Posted by Morbo
After the embarrassing revelation that the U.S. Department of Education paid conservative commentator Armstrong Williams nearly a quarter of million dollars to promote the No Child Left Behind law, one would think that federal agency would bend over backwards to avoid doing anything else stupid.
One would be wrong. On her second day on the job, new Education Department Secretary Margaret Spellings sent a stern letter to the Public Broadcasting System, in effect ordering stations not to air an episode of a popular children’s program called “Postcards from Buster” because, gasp, it allegedly promotes the gay lifestyle.
“Postcards from Buster” is a spin-off of the PBS program “Arthur,” which is based on a series of books by writer/illustrator Marc Brown. Morbo has two children, so he’s familiar with both programs and the books. They’re great for children.
“Postcards” combines animation with live action. In the shows, Buster, a chubby little rabbit who loves to eat, travels around the country with his dad meeting interesting people and learning about local customs, cultures and food. The program strives to show the diversity of America, and Buster visits families of all races and religions.
The episode that got Spellings so upset is set in Vermont. Buster and his dad visit a farm and learn how maple syrup and cheese are made. In the process, Buster meets lots of children, including two families, both of which are headed by lesbian couples.
In one case, a little girl explains that she has a mom and a stepmom and that she loves her stepmom. (Horrors!) This statement was said in passing. The episode dealt mainly with syrup and cheese making. It was not an effort to indoctrinate children in the “gay lifestyle.”
The Education Department provides some funding for “Postcards” as well as other PBS kids’ shows, including “Arthur,” “Cyberchase,” and others under a program called Ready To Learn. In her letter, Spellings made it clear the money could be cut off.
“You should also know that two years ago the Senate Appropriations Committee raised questions about the accountability of funds appropriated for Ready-To-Learn programs,” read Spellings letter (as reported in The Washington Post.)
The Education Department is paying for part of the program, so Spellings probably had a right to send the letter. It was still a stupid thing to do. This is a cartoon rabbit, folks.
In my opinion, the right-wing has been spending way too much time lately worrying about the activities of cartoon characters. If this is an indication of Spellings’ priorities, it’s going to be four more years of lackluster leadership at the Education Department, an agency that could hardly get much worse after the tenure of the spectacularly mediocre Rod Paige.
What’s worse, Spellings’ ham-fisted approach will not work. Some local PBS stations are flirting with outright defiance and may air the episode anyway. Even if they don’t, does Spellings really think she can send it down the memory hole?
It’s the day of the Information Superhighway. The other day, I ran into a kid in a toy store who proudly explained to me that he had downloaded “The Incredibles” on to DVD for his brother — even though the film is still playing in theaters and is not available on DVD. I have faith that these little techno-wizards will get this censored episode of “Postcards from Buster” — it is called “Sugartime!” — out into circulation. Like an electronic form of samizdat, it will make the rounds. America’s children will see how syrup and cheese are made. They will meet Vermont families headed by lesbians. They will hear a little girl say she loves her stepmom.
Bootlegged DVD copies will change grubby hands on playgrounds. Youngsters will borrow mom’s laptop to spin copies in dark basements, furtively watching the door all along. Word will get around: “I got ‘Sugartime.’ Come over to my house after school.”
As for Secretary Spellings, may her dreams be haunted by cartoon rabbits — all of whom have two mommies.