Do these people really have nothing better to do? And can't they just go start their own country somewhere? they can have mississippi or idaho or somewhere. And doesn't it suck that they run the country now?

Conservative groups criticize maker's 'tolerance pledge'


LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- Conservative Christian groups accuse the makers of a video starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Barney and a host of other cartoon characters of promoting homosexuality to children.

The wacky square yellow SpongeBob is one of the stars of a music video due to be sent to 61,000 U.S. schools in March. The makers -- the nonprofit We Are Family Foundation -- say the video is designed to encourage tolerance and diversity.

But at least two Christian activist groups say the innocent cartoon characters are being exploited to promote the acceptance of homosexuality.

"A short step beneath the surface reveals that one of the differences being celebrated is homosexuality," wrote Ed Vitagliano in an article for the American Family Association.

The video is a remake of the 1979 hit song "We Are Family" using the voices and images of SpongeBob, Barney, Winnie the Pooh, Bob the Builder, the Rugrats and other TV cartoon characters. It was made by a foundation set up by songwriter Nile Rodgers after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in an effort to promote healing.

Christian groups however have taken exception to the tolerance pledge on the foundation's Web site, which asks people to respect the sexual identity of others along with their abilities, beliefs, culture and race.

"Their inclusion of the reference to 'sexual identity" within their 'tolerance pledge' is not only unnecessary, but it crosses a moral line," James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, said in a statement released Thursday.

Rodgers said he was astounded by the attack.

"That is so myopic and harsh," he told Reuters. "You have really got to look hard to find anything in this that is offensive to anyone. The last thing I am going to do is taint these characters."

Dobson was quoted by the New York Times on Thursday as having singled out the wildly popular SpongeBob during remarks about the video at dinner this week in Washington, D.C.

SpongeBob, who lives in a pineapple under the sea, was "outed" by the U.S. media in 2002 after reports that the TV show and its merchandise are popular with gays. His creator, Stephen Hillenburg, said at the time that though SpongeBob was an oddball, he thought of all the characters in the show as asexual.

It is not the first time that children's TV favorites have come under the critical spotlight of the Christian right. In 1999, the Rev. Jerry Falwell described Tinky Winky, the purse-toting purple Teletubbie, as a gay role model.

That SNL skit where Will Ferrel tries to legislate the gay teletubby in the parliment almost made me pee my pants.

It's sad that these people can be so vocal about something so stupid and ignore things that need voice. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

I don't know - there was some pretty queer shit in the Spongebob movie, like when Patrick stuck a flag in his ass and jumped into a crowd of people.

They think Lenny from Shark Tale is gay, too. Why are they looking so hard for these things?

what i don't understand is why do reasonable people kowtow to these extremists instead of telling them to fuck off? it's not like we can conversely get extremely militant about moderatism.

Because, in reality, most of them are closet homosexuals that feel so guilty about it that they have to censor anything that remotely resembles 'gay' so they aren't reminded about their own homosexuality and feel guilty about it.

at least michael powell is stepping down.

Spongebob is a fag.

maybe so, but so what?

meaning he's a snazzy dresser.

and enjoys gobbling.

there is no so what. he just wants a reaction because he thinks of himself as a conservative and in his head it'll legitimize his view if you get all worked up about it.

STOP LUMPING THE ACTIONS OF ONE MORON WITh THE BELEIFS HELD BY MILLIONS!!!!

American Conservatives use the bible to inflame their own egotistical ideologies, the bible treats homosexuality as an afterthought, a human condition, nothing more.

It's funny to me, alcoholism is mentioned with more disgust and vagrance within the bible 10,000 times over homosexuality. I wonder why we don't witch hunt alcoholics?

no really, he's a snazzy dresser.

I'm a Christian. Pretty fundamentalist, too. The Christian Right pretty much is me. That being said, this is about the stupidest thing I've ever seen. I'll have a fresh avatar to show my displeasure shortly. Poor attempt at Kubrick is tired.

If only all evangelicals were like this guy.
http://www.comedycentral.com/mp/play.jh ... 10009.html

Pretty much why I ending up leaving Christian media and devolved into the foul-mouthed embittered twat I am today.

Had to tell them to fuck off eventually. Couldn't stand the fake piousness, the self-righteousness, the totally misappropriation of what Jesus stood for. Then I realized I was too "Christian" for those who hate the ultracons and not "Christian" enough for those that support them.

There was a time decades ago when Dobson was a reasonable man, for an ultra-conservative. In recent years he's gotten the notion that his views of Chrisitianity and appropriate behavior are the ones that need to be the template and that template should be politically enforced He really nauseates me now.

As our fearless leader once said, because these evil messages are "subliminable."

We don't commence witch-hunts for alcoholics 'cause we don't know who they are.

Damn you, Bill W, and your anonymity!

Lenny probably was gay. But that's not a necessary extrapolation to get the humor of the character. These cons need to realize that sometimes cartoon characters are just pussies. Not necessarily gay.

At first blush, I thought this was a spoiler abut the gay Simpsons character*.

* Whose outing might have happened already, but I didn't hear about it.

I saw this one. dude rules.

I don't have a problem with most religious people at all. It's those who can't think rationally and espouse that holier-than-thou bullshit that I can't stand.

Wait till they learn about Snagglepuss.

though it be in all-caps, well said.