Students wear SpongeBob gear to show tolerance

nynews.com ^ | 01/29/05 | RANDI WEINER

[Ellesu]

STONY POINT — About a half-dozen James A. Farley Middle School students sported SpongeBob SquarePants pajamas or pants yesterday in support of the cartoon character's right to be himself.

SpongeBob Support Day was the idea of seventh-grade class president Jordan Uffer, who wanted to protest opinions expressed about the character's link to homosexuality.

"He's a cartoon," the 12-year-old Uffer, attired in SpongeBob pajamas, said. "I felt there was no reason for them to say that he was homosexual, and there isn't a real difference between gay people and not-gay people. We're all human beings."

The SpongeBob issue made the news after the Rev. James Dobson spoke to about 350 people in Washington, D.C., during Inauguration Week, saying a video to be sent to 61,000 elementary schools in March had a subtext that promoted homosexuality. Dobson is founder and chairman of Focus on the Family, an organization that says it promotes Christian, Bible-based family values.

The video features cartoon characters ranging from SpongeBob SquarePants and Winnie the Pooh to Clifford the Big Red Dog and Jimmy Neutron singing "We Are Family" and supporting tolerance of diversity.

While the video itself is innocuous, the group that created and distributes it, the We Are Family Foundation, gets support from groups that promote tolerance for homosexuality, Dobson said. The foundation's Web site also asks people to show understanding and tolerance for differences, including sexual orientation.

"SpongeBob has no idea what's going on in life, and he has fun with everything," Uffer said, explaining SpongeBob's appeal. "Me and my parents were watching the news, and we saw that a few religious groups were saying it's homosexual. I got mad. I asked my Student Council supervisors if we could do a SpongeBob Support Day and they said yes."

One of the reasons Uffer got his go-ahead was that the school participated this week in No Name Calling Week, said Farley Principal Alice Gottlieb.

No Name Calling Week was created last year, inspired by characters in a book by James Howe called "The Misfits." The children in the book, who were targets of name-calling based on their weight, intelligence, height or sexual orientation, run for school office on a platform to erase name-calling through a No Name-Calling Day. Farley seventh-graders read "The Misfits" and discussed its message of tolerance in class this week.

"This whole SpongeBob thing came to the kids because of that," Gottlieb said. "They're just great kids. It just bothered them."

Uffer asked his seventh-grade classmates to wear either SpongeBob gear, yellow or a tie (SpongeBob wears a tie) yesterday to show their support for tolerance and the character. Fewer than a dozen students appeared to participate. Trevor Wargo was one of them. Wargo not only wore SpongeBob pants and a top, he painted "Save Sponge Bob" on his forehead and both cheeks.

"He's just funny," Wargo said. "You're not going to grow up to be gay because you watched a television show. That's absurd."

[nicmarlo]

night ed...sleep well.

[longtermmemmory]

They believe the content, but this is not a battle for truth, this is a war with specific objectives. The advocates of homosexuality have always believed what the oponents state.

The objective is to make the abnormal "normal" so that born or choice is no longer relevant. This will give them a freer avenue for recruitment.

I know, preaching to the choir again. But this is FR, some of fellow freepers who have not seen the point of this situation may be persuaded.

[nicmarlo]

some of fellow freepers who have not seen the point of this situation may be persuaded.

One can only hope that they are willing to take their blinders off and see that remaining gullible is harming their children, nephews, nieces, grandchildren and, ultimately, this country and its future.

[BykrBayb]

I can only see some of the people you pinged with your post. I hope you pinged more than just "the choir" to that post. I hope you pinged the folks out on the sidewalk throwing stones through the stained glass window, metaphorically speaking of course.

[nicmarlo]

no, I hadn't pinged to them, as I have pinged them to several earlier posts showing them the truth. Only one responded and that individual still didn't want to either believe or read any links which showed that the WAFF has been removing material from their website.

They're not engaged in this subject, as it became too difficult to defend a preposterous and obscene lie.

[little jeremiah]

I know. That's why my screen name is "jeremiah". But those who see whatever truth God allows us to see have a duty to speak it, even if not many accept. And I don't mean shoving fanatically down peoples' throats - but offering the truth, whenever, wherever, however we can.

And you do it eloquently and succintly.

Who knows how many thousands read the words you or others type here? Even one heart changed is a victory.

[little jeremiah]

Very well said again.

I think the reason is that the bias in favor of sexual moral relativity is very deep in many otherwise conservative people. After all, if sexual immorality exists (meaning there are certain rules about sexual behavior, some is good, some is bad, and these are carved in stone), many of us will fall short or have fallen short of these standards.

If someone wants to keep falling short of these standards, they will not like the standards. They will mock and jeer at those who defend and promote such standards. They will band together with like-minded mockers to belittle the concerns of those who see that the destruction of those standards creates devastation.

And others, who are have no inner strength, will be swayed by those mockers; nothing is worse for spineless weak people than being thought "uncool" or "prudish". For some people, it's better to risk fatal STDs, heartbreak, loneliness and hell than to be thought "uncool".

