Dr. Dobson and SpongeBob

I have heard bits and pieces about how Dr. Dobson and Focus on the Family have accused SpongeBob Squarepants of being gay and the following media outrage. I have no time for reading newspapers or watching t.v. (being a very busy mom), but still, fragments of ridicule for his insane accusations have leaked into my world. From the few details in those reports, I too was inclined to think that Dobson had really said something stupid, despite the fact that I think he and his organization are very credible and have wonderful values and programs. I have never disagreed with anything that they've supported in the past.
Today I discovered just how ridiculous all the media's accusations are. It turns out that Dobson never said SpongeBob was gay. Here's his side of the story:

In truth, this tale has very little to do with SpongeBob himself, and everything to do with the media’s ability to obscure the facts and to direct lies and scorn toward those of us who care about defending children. It all began on an evening in late January, during Inaugural Week in Washington, D.C. At that time, I spoke briefly to 350 guests attending a banquet hosted by Tony Perkins and the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, and Gary Bauer’s American Values. I concluded by sharing a word of concern about a video that will be distributed to 61,000 public and private elementary schools across the nation, for use on the proposed "We Are Family Day," March 11.

The video, which millions of children will soon see, features nearly 100 favorite cartoon characters that kids will instantly recognize, including not only SpongeBob, but also Barney the Dinosaur, the Muppets, Dora the Explorer, Bob the Builder, Winnie the Pooh, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Jimmy Neutron and Big Bird. The video itself is innocent enough and does not mention anything overtly sexual. Rather, it features the children’s cartoon characters singing and dancing along to the popular disco hit "We Are Family."

But while the video is harmless on its own, I believe the agenda behind it is sinister. My brief comments at the FRC gathering were intended to express concern not about SpongeBob or Big Bird or any of their other cartoon friends, but about the way in which those childhood symbols are apparently being hijacked to promote an agenda that involves teaching homosexual propaganda to children. Nevertheless, the media jumped on the story by claiming that I had accused SpongeBob of being "gay." Some suggested that I had confused the organization that had created the video with a similarly named gay-rights group. In both cases, the press was dead wrong, and I welcome this opportunity to help them get their facts straight.

But all I've heard about from my limited exposure to popular media is how ludicrous it was for Dr. Dobson to single out SpongeBob as gay. I guess this goes to show that most members of the media (who've been reporting that as the story) don't really research what they are spouting off as truth. They must not value truth very much.