Simpsons Actress Schools Program Scares Springfield with Scientology Roots

By Chuck Sudo in News on May 10, 2011 9:15PM

The Simpsons actress Nancy Cartwright (the voice of Bart, y'all) has a charitable schools program called "Good Choices" that aims to "help children learn to make their own good choices and influence their friends to do the same." A noble goal, to be certain, and Cartwright's program is one of three options for character education being considered in the state’s public school system under legislation proposed in the Illinois House. The problem with Cartwright's program is that it's modeled in part on a book, The Way to Happiness, by science fiction author and Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

With Cartwright being a high-profile Scientologist -- as an "Operating Thetan VII" Cartwright has the second highest ranking member classification in the Church -- this has some Republicans wondering if even indirectly exposing schoolkids to Hubbard's teachings is a good thing. Bill sponsor Dan Burke said he thought it would be a cool thing to have the voice of Bart Simpson backing character education and doesn't believe it's an attempt at brainwashing kids into spending money on audits and Dianetics. Sterling Republican Jerry Mitchell countered with the "separation of church and state" argument, saying that he would be just as concerned about passing a conduct code program authored by Pope John Paul II than one based in part on Hubbard's teachings.

“Would we suggest the KKK for something like this?” Mitchell said. “This might be something for a select private school, but I’m not sure it’s germane for a public school.”

Using that argument, would Mitchell be in favor of getting rid of the Pledge of Allegiance? Or at least the "one nation under God" part?