[DBeers]

-speaking of homosexual advocating mockers...

---

	For Immediate Release		Contact: Reid Cherlin
	January 21, 2005		202-225-5635
	Nadler Taken Aback by Revelations About SpongeBob’s Insidious Pro-Homosexual Agenda
	“SpongeBob and Barney must be stopped from poisoning our children’s minds,” Congressman says WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) today commended Dr. James Dobson and Focus on the Family for uncovering a plot by SpongeBob Squarepants, Barney, and other icons of childrens’ entertainment to pervert America’s youth.  “Thank goodness Dr. Dobson and his team are keeping an eye on these villains,” Congressman Nadler said.  “I would never have expected it: a schoolroom cartoon video celebrating tolerance is also a secret weapon in the war to turn our kids gay.  Shows how naive I am!” The “We Are Family” video, which will be sent to more than 60,000 schools across America, features a full complement of popular children’s television and cinema stars, who celebrate diversity to the strains of the 1970s disco hit of the same name.  It may sound innocent, but Dobson and company discovered that on a website associated with the video’s producers, children are encouraged to take a tolerance pledge that demands acceptance of different “sexual identities.” “We see the video as an insidious means by which the organization is manipulating and potentially brainwashing kids,” said Dobson aide Paul Batura, as quoted in today’s New York Times. “I couldn’t agree more,” Nadler said.  “We’ve seen this before with Tinky Winky, the allegedly gay Teletubby.  Simply put, kids’ cartoons are no longer safe for kids – at least if we want them to develop into bigoted, narrow-minded adults.  But I’ll let the schools make that decision.” ###
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[nicmarlo]

You can bet I'll be contacting Nadler!!!! Thanks so much for your post, DBeers.

[nicmarlo]

I think the reason is that the bias in favor of sexual moral relativity is very deep in many otherwise conservative people. After all, if sexual immorality exists (meaning there are certain rules about sexual behavior, some is good, some is bad, and these are carved in stone), many of us will fall short or have fallen short of these standards....

I think your're right, jeremiah.....and in response, those who don't like the standards, or those who are spineless and fall in lock step behind the others, what they then are areeing to is LOWERING THE STANDARDS by which EVERYONE ELSE SHOULD LIVE and EXPECT.

Shameful, for the in process, they are SACRIFICING children to great harm.

[nicmarlo]

But those who see whatever truth God allows us to see have a duty to speak it, even if not many accept. And I don't mean shoving fanatically down peoples' throats - but offering the truth, whenever, wherever, however we can.

It's "okay" for the pro-homosexual agenda do shove their perversion down our throats, but we are mocked for speaking out against it and telling the truth.

[little jeremiah]

Every single day mrs lj and I discuss these and related matters and can only conclude that the world has gone mad. When a culture - or a certain percentage of people in that culture - reject God, and His basic rules for human behavior - destruction is the only result.

Not just sexual morality rules, but even the basics such as "do unto others as you would have them do unto you". So many people now think that telling the truth, being respectful to others, respectful to the eldery, modesty in dress and behavior, kind towards the young, merciful to the helpless, faithful to the spouse, honesty in dealings - are just quaint historical habits of the past.

[little jeremiah]

Hmm - after re-reading my post above, lots of strange grammatical errors... but the point is there.

[nicmarlo]

just quaint historical habits of the past.

For a society to function properly, those "quaint historical habits" are necessary....just as those "quaint historical" grammar rules (proper punctuation and spelling) is necessary for writing well, lol! Without rules, it's a "free for all," ain't it? : )

[farmer18th]

Let me guess- you have not seen the video or visited and read what was published at thier webiste. You just gave a knee jerk defense of Dobson said because you think he is a "man of God". Oh how he must love to have followers who think like that.

Let me guess-- you have to do a lot of guessing about motives, both mine and Dobson's, because you have no facts at your disposal. Dobson has been sending out newsletters for years that are HEAVILY DOCUMENTED. He simply doesn't take that ministry on a campaign unless there is a reason to do it, and if you want to defend pederasts in order to defend your beloved cartoons, you are not conservative and no friend of liberty.

[little jeremiah]

Come on - I spotted my mistakes and am not forcing others to break the rules of grammar!

That's what I get for no preview.

[nicmarlo]

lol....just ribbing ya! : )

[nicmarlo]

now...don't go looking for all my typos and spelling errors....there's pahlenty!! : )

[Paloma_55]

Hiney Bona??? Is this a joke? Are you a sodomite and proud of it?

My question is, are you being mislead or is your confusion intentional? See the following LINK

It has been stated OVER and OVER on this thread that we ALL understand it is NOT about Spongebob.. but about people using cartoon characters to promote their agenda.

[TigersEye]

Well said my friend.

Thank you. Your efforts to fight for clarity here are appreciated by me as well as are those of several others. The MSM has it in for the truth and it's worth fighting at every turn.