

[davidinalameda]

40. PBS Bashed For Lesbian Cartoon

http://www.365gay.com/newscon05/01/012605buster.htm

First it was SpongeBob SquarePants, now its an animated series on PBS that's being assailed by the right for gay content - and this time the bashing is coming directly from the Bush administration.

The nation’s new education secretary denounced PBS on Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters, saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles.

The not-yet-aired episode of “Postcards From Buster” shows the title character, an animated bunny named Buster, on a trip to Vermont — a state known for recognizing same-sex civil unions. The episode features two lesbian couples, although the focus is on farm life and maple sugaring.


and how do we know that they're lesbians--what are they doing that shows that they're lesbians?????

and for gods' sake--it's a cartoon!

[kayell]

43. Probably holding hands *shocked, simply shocked*

That always leads to unfortunate responses in impressionable young children. Just imagine the harm that could be done by children seeing blatant displays of affection like that between cartoon characters!

(where's that pic of bunnypants holding hands with the Saudi? Time to send that to Dobson and the education secretary)

[Lisa]

84. maybe there's a pop-up caption or something?

Or some other insidious trick from the evil liberal media.

[Sabriel]

91. Maybe it's the Pop-up Video version. That's be fun! n/t

[FizzFuzz]

70. And THAT bashing gets publicized. How many times have the HATERS

been bashed, but that gets NO publicity????????



damn idiots.
I hate 'em all.

[King Coal]

41. Well, see, if a student grows up and find themselves gay,

they may not be sufficiently depressed. They may turn out to be happy and free.

Christians. Can live with 'em, can't get to heaven without 'em. Ask Jerry Falwell.

[Politicub]

42. The right hates reality

And the reality is that there are (gasp!) thousands of functional lesbian and gay couples. Tolerance be damned!

Still, being a gay man, it's scary to be in the right's crosshairs. I fear this is only the beginning of Bush's campaign of opression. It will be interesting to see what anti-gay initiatives he calls for in the state of the union address next week (which I will glean from the transcript. I can't take more than a few seconds of seeing bush speak until I puke.)

[Chipper Chat]

120. I wish all Democrats would boycott the state of the onion address.

That would really make a statement. Fox would constantly show the empty seats and Hannity would be shouting TREASON -- TREASON.

[BR_Parkway]

44. They should go back and read their press releases:

"Children across the country will be able to sample the colorful details that make other cultures so distinctive, all through the eyes of Buster, one of their most trusted friends," says John F. Wilson, PBS co-chief program executive. "PBS is proud to offer POSTCARDS FROM BUSTER, and especially its significant educational outreach, to a new generation of PBS KIDS viewers."

"It's important for children to experience cultures different from their own," says WGBH executive producer Carol Greenwald. "Putting Buster on the road and immersing him in real-life settings via the live-action 'postcards' is a perfect vehicle to teach children about the rich and complex cultural life that exists across America."

http://www.pbs.org/aboutpbs/news/20030529_buster.html

What a shame the wingnutz want to control everything. Why do they hate America?

[Dancer]

47. Topsy Turvy

Another instance wherein the cartoon is more real than the critic.

[aePrime]

49. Something should be cleared up here

Not that I agree with them not showing this episode, I think they should! But we should have our facts straight (no pun intended).

As a graduate student, I've (ahem) watched my fair share of "Postcards from Buster" (research, you know? :) ). The typical layout of the show is that Buster, a cartoon bunny, a friend of Arthur (another cartoon), goes on trips with his dad to places all over the States. While Buster is a cartoon, the places and the people he visits are real. 90% of the footage in this "cartoon" is live-action.

That means that the lesbian couple aren't cartoon characters -- they're real-life people.

Edited for spelling.

[Dancer]

50. OK

"That means that the lesbian couple aren't cartoon characters -- they're real-life people."

So the real cartoon is Ms Spelling.

[Streetdoc270]

51. I don't want my children exposed to War or Bigotry

but the Adinistration has no problems spending public money on that!

[Terran]

54. Addendum

"Secretary Spellings added, 'Oh, and PBS better cut out all those Negroes and Mexicans too, from all their programming. Some people might be offended by their lifestyles too.' "

[imenja]

60. and people thought she was a reasonable

and fairly safe appointee, compared to Gonzalez, Rice, and the best of all--Kerick.

