Education Secretary Demands Removal of Vermont from Nation’s Textbooks

[Oilwellian]

Washington, January 31– Following on her protest last week against a PBS cartoon character’s visit to Vermont, where he encounters a lesbian couple, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced at a press conference today that her department was not engaged in a “trivial” or “merely symbolic” campaign against a children’s television program.

“Buster Bunny is not the problem,” said Spellings. “Though I note with some dismay that Buster travels the country accompanied only by his father because his parents are divorced, and I do not see why our children should be subjected to yet another glamorization of the divorce lifestyle. No, the problem is Vermont itself. It is Vermont to which I object. Christians everywhere should be outraged that it was represented in this children’s program.”

Spellings proceeded to unveil the Department of Education’s proposed map of the “forty-nine God-fearing United States,” with the “territory of Vermont” represented by a lightly shaded area. “Until such time as Vermont sees fit to rejoin the rest of the nation in condemning gay ‘civil unions,’” Spellings said, reading from a prepared statement, “we propose that Vermont be visually expelled from the heterosexual Union. We further propose that the nation’s students be instructed that Vermont is no longer a real state, and that they will not be responsible for remembering its capital, which is not only obscure but French-sounding as well.”

Robert Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute of Concerned Women for America, the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization, had warm praise for Spellings. “Parents don’t want their children homosexualized in the name of ‘education,’” Knight said. “Mrs. Spellings has given notice that left-wing lobbies will have to find other ways to peddle their pansexual propaganda. Let’s hope that other leaders in federal and state agencies find a backbone thanks to her courageous example.”

More here.

(The writer ends this piece by saying most of it is a joke although one quote is for real. I have to admit, I thought ALL of it was true for a few minutes. Pretty sad huh?)

[davidinalameda]

1. will she kick California out as well

I don't want to be part of her country

[Cooley Hurd]

2. "Glamorization of the divorce lifestyle???"

Is she on crack? Divorce in a child's world is never "glamorous."

And I though Rod Paige was bad - this woman is downright NUTSO!:crazy:

On edit: it's parody. I git it now...:dunce:

[LibertyorDeath]

3. This is a Joke ...Right...Tell me this is a parody of some kind

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. And to think Jocelyn Elders got crucified

[WindRavenX]

5. this isn't real,right?

RIGHT?? :scared:

[w13rd0]

7. You know what is scary?

That you are actually compelled to ask...

[WindRavenX]

8. I can usually pick up satire very easily

...but this is creeping me out because I can't tell.

[LibertyorDeath]

11. Exactly WTF has happened to the USA

[fryguy]

6. tinky-winky, sponge-bob, and now buster.....

heaven forbid children are taught tolerance and acceptance

:argh:

[LibertyorDeath]

9. This is a Parody you had me going there for a minute.

:)

[Spacejet]

10. The representatives of Vermont

should IMMEDIATELY call for her impeachment in congress. If I was a Vermont resident I'd be writing my representative demanding just that.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi Spacejet!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[fryguy]

12. not ENTIRELY satire

while not calling for the removal of Vermont from textbooks, a real fray has developed over the episode involving Vermont and it has been taken off the air in response to complaints from the moral and thought police folks:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/27/arts/television/27bust.html

Culture Wars Pull Buster Into the Fray

Wayne Godwin, chief operating officer of PBS, got a bit tangled as he tried to explain the PBS stance on gay characters appearing on children's television shows.

"In fairness I would have to say a gay character is not one we would not include," he said, and then clarified. "The fact that a character may or may not be gay is not a reason why they should or should not be part of this series."

Yet on Tuesday PBS decided not to distribute to its roughly 350 PBS stations an episode of "Postcards From Buster," which was scheduled for Feb. 2 and included lesbian mothers, even though a few days earlier PBS officials, among them PBS's president, Pat Mitchell, viewed the episode and called it appropriate. That was before Education Secretary Margaret Spellings denounced the program, starring Buster Baxter, a cute animated rabbit who until now has been known primarily as a close friend of Arthur, the world's most famous aardvark. Ms. Spellings said many parents would not want children exposed to a lesbian life style.

Buster joined another cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants, as a focus of the nation's culture wars. SpongeBob was recently attacked by Christian groups for being pro-homosexual, though SpongeBob's creator said it was all a misinterpretation. Buster's offense was appearing in "Sugartime!," the undistributed "Postcards From Buster" show, in which he visits children living in Vermont whose parents are a lesbian couple. Civil unions are allowed in Vermont.

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