'Good Choices' Program Promoted By Scientologist 'Simpsons' Actress Debated In Springfield

While her animated counterpart could use a lesson or two in good manners, the actress who has for years lent her voice to Bart Simpson is pushing Illinois lawmakers to bring her "Good Choices" character-building program to state schools.

The program is being promoted by Emmy Award-winning actress and Scientologist Nancy Cartwright, who reportedly said its foundation is based on a book written by Church of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

The Capitol Fax blog reports that Rep. Dan Burke (D-Chicago) sponsored a resolution praising the program.

“I’ve been assured it’s not a Scientology promotion,” Burke told the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s a separate not-for-profit. It’s just basic good manners, good principles that kids sometimes don’t get exposed to in some of the more challenged areas of our state.”

The resolution would not require that the program be taught in classrooms, just encouraged.

When one Republican lawmaker learned of the program's Scientology link, he stepped away from the resolution--and apparently decided to compare the Church of Scientology to the Klu Klux Klan.

“Would we suggest the KKK for something like this?” Rep. Jerry Mitchell (R-Sterling) told the Sun-Times. “This might be something for a select private school, but I’m not sure it’s germane for a public school.”

Rep. Burke, however, told NBC Chicago the program teaches "basic good manners," not Scientology.

Cartwright will be in Springfield for a reception Tuesday, and testify on behalf of the program in front of a House panel Wednesday.

Comments

[hairydodger]

04:47 PM on 05/16/2011

I think Jerry Mitchell has it right. What in the world would lead republicans to promote basic good manners?

[frank jeffson]

11:52 PM on 05/15/2011

You know why this is so disturbing? Because "The Way to Happiness" is the first step in a "religious line up" offered by Scientology Incorporated and here we have
1) Suicide by Nancy Cartwright's own fiance'
2) Convicted Murdered: Rex Fowler, Scientology customer on David Miscavige Advanced Levels. (google it)
3) Covert "Black Ops" in which Scientology operatives engage in smear campaigns to ruin lives and silence people.

Way to Happiness???

See
Actress Who Voices Bart Simpson Sued After Fiances Suicide
http://www.celebrific.com/17505/nancy-cartwright-sued-over-fiances-business-dealings /

and also Google "Scientology Black PR Campaigns
which explains a lot about this article Scientology Operation Against Washington Post Reporter Richard Leiby Exposed

Nope --- we ain't religious bigots, we juts hate cheating, slimy libelous bullies pretending to be self-righteous savers of the world.
I'm OUTTA HERE!
Nancy Cartwright shame on you!

[dbrett480]

03:36 PM on 05/12/2011

Maybe we should teach a program based on Star Wars or Star Trek. Both have as much validity as Scientology.

[Savinia]

01:12 AM on 05/13/2011

I'd sign up for the Star Trek one "live long and prosper"

[Kevin Mason]

03:57 PM on 05/11/2011

Anyone else find it funny she is going to Springfield???

[hosefeet616]

07:55 PM on 05/11/2011

Already mentioned it

[frank jeffson]

11:57 PM on 05/15/2011

No, it was orchestrated that way by the Scientology Corporation PR operatives. BTW since when did Scientology license The Simpsons to get in the door with its wares?

[Gatorzone]

12:55 PM on 05/11/2011

Church of anything has no place in our public schools... Case closed! If Stephen Baldwin was trying to implement a program based on a book written by the prophet Paul, people would be up in arms as well... Same point here... no place for it.

[multidoc]

08:45 AM on 05/11/2011

As I said earlier, this "program" is just the camel of the church of scientology trying to poke its nose into the tent of public acceptance and gain officially sanctioned (and possibly financed) access to our public school kids.

Did you all know that the church of scientology pays cash bonuses of up to 10% to its members on the "donations" that that new recruit subsequently makes?

If I heard about a free breakfast program that a private organization was sponsoring at a public school, I'd approve too -- until I heard that it was NA*M*BLA sponsoring it. This is no different.

[effect]

02:38 AM on 05/11/2011

Our schools are where we prepare students for citizenship.

Some hold that teaching anything other than data and the "3 R's" is a misuse of school resources.

Well, until about the 60's in this country and the 70's or later in others, schools taught manners, personal responsibility, self-reliance, self-respect, social responsibility, respect for others, honesty and generally, "citizenship." There were even movies demonstrating these principles that students watched in class. Literature and reading modules frequently focused on tales with a "moral" such as "To Kill a Mockingbird." This was part and parcel of preparing children to enter the adult world.

Now it's all "teaching to the test," and we don't even do THAT well any more, as, increasingly, our graduates can neither read nor do long division.

No - now it's "self-esteem" and "whole language" and "math strategies," etc.

And once we quit teaching kids how to be civilized, they grew up and raised successive generations of self-absorbed, conscience-free, me me me savages.

These run as Republicans and get elected in red states and red districts to r@pe and pill@ge their constituents.

[montanbud]

07:35 AM on 05/11/2011

Please.....all you self rightous blah blah blah's...it is not the responsibility of the schools to teach these things it is the families reponsibility...if a program in school helps ok...but in the end it is up to the parents...so stop going off on the schools and put blame where it should squarly be.....I live in rural Montana and my daughter has a full ride to Stanford and son to AF acadamy.....It was not the school that got them there..Parents parents parents

[Tequilatarian]

09:57 AM on 05/11/2011

They were looking at several programs for this coursework. They are getting the main outcry because of the scientology version.