[FizzFuzz]

71. AND, those unsubmissive white women. They are bad.

Women must stay home and be subservient to their husbands and have many many babies, without benefit of daycare.

Except me and my RW lady friends, but it's ok fur us, because we tell everyone else to do what Jaysus says.


arrrgghh arrrrgghhhh I'm starting to hyperventilate again. :mad:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

58. If parents don't want their children exposed to "such" lifestyles

They can turn off the effing TV.

I can remember when white people didn't want their kids exposed to black people in school. They got over it...
Well most of them did, anyway.

Ms. Spellings needs to realize that denying the existence of gay and lesbian relationships is not going to make them go away. She and anyone who protests this show need to recognize that regardless of their personal condemnation of homosexuality, sexual orientation has no bearing on human decency.

[gorbal]

125. Yet "Bugs" is okay?

Bugs Bunny dressing up in womens clothing and kissing grown men is fine, heck, violence is fine, but maple sugaring.....no way!

Interesting NPR segment here-

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4475444

[FizzFuzz]

62. this RW demonisation of gay and lesbian people is soooo deluded

really, I sometimes just can't even rage about it anymore; I mean same ignorant, hate mongering shit, idiocy day after day, hypocrisy, ugliness, divisiveness, arrogance, self-righteousness, pretending to moral superiority......

I can barely be friendly to the fundies at work who voted for these assclowns. I want to confront them, "How DARE you even show your face here at work, with your colleagues who are gay and lesbians. How dare you even have the nerve to chat nicely with anyone whom you have voted for their second-class citizenship? You piece of shit, you have voted for Andrew and Tom and their husbands, and Jane, Ann, Susan and their wives to have no rights; if one is hospitalized, any blood relative could step in and bar their spouse from taking care of them or even visiting.......YOU SICK PIOUS IGNORANT LITTLE CHURCHGOERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"



Agghhh, Agghhh....I lost it there, sorry.......


(I made up those names for my friends there, privacy you know)

[VegasWolf]

63. It is frustrating ain't it? n/t

[FizzFuzz]

75. this whole period in time is frustrating! n/t

[progressivebydesign]

79. I can thing of two extremely conservative Christians I know that are...

.. such incredible perverts, and happen to be inflicting those perversions on people of the same sex. (And keeping it from family members and church members). We're not talking normal homosexual stuff.. we're talking sick for any orientation. I swear, I think it's the ones that scream the loudest about this, that are the ones with the biggest struggles on their own sexuality. Methinks they doth protest too much!

The conservatives who are causing all of this right now are going to doom the Republican Party and swing people back to normal.

[FizzFuzz]

100. not surprised.

Not one little bit.

[hamerfan]

64. PBS caved!

They were supposed to send their member stations a closed-circuit feed of the episode today (even the stations haven't seen this episode), but it was abruptly cancelled (PBS said a mere coincidence, no relation to the Sec. of Ed.'s comments). What a joke! When is some backbone going to be shown to this administration? I almost wish PBS had stood up to them on this and suffered the consequences instead of the route they chose. It's disgusting.
The premise of the show entails a cartoon rabbit (Buster) who takes his video camera around to different geographic, ethnic and religious places and shows kids the different ways of different cultures. Buster himself is from a broken family, living with his mom.
For PBS to have demonstrated the backbone of a jellyfish, wow. What did we accomplish in the 70s? To end up like this? I'm speechless....

[VegasWolf]

65. How do they know the two little girl bunnies are lesbian anyway? They

could be bi.

[Duncan Grant]

66. Hey, Mary Cheney and Heather Poe!

If you're reading this, I just want to let you know that you're both complicit in the madness which passes as the * administration.

