Parents Complain About Book's Undertones (True story of 2 male penguins)

[elehhhhna]

March 4, 2006, 11:23AM
Parents Complain About Book's Undertones


© 2006 The Associated Press

SAVANNAH, Mo. — A children's book about two male penguins that raise a baby penguin has been moved to the nonfiction section of two public library branches after parents complained it had homosexual undertones.

The illustrated book, "And Tango Makes Three," is based on a true story of two male penguins, named Roy and Silo, who adopted an abandoned egg at New York City's Central Park Zoo in the late 1990s.

The book, written by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, was moved from the children's section at two Rolling Hills' Consolidated Library's branches in Savannah and St. Joseph in northwest Missouri.


http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/nation/3701088.html

[w13rd0]

1. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Hey look you fundie twits. It happens in nature, thus its natural. And they raised a lil egg together, took in an abandoned egg, and raised it. GRRRR...

[abluelady]

6. Was it Abandoned?

Daddy penguins sit on the nests until the eggs hatch. I don't know exactly what the moms are doing but the dad does sit on the egg. So it may very well be one of the daddy's biological child! And you know male seahorses give birth! Poor fundies, having to deal with nature.

[alarimer]

18. Male (sea) catfish are mouth brooders

They carry the eggs and young in their mouths until the yolk is absorbed. I am not sure if the same is true of freshwater catfish or off all catfish species. Male damselfish (like California's garbaldi) take care of the nests until the young hatch.

Well the fundies would really be upset if they find out that groupers are HERMAPHRODITES! GASP! They are females first, then males. Snook are the opposite. All that sex-changing going on.

[burrowowl]

24. Snails are hermaphrodites

during their biannual mating! Mating once as female and once as male!

[alarimer]

28. If the fundies knew all this

their heads would explode. And of course it is all due to that darn evolution.

[burrowowl]

38. And

they do foreplay for 24 hours or so. Mate for around 24 hours and you should see then afterwards on their backs with antennas drooping. Calculate at least 48 (mate once as male, once as female) hours times 2 times two for sex in a year. But digging and sealing the nest and laying the eggs takes about 12 hours or so. I have watched them in jars. I wish I would have taken time-lapse photos. Spent over 4 days vacation obsevring the mating and egg-laying. Fasinating creatures.

[IndyOp]

32. Mom gets to leave the nest and go forage because producing the

egg is a big nutritional challenge for her and she has to build herself up again. Also male and female do take turns and both bring back food for chick once it hatches.

:hi:

[abluelady]

35. Thanks.

I knew mom returned but I couldn't remember why she left! I know that many eggs don't hatch because for different reasons the dads do leave before the mom returns. I am definitely going out to buy this book--my grandbaby loves penguins.

[madmom]

2. some one should tell them if it happens in the animal world it's

not un-natural.

[SmokingJacket]

9. That's why it terrifies them. nt

[blm]

10. Peacemaking Among Primates documents homosexual behavior in the monkey

world.

[kevinbgoode]

3. Leave it to the hetero-supremacists

to be more upset about the fact the abandoned egg had actually been adopted by two males who ensured the penguin could have life. . .instead of taking any responsibility for the outrageous hetero-penguin conduct of abandonment of the egg in the first place.

So naturally, they must have moved the book to an adult non-fiction section, because religious correctness dictates that there be no such thing as an abandoned child, human or animal, who is adopted.

[alarimer]

19. They only care about the egg

Not the chick.

[misternormal]

4. If I read this right...

...the two male penguins adopted an egg, and nurtured till it hatched???

I don't see anything about them doing as birds do to make an egg, so what's the point of saying anything about it???

[fortyfeetunder]

5. And I guess Owen and Mzee are unnatural too!

Recall the story of the baby hippo orphaned in the tsunami, and he adopted a male tortoise as its "mother"....

There have got to be some better things to talk about....

[rodeodance]

7. a few parents complain and the library freaks out.

[Solly Mack]

8. Ok...because 2 penguins showed love and compassion

that's somehow bad?

because they were male? and males aren't supposed to be loving and compassionate?

So they are afraid their child might learn something about love? about caring? about compassion?

Obviously, with parents like that - the children need someone to teach them about those things.

[HockeyMom]

11. Males can't raise children?

Is that what they are saying? How many divorced or widowed fathers aren't raising their children alone right now? Or is just the fact that it is TWO males?

I can remember many times my husband and father-in-law volunteered to babysit TOGETHER to give me a day out. It was not only a bonding with their daughter/granddaughter, but a chance for father and son to be together too. They watched Football in between taking care of baby and COOKING. Yes, they both liked to cook.

