The yellow agenda

Dontcha just love them fundamentalist right wing nutjobs? Thank goodness they’re protecting our families from the likes of Tinky Winky and now, Sponge Bob:

“Does anybody here know SpongeBob?” Dr James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, asked guests on Tuesday at a black-tie dinner for members of Congress and political allies.

In many circles, SpongeBob needs no introduction. He is popular among children as well as adults who watch him cavorting under the sea on the Nickelodeon cartoon program that bears his name. In addition, he has become a well-known camp figure among adult gay men, perhaps because he holds hands with his animated sidekick Patrick and likes to watch the imaginary television show The Adventures of Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.

Now, Dr Dobson said, SpongeBob’s creators had enlisted him in a “pro-homosexual video”, in which he appeared alongside other children’s television characters. The makers of the video, he said, planned to mail it to thousands of schools this northern spring to promote a “tolerance pledge” that includes tolerance for differences of “sexual identity”.

The video’s creator, Nile Rodgers, who wrote the disco hit We Are Family and led the group Chic, says Dr Dobson’s objection stemmed from a misunderstanding. Rodgers said he founded the We Are Family Foundation after the September 11 attacks to create a music video featuring 100 well-known cartoon characters dancing to his song to teach children about multiculturalism.

Hey, at least Sponge Bob dresses like a Christian missionary going door to door. I think that Dobson should turn his superior moral spotlight on Velma (Scooby Doo). I mean, she’s a little too independent and smart, don’t you think?