Your silence on GLBT human rights is deafening.

edit: *

[Arkana]

72. Who's next in line?

First it was Bert and Ernie, then Tinky Winky, then Spongebob, now it's Postcards from Buster? Who's next? Kermit the Frog? He is in love with a pig, you know. </sarcasm>

[ucmike]

74. i'm not sure how to feel...

there's very little discussion of how the "lesbianism" was presented. were they kissing, did buster show up in the midst of a wedding, are they wearing "we're married lesbians" t-shirts?
or are they simply female characters and the implication is that they're gay because its vermont?

if they were openly gay and there was some discussion of it then i think i object. i don't think young children should be subjected to any adult sexuality in their cartoons. this has nothing to do with gay/lesbian issues, it has to do with children not being exposed to very complicated and emotional sexual issues not appropriate to children trying to watch a cartoon.

i have a feeling (and i hope) that there is nothing of that sort in the cartoon. i would bet that at the most there may be a nod and wink to vermont's attitudes on the subject but i suspect that the right wingers are seeing only what they want to see.


on a side note: couldn't the new secretary of education find something more important to rant abouton her second day of work? is this the most pressing issue on her desk. stop wathching cartoons and fix our pathetic education system. also funny to me that this newest bushco flunky makes her first big pronouncement and it concerns cutting funding. typical.

[Misunderestimator]

93. I would hope you wouldn't object to a normal depiction of a lesbian

couple that is no different than a cartoon depiction of a married straight couple. You say 'if they were openly gay and there was some discussion of it then i think i object'... why? Just because they are openly gay? What does openly gay mean to you? To me it means the same as being openly straight.

You jump to the conclusion that a depiction of a gay character would necessarily involve complicated sexual issues... why? because too many people jump right to sex when they think of gay people.

Anything inappropriate to show children about adult sexual relationships would be equally inappropriate to show them about gay sexual relationships. Anything appropriate to show children about adult relationships should be equally appropriate to show them about gay relationships. It's quite simple.

[ucmike]

106. actually, i wouldn't object

if it bothered me i'd turn it off.

"...couple that is no different than a cartoon depiction of a married straight couple."

-that's not true. while it shouldn't matter, it does. this is a politically and emotionally charged issue and a very complicated issue to discuss with young children. i wouldn't want buster tiptoeing into a discussion about terrorism, pot smoking, or wifeswapping either. basically, i don't want to explain gay marriage (or any complex adult issue) to a toddler because a cartoon rabbit brought it up. the time to explain that issue is when the kid asks how his aunts have kids but no husbands. i would never apply the same standard to adult programing.


my argument is not anti-gay, its anti-agenda. spare the children the agendas, let them learn about maples and syrup. there is plenty of time for other issues later.

i play a scavenger hunt game that involves finding boxes of odd ball items hidden various places. people trade whatever they see fit in and out of the boxes, usually trinkets. some people can't help but leave religous tracts and cards, some very fiery and provactive stuff about hell and damnation. i found myself in the woods trying to explain to a confused 6yr old that he wasn't going to hell. i feel the same way about this issue. don't force people to explain gay politics to children because there was a cartoon on pbs. it has nothing to do with tolerance or acceptance.

for the record-i haven't seen the episode. i am quite sure there is no "insidious gay agenda" at work there and that the cartoon is quite innocent. i am also quite sure this whole issue is just right wing projection and noise.

[Misunderestimator]

107. But if you tiptoe around the subject of perfectly normal same-sex

relationships, your children will not be prepared for the very likely encounters they will have in school with children of gay parents. Not to mention, later on having gay friends.

It is NOT about gay "politics"... it is about accepting and understanding and educating our children about a large portion of our human population.

[ucmike]

109. i don't discuss hetero sex politics with children either.

i don't understand..how is discussing same sex relationships a part of preparing kids to meet gay people in society?

i said i don't want to have this discussion with young children, i made no comment on the legitimacy of gay relationships (intentionally anyway). i wouldn't discuss my same sex neighbors weird divorce with children, either.

like it or not, a man-woman couple on tv isn't going to raise issues for a kid. i never said i wouldn't discuss it. i just don't think that cartoon rabbits are the best introduction to a touchy issue.

i think its interesting that you seem to take my unwillingness to introduce young children to adult topics as intolerance. i would explain the issue to kids who had questions, i wouldn't bring it up.

[Misunderestimator]

111. Once again... it is not homosexual POLITICS.... it is simply the existence

of homosexuals.

I think it's interesting that you would avoid such an important subject with your children. WHY on earth is being gay an ADULT topic?

(And... on edit... that's the whole reason why it's important that we have shows that introduce these subjects so that children can ask important questions of their parents. Otherwise, nothing ever changes, and everyone, like you, just avoids the issue, making it a bigger one.)

[ucmike]

112. it is political.

like it or not. just because you see it as an open and shut case doesn't make it so. the fact that there is so much debate about these issues shows that.


i'm not going to argue about it if you can't accept that some topics are adult oriented. gay is not a dirty word in my house, but sexuality in general is not a topic for children and i don't think its the job of pbs cartoons to introduce the topic.

[Misunderestimator]

114. Great.... it's political... my entire life is political... so when a child

stares at me on the street as I hold hands with my partner... that's ok in your book... or when a bunch of teenage kids drive down the street yelling obscenities at us, because their intolerant parents never addressed the issue, that's ok with you.

No, my life is not a political agenda. No more than yours.

The cartoon is not addressing SEXUALITY at all. It is YOU who keeps coming back to equating GAY with SEX. Stop it.

[ruggerson]

95. What's "Openly Gay?"

I think this is a widely abused phrase.

Religious rightwingers use a very clever tactic in their relentless demonization of gays and lesbians. They reduce their relationships to one thing: sex. It becomes what these people *do* and not who they are. It lets the right then effectively demean them for *behaviour*, because they know they would lose the struggle if this was based on what it really is based on: identity. How nature has hotwired you to BE.

The problem, of course, with their argument is that it is based on lies and deception. Gay people are no more about sex, specifically, than straight people are. An average, monogamous gay couple is just the same as an average monogamous straight couple. Their lives revolve around getting to work on time, getting the kids to school, paying the bills, arguing, watching television, feeding the dogs, etc. What they do in bed at night does not define the totality of their lives, anymore than what a husband and wife does in bed at night defines the totality of THEIR lives.

These lesbian couples in this show were just living their lives. The show itself was about the cartoon characters visting Vermont and learning about maple syrup. The characters they encountered could have been black, white, green, gay, lesbian or left handed. It wasn't ABOUT that. The point here is that this administration wants to make 5-7% of the taxpaying public virtually invisible. It's Orwellian in its psychological complexity and every rational straight thinking person should be extraordinarily disturbed that a whole group of taxpayers is being systematically discriminated against.

It could happen to any other group next.

[Toucano]

97. Thank you!

I really hope your post was read.

[slw]

77. You've got to be kidding me.....

So, I'm not gay, nor am I a parent yet. However, this particular topic makes me see red. I CAN NOT believe I'm living in a country where something like this is even an issue. Here's the thing, homosexuality exists, plain and simple. Trying to pretend it doesn't by denying rights, canceling cartoons and otherwise trying to make it go away isn't going to change that. Eventually your child will encounter it in some way, shape or form. Wouldn't you think that watching a cartoon together that recognizes it would be the PERFECT way to explain it to your child??!! Honest to goodness...I'd rather explain someone being different from my family myself, rather than letting his/her playmates on the school yard do it. Seriously, what the F happened to actually parenting your child instead of worrying about the government doing it. Good Grief!

[twaddler01]

119. Even as a Christian...

THIS IS SAD! x(

[progressivebydesign]

78. So it begins....

We all expected this, didn't we? The fundamentalists that are driving the political discourse in the country right now, drunk on power. Will Winnie the Pooh be accused of beastiality for his relationship with Piglet?

[Lisa]

82. lesbians and maple sugar! Way too Canadian!

I guess this means that the movie deal for the kids' book "Mom and Mum Get Married" is off?

[AlFrankenFan]

88. This is so stupid I can't even laugh

It's not like the episode of the show is themed on watching same-sex couples getting married or whatever. And does this lady honestly have nothing better to do than watch children shows on PBS?

[Sabriel]

94. I mentioned this furor to my 5 y.o. daughter.

Her response was, "They make maple syrup? Cool!!!"

(Her aunts are lesbians, so we always include all types of families when we talk about relationships.)

My education secretaries lately have made me want to leave teaching.

[wickywom]

96. The only disturbing thing about this show is that

they bunnies have human bodies with big long ears--
the Dad even has a human face...

I want a study on the long term effects of over human personification of animals.

..oh and Buster the rabbit loves hotdogs.

[fortyfeetunder]

99. Good Effing Grief Ms. Spellings

Of all the crap that goes on in the classroom and you're worried about a cartoon bunny looking at two women holding hands?

Get out of here. You need to focus on fixing No Child Left Behind...

