Well, sometimes these bits of news can funny or frightening.
I'm not sure whether to laugh or be very scared.

http://www.unknownnews.net/040210scoobydoo.html

Feds censor Scooby-Doo, Bewitched
by Dan Moffett, Palm Beach [FL] Post

Feb. 8, 2004
The Bush administration has decided that people with bad hearing have
bad judgment, too, and need special guidance from the federal
government.

So the U.S. Department of Education is declaring about 200 television
programs inappropriate for closed-captioning and denying federal grant
requests to make them accessible to the hearing-impaired.

The department made its decisions based on the recommendations of a
five-member panel. Who the five members are, only the government seems
to know, and it isn't saying. But the shows they censored suggest a
perspective that is Talibanesque.

The government is refusing to caption Bewitched and I Dream of
Jeannie, apparently fearing that the deaf would fall prey to
witchcraft if they viewed the classic sitcoms.

Your government also believes that Law & Order is too intense for the
hard-of-hearing. So is Power Rangers. You can rest easy knowing that
your federal tax dollars aren't being spent to promote Sanford and
Son, Judge Wapner's Animal Court and The Loretta Young Show within the
deaf community. Kids with hearing problems can forget about watching
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, classic cartoons or Nickelodeon
features. Even Roy Rogers and Robin Hood are out.

Sports programming took a heavy hit, too. The government has decided
that people with hearing problems don't need to watch NASCAR, Major
League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National
Football League or Professional Golf Association tournaments.

The National Association of the Deaf says the government used to
caption these shows but abruptly changed course, deciding that the
shows don't fit the required definition of "educational, news or
informational" programming.

"They've suddenly narrowed down the definition of those three kinds of
programming without public input," says Kelby Brick, director of the
NAD's law and advocacy center. "Basically, the department wants to
limit captioning to puritan shows. The department wants to ensure that
deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals are not exposed to any
non-puritan programming. Never mind that the rest of the country is
allowed to be exposed."

How imperiled the nation might be if The Simpsons and Malcolm in the
Middle reached into the living rooms of the impressionable
hard-of-hearing. Or, for that matter, Scooby-Doo.

ARTICLE CONTINUES

"Basically, the department wants to limit captioning to puritan shows.
The department wants to ensure that deaf and hard-of-hearing
individuals are not exposed to any non-puritan programming. Never mind
that the rest of the country is allowed to be exposed."

The censorship raises baffling questions about who gets in and who's
left out. The government has rejected Nancy Drew but is accepting Andy
Hardy. Cory the Clown has won approval, but the Cisco Kid is toast.
Charlie Rose and Rod Serling are worthy of captions, but Catherine
Crier and Dominick Dunne aren't. Go figure.

The Department of Education is refusing to reveal the names of the
panel members whose opinions determined the caption grants and also
won't disclose the new guidelines. By every appearance, the government
has changed its definition of what constitutes a caption-worthy
program. But it's keeping the new rules secret.

"They apparently used a panel of five individuals and then made the
censorship decisions based on the individuals' recommendations," Mr.
Brick says. "We have found the identity of one of the panelists. This
individual tells us that he never knew he was on such a panel and that
his views would be used for censorship. No panel was convened. The
five panelists were contacted individually and separately."

It could be that people with bad hearing are new casualties of the
Bush administration's budget priorities. Paying the Halliburton bills
and sending a man to Mars will be costly, perhaps equally so. It could
be that missing Bewitched and Law & Order is just one sacrifice the
deaf will have to make to advance homeland security and fight
terrorism.

The education department makes promises about "No Child Left Behind,"
but it didn't say anything about leaving behind people with bad
hearing. Maybe they should have seen this coming.

The NAD is lobbying Congress to change the policy. Some networks and
sponsors are stepping in and providing captions for some of the
"inappropriate" shows. But the government's dismissive treatment of 28
million Americans defies words.

"We are outraged the department has taken paternalistic steps to
exclude deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals," Mr. Brick says. "Such
censorship is offensive and insulting."

