We had Tinky-Winky, Spongebob Squarepants, and now Buster the Bunny on
PBS! Well, the article didn't exactly say that Buster was gay, but he
hangs around with -Gasp! - lesbian cartoon characters. Tsk! Tsk!

WASHINGTON - The nation's new education secretary denounced PBS on
Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters,
saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles.

We had Tinky-Winky, Spongebob Squarepants, and now Buster the Bunny

PBS! Well, the article didn't exactly say that Buster was gay, but

hangs around with -Gasp! - lesbian cartoon characters. Tsk! Tsk!

Given the current state of education in the country, I think that the
new Secretary of Education would have important matters to worry

---

Education Secretary Condemns PBS Show

Tue Jan 25, 9:47 PM ET

By BEN FELLER, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON - The nation's new education secretary denounced PBS on
Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian

saying many parents would not want children exposed to such

The not-yet-aired episode of "Postcards From Buster" shows the title
character, an animated bunny named Buster, on a trip to Vermont =8B a
state known for recognizing same-sex civil unions. The episode

two lesbian couples, although the focus is on farm life and maple
sugaring.

A PBS spokesman said late Tuesday that the nonprofit network has

not to distribute the episode, called "Sugartime!," to its 349

She said the Education Department's objections were not a factor in

decision.

"Ultimately, our decision was based on the fact that we recognize

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.

However, the Boston public television station that produces the show,
WGBH, does plan to make the "Sugartime!" episode available to other
stations. WGBH also plans to air the episode on March 23, Sloan said.

PBS gets money for the "Postcards from Buster" series through the
federal Ready-To-Learn program, one aimed at helping young children
learn through television.

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings said the "Sugartime!" 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."

"Many parents would not want their young children exposed to the
lifestyles portrayed in the episode," Spellings wrote in a letter

Tuesday to Pat Mitchell, president and chief executive officer of

"Congress' and the Department's purpose in funding this programming
certainly was not to introduce this kind of subject matter to

particularly through the powerful and intimate medium of television."

She asked PBS to consider refunding the money it spent on the

With her letter, Spellings has made criticism of the publicly funded
program's depiction of the gay lifestyle one of her first acts as
secretary. She began on Monday, replacing Rod Paige as President Bush
(news - web sites)'s education chief.

Spellings issued three requests to PBS.

She asked that her department's seal or any statement linking the
department to the show be removed. She asked PBS to notify its member
stations of the nature of show so they could review it before airing

And she asked for the refund "in the interest of avoiding embroiling

Ready-To-Learn program in a controversy that will only hurt" it.

In closing, she warned: "You can be assured that in the future the
department will be more clear as to its expectations for any future
programming that it funds."

The department has awarded nearly $99 million to PBS through the

over the last five years in a contract that expires in September,

department spokesman Susan Aspey. That money went to the production

"Postcards From Buster," and another animated children's show, and to
promotion of those shows in local communities, she said.

The show about Buster also gets funding from other sources.

In the show, Buster carries a digital video camera and explores

activities and people of different backgrounds and religions.

On the episode in question, "The fact that there is a family

that is objectionable to the Department of Education (news - web

is not at all the focus of the show, nor is it addressed in the

said Sloan of PBS.

But she also said: "The department's concerns align very closely with
PBS' concerns, and for that reason, it was decided that PBS will not

providing the episode." Stations will receive a new episode, she

---

050126/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/education_secretary_pbs
--
John Hachmann aa #1782

Intelligent Design has as much to do with science as reality
television has to do with reality. - Barry Lynn on CNN 12/25/04

We had Tinky-Winky, Spongebob Squarepants, and now Buster the Bunny on
PBS! Well, the article didn't exactly say that Buster was gay, but he
hangs around with -Gasp! - lesbian cartoon characters. Tsk! Tsk!

Given the current state of education in the country, I think that the
new Secretary of Education would have important matters to worry about.