Call if mothering, call it fathering. What it really is is PARENTING.

[BlueIris]

12. GAY penguins?! WHAT YOU SAY?

ACK.

It was amusing when Samantha Bee interviewed dipshits like these parents on TDS three years ago. 'Cause, you know, they were being mocked on t.v. by sane folks. Now they're in the MSM with complaints being considered valid? Not surprising, still disgusting.

[rucky]

15. Well, ya know, in the "fair and balanced" media...

opinions carry equal weight, no matter how stupid or wrong they may be.


Except for the Flying Spaghetti Monster. We need more pirates to push that one through!

[kevinbgoode]

13. Contact information for this library . . .

Let them have it. . .

http://www.rollinghills.lib.mo.us/index.html

Frankly, I'm sick and tired of these random "parents" who complain they need censorship of reading choices to accommodate their deeply-held, chosen bigotry. The truth is, these parents are just LAZY. When you go to the damned library, you look at books. If you don't like the subject of the book, you put it back on the damned shelf.

If children are in the library choosing books and you are the parent, then it makes sense to look at them yourself if you are that hung up on so many things that your superior moral/religious values required recognizing that reading materials may be present that appeal to others in the community. If you are too damned lazy to do that, those values don't mean crap and you don't have any damned business demanding the library "move" those books so that you won't be faced with the reality that a community library serves the COMMUNITY, not just your own damned household.

This crap pisses me off. I talked with a reference librarian there, and she tried to tell me..."well, at least we are keeping the books. . ."...WTF? ? ?You mean, they aren't burning them? I pointed out immediately that they are an institution of the community supported by tax levies of ALL the citizens, and have no business endorsing someone's personally chosen "religious" or otherwise beliefs at the expense of others in the community. Then I told the woman that I am sick and tired of lazy-ass parents who expect everyone else to make sacrifices because they don't want to take any responsibility for their own damned "deeply-held" values. I asked if the book contained references to sexual activity, and she said "no." . . and so I said "Well, then it doesn't have one damned thing to do with homosexual undertones, beyond the fact that two male penguins took care of an egg.

I suggested they screen all their books for any reference to religion, since it would carry denominational undertones which could influence children in ideas outside of their controlling parental beliefs. She told me I needed to talk to the library's director...and I got an email address for her here:

The name is Barb Read

[e-mail]


I'm not kidding here - this lazyass attitude of wingnut parents to feign offense at reality by demanding that all OTHERS make sacrifices about their choices has to stop NOW. It is their responsibility to do what they believe is important to support their personally chosen beliefs, not MINE nor any other member of the community. This is nothing but a continuing attempt by the Right to promote censorship and silence free expression under the guise of "moral" values - their constant excuse for being allowed to curtail speech and expression.

[bobbieinok]

20. appreciate your actually calling and talking in person to someone

at least supposedly 'in charge'

[kevinbgoode]

42. Thanks...but then, I just got hung up on by the governor's office

in Oklahoma. . .I asked about the Associated Press report concerning the lawsuit filed by a gay student over being attacked in the public school and being forced to go to an alternative school. . .the assistant was quite snippy and kept repeating herself by saying "you think so, huh?" until I said "Don't YOU think so?"

After mentioning how their state legislature seems overly preoccupied with such important matters as passing resolutions demanding the movement of library books and that it seems like Oklahoma is trying to compete with Virginia to become the nation's more repressive, bigotted state, I asked if the governor could explain why this student endured bullying at his public school. The assistant said they didn't know the particulars and can't get involved with that. . .which is a logical explanation . . .for now.

However, when I suggested the governor visit that family and explain why their son had to be transferred to an alternative school, she said another "you think so, huh"...and I said..."sure. If the governor can travel overseas to visit Oklahoma soldiers in Iraq, he surely can go visit a family and explain why their son has to go to another school." Another "you think so. . ."
and ya know I got a click hanging up on me.

Nice to know that elected state government officials are so responsive to issues in that state. I'm glad I don't live there. . .lol.

[xchrom]

14. gay marriage and gay adoption.

their little fundy heads must have exploded.

[Kadie]

16. .

Hurry, hide all the nature books from the children. :sarcasm:

:eyes:

[Booster]

17. That library should have told these people to GROW UP.

[kevinbgoode]

27. They should tell the damned parents to take some responsibility

I swear to every god and goddess in charge of the universe, and the flying spaghetti monster too...
if I hear one more fundie whine about how the rest of the world has to accommodate their CHOSEN beliefs, my head is going to explode.

This is the height of irresponsibility. These people want these beliefs, they go to the church they choose...and then they can't figure out that they are the ones in charge of their own damned values, not ME?