Well, sometimes these bits of news can funny or frightening.
I'm not sure whether to laugh or be very scared.

http://www.unknownnews.net/040210scoobydoo.html

Feds censor Scooby-Doo, Bewitched
by Dan Moffett, Palm Beach [FL] Post

Feb. 8, 2004
The Bush administration has decided that people with bad hearing have
bad judgment, too, and need special guidance from the federal
government.

So the U.S. Department of Education is declaring about 200 television
programs inappropriate for closed-captioning and denying federal grant
requests to make them accessible to the hearing-impaired.

The department made its decisions based on the recommendations of a
five-member panel. Who the five members are, only the government seems
to know, and it isn't saying. But the shows they censored suggest a
perspective that is Talibanesque.

The government is refusing to caption Bewitched and I Dream of
Jeannie, apparently fearing that the deaf would fall prey to
witchcraft if they viewed the classic sitcoms.

Your government also believes that Law & Order is too intense for the
hard-of-hearing. So is Power Rangers. You can rest easy knowing that
your federal tax dollars aren't being spent to promote Sanford and
Son, Judge Wapner's Animal Court and The Loretta Young Show within the
deaf community. Kids with hearing problems can forget about watching
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, classic cartoons or Nickelodeon
features. Even Roy Rogers and Robin Hood are out.

Sports programming took a heavy hit, too. The government has decided
that people with hearing problems don't need to watch NASCAR, Major
League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National
Football League or Professional Golf Association tournaments.

The National Association of the Deaf says the government used to
caption these shows but abruptly changed course, deciding that the
shows don't fit the required definition of "educational, news or
informational" programming.

"They've suddenly narrowed down the definition of those three kinds of
programming without public input," says Kelby Brick, director of the
NAD's law and advocacy center. "Basically, the department wants to
limit captioning to puritan shows. The department wants to ensure that
deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals are not exposed to any
non-puritan programming. Never mind that the rest of the country is
allowed to be exposed."

How imperiled the nation might be if The Simpsons and Malcolm in the
Middle reached into the living rooms of the impressionable
hard-of-hearing. Or, for that matter, Scooby-Doo.

ARTICLE CONTINUES

"Basically, the department wants to limit captioning to puritan shows.
The department wants to ensure that deaf and hard-of-hearing
individuals are not exposed to any non-puritan programming. Never mind
that the rest of the country is allowed to be exposed."

The censorship raises baffling questions about who gets in and who's
left out. The government has rejected Nancy Drew but is accepting Andy
Hardy. Cory the Clown has won approval, but the Cisco Kid is toast.
Charlie Rose and Rod Serling are worthy of captions, but Catherine
Crier and Dominick Dunne aren't. Go figure.

The Department of Education is refusing to reveal the names of the
panel members whose opinions determined the caption grants and also
won't disclose the new guidelines. By every appearance, the government
has changed its definition of what constitutes a caption-worthy
program. But it's keeping the new rules secret.

"They apparently used a panel of five individuals and then made the
censorship decisions based on the individuals' recommendations," Mr.
Brick says. "We have found the identity of one of the panelists. This
individual tells us that he never knew he was on such a panel and that
his views would be used for censorship. No panel was convened. The
five panelists were contacted individually and separately."

It could be that people with bad hearing are new casualties of the
Bush administration's budget priorities. Paying the Halliburton bills
and sending a man to Mars will be costly, perhaps equally so. It could
be that missing Bewitched and Law & Order is just one sacrifice the
deaf will have to make to advance homeland security and fight
terrorism.

The education department makes promises about "No Child Left Behind,"
but it didn't say anything about leaving behind people with bad
hearing. Maybe they should have seen this coming.

The NAD is lobbying Congress to change the policy. Some networks and
sponsors are stepping in and providing captions for some of the
"inappropriate" shows. But the government's dismissive treatment of 28
million Americans defies words.

"We are outraged the department has taken paternalistic steps to
exclude deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals," Mr. Brick says. "Such
censorship is offensive and insulting."

Well, sometimes these bits of news can funny or frightening.
I'm not sure whether to laugh or be very scared.