Commentary: 'Buster' and the lesbians

[UCLA Dem]

<snip>

You must have heard. Last month U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings upbraided PBS for spending tax dollars to make the episode, titled "Sugartime!" Then PBS, while denying it was caving to her pressure, displayed all the signs of caving with the announcement that it wouldn't distribute "Sugartime!" to its 349 stations...


But by daring to include two of the nation's 168,000 gay-parented households (joining Pentecostal Christians, Muslims, Mormons and Hmong among those represented on the series) "Buster" was busted.
"Congress' and the department's purpose in funding this programming certainly was not to introduce this kind of subject matter to children," Spellings wrote PBS head Pat Mitchell. (The Department of Education anteed up $5 million, two-thirds of the budget for the series' 40 episodes.) "Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the lifestyles portrayed in this episode."

Focus on the Family founder James Dobson agrees. "At its heart, the issue before us is the 'sexual reorientation' and brainwashing of children by homosexual advocacy groups," Dobson wrote on his Web site...

But he hasn't backed down from his assertion that a kid-targeted video starring SpongeBob and dozens of other cartoon characters has a more sinister motive than simply preaching diversity. He warns that it's all part of a crusade "to promote homosexual ideas and purposes."

<snip>
http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/TV/02/15/apontv.buster.busted.ap/index.html

Sexual Re-orientation? Brainwashing? Homosexual Agenda?? How can they say this with a straight face?? Do these people even hear what they are saying??? The audacity of the psycho fundies never ceases to astound me.

[Maat]

1. I think that we should all pledge to buy the copy of the ..

"Sugartime" episode of "Postcards from Buster" if it becomes available.

I will.

Who's with me?

[Lisa]

2. all this talk of syrup-making is making me homesick!

I remember how enjoyable it was -- families and entire communities would get involved. I would probably be buying that episode anyway -- this is yet another good reason to.

I suppose one could argue that it's "brainwashing" kids to consume sweets -- but even the health food advocates seem to think that maple syrup is better for you than refined white cane sugar. (An historian pointed out to me that cane sugar also has all those negative associations with slavery, unlike "sugaring off", which the aboriginals taught to the early European settlers.)

[wtbymark]

3. at VPT (Vermont Pub Television) we recieved

a letter from the governor and many members of the legislature and the senate PRAISING our choice to air the controversal show because it taught diversity and tolerence.

Vermont was the first state to allow civil unions and it was a huge debate to say the least - Dean reluctantly signed it (behind closed doors). But now, no one even thinks about it. What once was THE hot button issue in our state is now just status quo, nobody cares. These fundies across the US are just scared to death of any change. Now that its such 'old hat' here, i bet you even the 'old timers' would tell these idiots to get with it, get a life, and shut up already.

[Maat]

4. Aha! So they each did have the choice whether or not to air it.

When I asked several of the local PBS stations, one of them told me that the episode had been pulled, and they couldn't air it.

And yet our local KCET - Los Angeles aired it. I missed it, because they aired it without annoucement. It didn't show up anywhere. And I'm mad about it.

[Kber]

5. In other words, Mr. Dobson

it's not YOUR fault you are attracted to men. It's the brainwashing you received when you accidentally tuned into the cartoon network.