The PC Police are getting more ridiculous!

[revwardoc]

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/ma...l?ref=magazine

The article is a bit long but the basic theme is that the first 5 seasons of Sesame Street are deemed NOT for children! Sesame Street! It seems that the "little snowflakes" MIGHT become upset because Oscar the Grouch is just that, a grouch, and... "Snuffleupagus is visible only to Big Bird; since 1985, all the characters can see him, as Big Bird’s old protestations that he was not hallucinating came to seem a little creepy, not to mention somewhat strained. As for Cookie Monster, he can be seen in the old-school episodes in his former inglorious incarnation: a blue, googly-eyed cookievore with a signature gobble (“om nom nom nom”). Originally designed by Jim Henson for use in commercials for General Foods International and Frito-Lay, Cookie Monster was never a righteous figure. His controversial conversion to a more diverse diet wouldn’t come until 2005, and in the early seasons he comes across a Child’s First Addict."

Personally I feel so sorry for little kids today because they're so protected and shielded from all the "bad" in society that they're going to get a very hard, vicious slap of reality in later years.

[revwardoc]

http://www.kutv.com/news/local/story...3-3fffe8dabd4f

SANDY - A holiday tree on display at Utah's annual "Festival of Trees" is getting unfair treatment -- according to some -- for its tribute to the state's fallen soldiers.

The Festival of Trees was started in 1970 by a group of women along the Wasatch Front. Since then, it has raised millions of dollars for Primary Children's Medical Center. Each tree is decorated and donated by various persons and typically honors a child who has died. The tree is then purchased and the proceeds go to the hospital.

This year, one particular tree has been singled out because organizers say it does not meet the proper criteria. All trees are displayed inside the South Towne Exposition Center in Sandy. This tree, however, has been cast outside of the convention center's exhibit floor and onto the facility's lobby.

Titled "Our Heroes," the tree is dedicated to Utah soldiers who have died defending our freedoms. Next to the tree are numerous framed photographs of the soldiers. Festival chairwoman Edyth Hansen says that makes it unfit for the main exhibit floor.

"There are rules, and once you change the ruled for one person you have to change them for everyone," she said. "You look at the tree and see what rule it violates... it has more than one picture."

Trees at the festival are supposed to feature just one picture in the proper measurement: 8x10.

Also, Hansen says the soldier tree is too tall at approximately 12 feet. Lastly, trees in the festival are supposed to honor children.

"It does honor those who have sacrificed a lot for children, but it's not about children," Hansen said.

While it stands to reason that the tree's exclusion from the festival is based on these violations, some say they are rules that other trees are also violating. Yet they are allowed on the convention center's main floor.

During a quick walk through of the festival, 2News spotted several displays that included more than just one picture. Also, other trees appeared to be just as large as the soldier tribute tree. Lastly, we saw many trees that did not honor children.

Organizers did not dive a reason why the other displays -- which seemed to break the same rules that the soldier tree does -- were permitted on the main floor and the soldier exhibit was not.

Despite its location in the expo center's lobby, "Our Heroes" has not suffered from a lack of popularity. It has already been purchased and the money will still go to Primary Children's Medical Center.

An attempt to find out who created the tree was unsuccessful, but we discovered that in prior years the Festival of Trees has included displays that honored soldiers. In Dec. 2003, the Deseret Morning News reported that West Jordan High School submitted a tree honoring Utah soldiers who did not come home for Christmas -- and it was allowed to be displayed on the main floor.