[Nikki Stone 1]

21. You know, I'm surprised the fundies haven't outlawed Ernie and Bert

Two male muppets, living together without females for years and years?

Hmmm......

[dorkulon]

22. What about Batman & Robin?

The original amiguously gay duo!

[Nikki Stone 1]

23. Yeah, but Robin doesn't have a rubber ducky

:)

[truth2power]

29. Now you've gone and done it, Ollie...Heh heh

That'll be the next big brouhaha.

[Generic Other]

25. It's not an undertone those parents detect,

it's an intelligence gap between them and us. Wow!!

[Tsiyu]

26. So if a cruise boat crashes into an island

and only two males and a little baby human survive the wreck, what are the two men to do?

Abandon the child. I'm series. Toss it in the ocean, because heaven forbid, two men shouldn't raise a child together.

In the Bobble somewhere Gawd sez that two adult penises in close proximity to each other become an abomination and Gawd will pour acid on you in the fiery lake of hell where bad people like Penguins and the Telletubbies go if you are a man and your penis ever gets too close to another penis.

I swear on the blood of Jeebus this is all true. It is in your Bobble. They did a show on this on the 700 club and plus Jerry Falwell got a message from Gawd himself that this book is of the devil.

:sarcasm:

[XemaSab]

36. I don't think penguins have penises

Most birds don't.

All the more reason for the fundies to get their panties in a wad.

[Neil Lisst]

30. Brokeback Iceberg was the original title to it

Actually, it's a true story, of course.

[electron_blue]

31. I love that story! I'm going to see if I can find a copy. Thanks!

And too bad about the fundies, but it is missouri, after all. No surprise there.

[BR_Parkway]

33. Dont miss the Amazon review who calls it Brokeback for preschoolers

6 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0689878451/sr=8-1/qid=1141560330/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-8195096-5831844?%5Fencoding=UTF8


'Brokeback Mountain' for pre-schoolers..., February 27, 2006
Reviewer: Scrappin2Learn "Home Learning Faciltator" - See all my reviews
if you liked the message of 'Brokeback Mountain', you'll love And Tango Makes Three. The message is clear: there is nothing special or sacred about a family made up of a Dad AND a Mom. Make up your own morals according to what makes you "feel good." Of course, reviewers who disagree with the "anything goes" message of And Tango Makes Three will be labeled as hateful and homophobic--but who needs diversity or tolerance for a conservative viewpoint these days?

So there you go. Single parents are officially worthless, regardless of sex. Obviously, without both a Mom AND a Dad, no child will grow up healthy, emotionally well adjusted or successful.

Gotta love the "tolerance for a conservative viewpoint" comment. These FAUX conservatives don't even want their viewpoint tolerated - they want it mandated and enshrined in the new Constitution of the United States of Their God.

[elehhhhna]

39. So if the Mother's dead the child should also die? Got it!

[BR_Parkway]

44. Well, in the real world - penguins commit unintentional abortion

all the time, by not getting back soon enough to keep the egg warm:

5. The greatest single cause for reproductive failure in some species is the mistiming between parents of nest relief during incubation. This usually occurs when the female fails to return from a foraging trip before the male deserts the nest (Ainley, et al., 1983). A male will spontaneously leave the nest and eggs when the motivation to feed overcomes that for incubating the eggs (Groscolas, 1990).

http://www.seaworld.org/infobooks/Penguins/hatching.html


I wonder how the wingnuts square that one up with little Johnny.

[elehhhhna]

45. "The daddy got hungry and the Mommy's a slutpenguin", I s'pose.

Being hungry is the american male's bullshit excuse for all sorts of odd behavior.

[eallen]

34. "It's NOT natural."

:evilgrin:

[roguevalley]

37. oh god. complain about war, bad water. something that matters.

[MadHound]

40. Geez, a little bit spineless on the library's part

Two parents complained? Geez, I would have told them to grow the fuck up and realize that the animals don't share or comprehend their stupid fundy beliefs. These people must be absolutely appalled when they see one male dog dominance humping another male dog. And what about those damn frogs that switch genders when there is only a predominance of one present:eyes:

Please, please, don't judge my whole state by the fundy few. There are actually many many smart, intelligent, liberal people here in Missouri. It's only these sorts of idiots who are making the headlines.

[catmandu57]

41. I live in Savannah

on the whole it's a pretty good place to live, we have our nutjobs here, people who can't be happy unless everyone is living the way they tell them to.

[kevinbgoode]

43. Which is all the more reason why people should tell these parents

to either make their own damned sacrifices for their chosen beliefs, or change them.