Skulking about the web, I happened onto a Human Events article entitled, “PBS Peddles New Online Leftist Indoctrination to Children.” I was intrigued, though not surprised. So I read the article, which describes a new environmentalist indoctrination tool aimed directly at kids. Courtesy of PBSKids.org, it’s called “Eekoworld.” Let me let Mac Johnson, the author of the HE article, describe it:

The invasion of my home by the joint forces of EekoWorld began about 14 seconds into my shower one morning. The bathroom door opened. I heard a series of tiny footsteps walk across the floor and there was a knock on the opaque shower door, about three feet off the ground.

“What?” I asked. “Um, Dad, you need to get out of the shower now. You’re taking too long,” replied the boy. “Why –do you have something at school today that we need to be early for?” I said. The very serious reply came back “Um, No. But you are using too much water, and that could kill all the fish.”

Read the rest of the story. I did, and decided to visit the site myself and meet the narrator, a flying monkey-shark-snake thing that will screech at your kids to recycle their garbage, ride their bike to ball practice (instead of having Mom drive them), and not build that second shopping mall. His voice is incredibly grating and his tone is preachy. It might actually be OK, since I can’t imagine a kid lasting more than about two minutes listening to this abomination.

Let me give you a taste of Cheeko (that’s the monkey-thing’s name). Of course, you’ll have to just imagine the screeching. Here’s a bit from Future Field Trip:

Let’s see what the beach might look like in twenty years if people don’t take care of the environment. Do you see all the trash? No one wants to swim in the water. There are not many fish either (Cheeko’s face gets angry). A lost of the birds have moved away too, and there are a lot of insects like ticks and mosquitos that can bite you and cause disease. Look at the seashore. It eroded after a big boat harbor was built nearby. The deep harbor keeps the sand from moving in the waves, so water covers more of the beach (angry face again). That means that animals and people have a lot less beach to enjoy (sad face).

Except for those ticks and mosquitos. I’ll bet they’re enjoying the beach.

Look, I’m a big believer in protecting our environment. But this site presents things in black and white (and I thought just us hyperChristian fundamentalist whackos did that). Harbor: bad. Driving to soccer practice: bad. Reusable plastic container: good. Taking long showers: bad. Air drying your newly laundered clothes on a rack: good (this is instead of using the dryer, which of course, is bad).

And kids (like Mac’s son) don’t get the complexities of the decisions that need to be made. They just take it at face value.

Of course, it’s ultimately up to us parents to monitor what our kids see on the Web, but one would have hoped (oh, well) that at least PBSkids would be safe. No more.