[moobu2]

102. Just some background on Margaret Spellings

According to the Washington post, Margaret Spellings was introduced to Bush by Karl Rove in the late 1980's when Bush was considering running for Texas Governor. She was a lobbyist for the state school boards association. Rove thought she could coach Bush on educational issues. She also became Bush's political director in his 94 run for Texas Governor. Bush and Margaret Spellings go way back. Karl Rove even asked her on a date once (puke).

She married a big time lawyer/lobbyist from Austin Texas in 2001, he lobbied Texas in promotion of school vouchers.

One of her fellow lobbyist years ago called her "a princess of darkness", Wonder why? I have no idea.

She pissed off some right winger fundie nazi's after making a comment on C-Span. What did she say to spark such an outrage?
She was asked what her reaction was to census data showing a decline of the "traditional family". She said -"So What? There are lots of different types of families", and that "she was a single Mom herself". That's basicaly all it took.

Margaret Spellings comment about the lesbian bunnies was most likely to prove to the fundies she was on board with the campaign against the forces of evil working to destroy the traditional family (the homosexual agenda). I'm sure this is just the begining.

Oh, she also had a big part in writing the No Child Left Behind act.

She's been part of the Bush crime regime from way back.

[arwalden]

103. Faith-based bigotry from Margaret Spellings. She Can Kiss My Bunghole!

[tinrobot]

113. Is one of the bunnies named Mary Cheney?

Just wondering if that's why the White House doesn't like it...

[Megahurtz]

115. What? Gay is okay but Lesbian is not?

:wtf:

[alarimer]

117. Is she really Dan Quayle?

Remember the good old days when Murphy Brown was a poor role model? These people never stop. It is a TV show! Spongebob is not even a REAL sponge!!

[TaleWgnDg]

118. frig GWBush and his religious proselytizing upon America !

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

____________________________________

"I believe that it points up the fact that
we need common sense judges who understand
that our rights were derived from God. Those
are the kind of judges I intend to put on the
bench." - GWBush, June 27, 2002, explaining
his theocratic litmus test for federal judicial
nominees.

"I always laugh when people say that George
W. Bush is saying this or that to appease the
religious right. He is the religious
right." -- GWBush first cousin John Ellis

"I don't bring God into my life to — to, you
know, kind of be a political person." — GWBush,
interview with Tom Brokaw aboard Air Force One,
April 24, 2003

"I believe that God wants me to be
president." — Richard Land, a Director
of the conservative evangelical Southern
Baptist Convention, quoting GWBush on
"the day (GWBush) was inaugurated for his
second term as governor (of TX) in 1999."

"I could not be governor (of Texas) if I
did not believe in a divine plan that supersedes
all human plans." - GWBush

"I, George W. Bush, Governor of Texas, do
hereby proclaim June 10, 2000, Jesus Day in
Texas and urge ... all Texans to answer the
call to serve those in need. By volunteering
their time, energy or resources to helping others,
adults and youngsters follow Christ's message
of love and service in thought and deed."
— GWBush, as Governor of TX, officially
proclaiming June 10, 2000, as
"JESUS DAY in TEXAS."

"Government cannot make ppl love one
another ... (; instead,) love comes from a
higher calling, a higher authority; the great
strength of America lies in the hearts and
souls of citizens who've heard that call, not
in the halls of government."
— GWBush, campaigning for president in the
2000 election explaining his "faith-based initiatives"
vs. government run programs w/o regard for the
Separation of Church and State.
____________________________________

[knitter4democracy]

121. My kids love this show, and now I'm really mad!

I give money to PBS to keep them the station for the public. They've shown all kinds of families on Sesame Street for decades, and other shows on PBS tackle tough topics. This is so enough! If they want my money anymore, they'd better stick up for what they supposedly stand for: a liberal view of America celebrating diversity.

[gorbal]

122. I hope everyone is contacting PBS

I hope everyone is contacting PBS (Link is above) we need to make more of a noise than the conservatives so that PBS realizes that they are a minority.

Here is an interesting editorial on the subject-

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/viewpoints/editorials/050131buster.shtml

:)

[Maestro]

123. Are the lesbian women

pouring maple sugar over their naked bodies in an obvious love making ritual or are they just the owners of a farm? This is ridiculous. PBS better show the damn episode. As a straight person who is an educator I am appalled.

[gorbal]

124. I bet Howard Stern had a ball with "Maple Syrup" jokes

I can just imagine the Howard Stern show the day after this story broke. LOL!