(2002) GOP threatens PBS funding over HIV+ muppet

[Maddy McCall]

Any Republican who claims that GOP lawmakers have never censored television programs must have a short memory, because Republican lawmakers threatened to pull PBS funding over an HIV+ character in 2002. Put this in your "point out their hypocrisy" arsenal. :hi:

Republican lawmakers threaten PBS funding over Sesame Street's HIV+ puppet

Kami, the new HIV-positive Muppet character who will join the South African version of Sesame Street, was introduced at a press conference in New York and Cape Town. Kami, whose name means “acceptance” in the Tswana language, will appear as a 5-year-old orphan on Takalani Sesame when the second season of the show begins airing in South Africa The furry puppet is yellowish with a green vest and a small mop of brown hair. Fearing that Kami might eventually appear on U.S. public television stations, a group of Republican lawmakers protested the plans and issued a veiled threat about funding for the Public Broadcast System even though there is not, never has been, and probably never will be a plan to bring the positive Muppet to America.

http://www.gaycitynews.com/GCN17/newsbriefs.html

Six Republican lawmakers send letter to PBS President Pat Mitchell

What happened in the U.S. next is predictable: Six Republican members of Congress -- all but one from the South -- sent a letter to PBS President and CEO Pat Mitchell stating "We are concerned that what may be fitting for viewers of 'Sesame Street' in South Africa may not be appropriate for children in the United States, especially in such a very early age group." The letter, which also demanded to know if public funds were used to develop the puppet, was conceived and written by House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee Chair W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, a Republican from Louisiana, and signed by him and five more Republican members of the same committee, Representatives Joe Barton (R-Texas), Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Chip Pickering (R-Mississippi), Cliff Stearns (R-Florida) and Fred Upton (R-Michigan).

Just to make sure PBS President Mitchell wouldn't dismiss their letter for what it really is -- the AIDSphobic ramblings of six men who probably can't locate South Africa on a map -- they made sure to remind Mitchell that PBS "receives Federal tax dollars." Of course that was a deliberate, thinly veiled threat to cut funding if PBS were to introduce the HIV-positive Muppet to the American audience. So what you have here are six congressmen who would rather skip any kind of rational dialogue about the subject and jump directly to scare tactics. Now that's what I call adult leadership!

Tauzin and his charm-free henchmen excel at being hysterical, simpleminded, ultraconservative Republicans who fear, well, just about everything, including a cloth puppet fictionally infected with HIV. Apparently not one of them did enough research to know that PBS does not produce "Sesame Street" here or abroad; they simply buy the program and do not dictate its content. They fail to acknowledge that Sesame Workshop, creators of "Sesame Street" and its various co-productions have handled many real life issues with aplomb and grace for over thirty years -- something you really can't say about Congress.

http://www.thebody.com/asp/sept02/lazarus.html

GOP Grouchy Over HIV Muppet

While the HIV-positive Muppet might later be introduced in other countries where a sizable percentage of the population is battling AIDS, PBS said last week that there were no immediate plans for a similar character to join Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, Elmo and the rest of the gang Stateside.

Still, that's not stopping conservatives from taking swipes at the award-winning children's series. The American Family Association says the character is a means for homosexual activists to influence young viewers. And the Tauzin-led congressional letter-writers--which also included Represtentatives Joe Barton (R-Texas), Cliff Stearns (R-Florida), Fred Upton (R-Michigan), Charles Pickering (R-Mississippi) and Richard Burr (R-North Carolina)--are taking PBS' Mitchell to task.

"While it is important to teach children in an age-appropriate manner about compassion for those who contract certain diseases, we would like to inquire as to whether there is other PBS programming, aimed at an older age group, which may be more suitable for such sensitive messages," the letter continues.

http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,10243,00.html

[skids]

1. Isn't that dangerous...

...for the puppeteer? :silly: