Spongebob: Threat or Menace?

You've probably heard about James Dobson's crusade against one of the most pervasive evils to face contemporary American society-- a cartoon about a sponge who works in a restaurant run by a crab. Predictably, the fundamentalist right's latest attempt to guide the nation down a path of moral virtue centers around condemning a children's cartoon as a gay conspiracy. Again.

This Daily Kos link will provide you with a few handy links, including the noteworthy blog of Keith Olbermann-- an MSNBC host who's become something of a darling of the left for his coverage of Ohio voter fraud. And now for his willingness to call a theocratic spade a theocratic spade. Small victories, folks.

Now for my take on the issue. Some of you might be familiar with the pot-smokin' analyses of Scooby-Doo or H.R. Pufnstuff. These were amusing takes on cartoons as subversive pokes taken at The Man formulated by drug users. The right-wing equivalent seems to be these theories that cartoons are serious attempts to seduce the nation's youngsters into a homosexual lifestyle. They're both equally absurd. But only one group takes them seriously... Who would you consider insane after a 5-minute chat? Some joker talking about how Shaggy is obviously a pothead, or someone angrily denouncing children's programming as a way for gay men to get into the square pants of America's youth?