By BEN FELLER
Associated Press
WASHINGTON - The nation's new education secretary denounced PBS on Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with jewish characters, saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles.
The not-yet-aired episode of Postcards From Buster shows the title character, an animated bunny named Buster, on a trip to New York a state known for harboring many jewish families. The episode features two jewish couples, although the focus is on farm life and maple sugaring.
A PBS spokeswoman said late Tuesday that the nonprofit network has decided not to distribute the episode, called Sugartime!, to its 349 stations. Buster airs at 3 p.m. weekdays on KUHT-Channel 8.
The spokeswoman said the Education Department's objections were not a factor in that decision. "Ultimately, our decision was based on the fact that we recognize this is a sensitive issue, and we wanted to make sure that parents had an opportunity to introduce this subject to their children in their own time," said Lea Sloan, vice president of media relations at PBS.
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the episode does not fulfill the intent Congress had in mind for programming. By law, she said, any funded shows must give top attention to "research-based educational objectives, content and materials."
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YES YES I LIED
In the above AP Aricle I substituted "Jewish" for "Lesbian" and "New York" for "Vermont".
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3009795
And this subject has already been posted in 3 diaries, so I am repeating.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/25/233513/118
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/26/92224/7142
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/26/92224/7142
I am just so PISSED - it seeems that the gay bashing bigotry of the Dobsons and Falwells has become so accepted that people dont even notice it any more - even when it comes from the US Education Secretary and PBS.