nice toy in the ASIN - must get it

there has been universal agreement, to the best of my knowledge, on this site from across the political spectrum that Dobson and his ilk are idiots. I would note, however, that calling them "conservatives" is a bit like calling al Qaeda "Muslims"

Actually, it works in Bird Cage, where a main character is gay.

Main character? Just about every freakin character in Bird Cage is gay!

If Dobson and his ilk spent their efforts on hospital and prison ministries, and food banks and shelters, they'd be doing a lot more worthy representation of their religion than they do right now.

Christianity works best at the lowest levels, there are probably thousands of great faithful people living their beliefs with a humble but vibrant dedication, you never see them, just some ranting idiot with slick hair and a cheap suit. I don't know whetherto laugh or cry.

Imagine what the US Government would say if all this was happening in some African or other so-called "Third World" country. Screems of "censorship" would be heard coming from the White House.

Do American taxpayers realise that their government is spending their tax dollars on an investigation into NBC who, during their Olympics coverage, dared to show you dancers is skin-tight "clothing" who were depicting nude ancient Greek statues. And PBS is currently editing out (censoring) a few seconds from a BBC/HBO co-production "Dirty War", a 'docudrama' about a terrorist dirty bomb that goes off in London. The reason? When a woman goes into decontamination, there is a (to coin a phrase) "wardrobe malfunction" an views are given a very brief glimpse of a couple of breasts. Americans can't be permitted to see that! And PBS is scared silly that the Goverment will pounce as the fanatics orchestrate a mass email complaints strategy.

All this for a handfull of zealots who have whipped up a frenzy of psuedo-religious bigotry.

It's not just "homophobia", it's a lot of other phobias too. The way things are going, America (the land that puts great value on marriage and the family one one hand, and gives the world "Desperate Housewives" and lets a pop star get married for the weekend on the other) will soon be back in a sort of "McCarthy" era.

So watch out for "reds under the bed", America. This time, not communisits, but do-gooders from the "red" states!

When this happens, the Mayflower will be renamed the Gayflower and will sail east to Europe where those being religiously persecuted will find a far more tollerant and inclusive society.

Thank you for saying it, Eric - this isn't conservatism at work, it's obsession. With few exceptions (Fritz the Cat comes to mind), cartoon characters have no sexual orientation. The "effeminate" characteristics of some cartoon characters are actually neotenous, child-like rather than woman-like.

Butt-slapping, farting, and a focus on bodily functions are typical of adolescent humor, and have less to do with espousing a life-style than they do with appealing to the desired demographic for the cartoon.

But for the shouters on either extreme, you should be aware that you marginalize yourselves by this focus on an obvious non-issue. The majority opinion has been well expressed here: stop being such an ass.

Patrick and SpongeBob are just good friends.

Empty mind devil's workshop and Dobson's mind rattles like a penny in an empty tin can. Move on people.

Hmmm...nice to hear others recognizing the insanity of the Dobson folks. Thanks. :-)

In, um, fairness, the religious wrongsters are upset with Postcards from Buster because one episode features a visit to Vermont and a family with two mommies. No one's accusing Buster the bunny of being gay. The main beef is that the Department of Education helped pay for the program's production, and the christofundies -- along with the new education secretary -- feel that tax dollars should not fund even a *neutral* portrayal of gays. Queers must be portrayed in a negative light in order to get gummint funding. In the meantime, it's A-OK to fund christofundie faith-based projects (and conservative journalists). Gotta love the land of equality.

DrPat writes:

"With few exceptions (Fritz the Cat comes to mind), cartoon characters have no sexual orientation."

Reply: Don't forget Pepe le Pew. That skunk was a real man's skunk! (grin)

I agree with the majority of postings here. While I understand that commercial networks have to control what they release to the public airways to a certain degree, I also believe - except under the most dire situations (and Janet Jackson's costume malfunction does not apply) - does the FCC need to go stomping around with fines and threatening censorship. The pendulum has swung much too far to the other side. And the movement has happended much too fast.

I have seen "Dirty Bomb" (on HBO) and the nude woman scene is totally non-sexual. The fact that PBS feels compelled to edit it out speaks volumes.

Cheers,

Ron