The state should review all programs and choose the one that is not a frontgroup for a c ult.

[hosefeet616]

01:40 AM on 05/11/2011

Lmfao She's going to be in Springfield.

[BoFo]

01:37 AM on 05/11/2011

Typical Cult Dynamics + Drunk-With­-Power Leadership + Fraudulent Self-Impro­vement Claims + Placebo Effect + Pyramid Scheme + Escalating Costs as you Climb the Ladder + Gullible Celebs with Fragile, Easily-Man­ipulated Egos and Money to Burn + The Wow-Factor of a Science-Fi­ction Backstory + Fake Religious Content for Tax Exemption = Scientolog­y

[FlangeSqueal]

10:30 AM on 05/11/2011

F & F !

[Kevin Phillips]

01:24 AM on 05/11/2011

I must have missed the news story about the budget surplus of education dollars in Illinois. Surely they must have recently hired new teachers and given out cost of living raises to all those employed by the education system in the state. They also must have found a massive increase in test scores or a massive reduction of dropouts/unwed teen moms and a dramatic rise in college bound graduates to realize that the best way to spend tax dollars intended to educate the future leaders of Illinois would be to do the job of a parent and teach children to say "please" and "thank you". I can't think of a better use for tax dollars unless it involved building better schools, a stronger focus on actual education and a focus on reducing the drop out rate. Please tell me that teaching manners by an outside private group is not the best us funds? Hey! Look at that! I said "Please" and the Illinois state education system didn't teach me to do it.

[CubfanBudman]

01:34 AM on 05/11/2011

The vast majority of successful people in America have good manners. It starts with a strong hand shake and looking people in the eye. Knowing the rituals that are involved with good manners, like holding a door or letting people exit before you enter, these are things that create good impressions. Not everyone is taught this at home (even the proper way to hold a fork. not even the proper way, but at least not like a shovel), and this can help people pull themselves up by their boot straps.

You are worried about the cost of a this program? I seriously doubt it will cost as much as a new school building. Your argument is silly, and seeing as how the program would be voluntary, your argument is baseless too.

[Kevin Phillips]

01:56 AM on 05/11/2011

So you want to have handshaking classes and look 'em in the eye classes too? Personally, I've never had to use a fork to pull myself up by bootstraps. But just because some people aren't taught something at home doesn't mean that it the job of the public school system to do it. I was never taught how to suck up to a boss, how to make two sets of books to rip off my company or even ask "Do you want fries with that?" or a multitude of the skills of many successful people in America. But that doesn't mean it's up to the schools to do it.
If this is done at a public school- Someone has to teach it yes? Someone will be paid yes? Voluneer or not - the time is time out a school day that could be used to teach actual knowledge. I stand by my opinion. Education money is too precious to spend so much as a dime on something that is not truly education.
Look, you can claim any reason you want, but the facts are it is not the job of the public schools to make up for any failure of the parents to teach their child manners.

[multidoc]

08:34 AM on 05/11/2011

Don't buy the sizzle on this, cubfan. This is just the latest "independent" scientology program that has been created and designed for the sole purpose of allowing scientology to get its nose into the tent of public acceptance.

[CubfanBudman]

01:12 AM on 05/11/2011

If the Catholic Church had a 'seperate company' that sold product to educate our kids, I'd be weary.

But this seems more like a person who is religious made a program to help kids.

Let any parent who wants see the books and syllabus and go from there.

I mean, I only knew the religion of a handful of my teachers, and they admitted it because it had something to do with what we were talking about. I never had a public school teacher push any religion. I really doubt that would happen here. It wouldn't pass the smell test, know what I mean? It would be obviously out of place.

[Kevin Phillips]

01:34 AM on 05/11/2011

Ya know what's out of place? Teaching principles that a parent should teach instead of teaching reading/writing/math. Leave the parenting to the parents.

[bob dobbs]

03:01 AM on 05/11/2011

Why Scientology and not the Lord's Resistance Army? I mean the LRA must be biblical since they claim to be biblical and many of these Scientology front-group morals sound like they were plagiarized from the Bible.

[antonymous]

10:51 PM on 05/10/2011

They decided to wait til 2011 to roll out this program because the kids these days aren't stupid and November 5, 2011 falls on a Saturday.

[Mary Jane Mangold]

10:44 PM on 05/10/2011

I havent seen the program so I cant really say,but I see his point If the KKK ,muslims,southern snake handler came out with a program on good manners no one would want that

[sebring12pr]

10:41 PM on 05/10/2011

All religions = Santa Claus for adults.

[CubfanBudman]

01:02 AM on 05/11/2011

Space Pie.

[aribear]

10:29 PM on 05/10/2011

I think that many of you who are complaining and saying you wouldn't want this in your schools are screaming too quickly. If this article had not told you that the actress was a scientologist, but simply told you what she was trying to teach, none of you would have complained at all. Children really need this kind of lesson now days because parents are not doing their jobs anymore and teaching their kids basic right from wrong. That is sad, but now it falls on teachers to have to teach kids good manners and proper behavior. Just because some religious person wrote the lesson doesn't mean that it can't be explained to children without any religious content. Although, if you look at that list the Ten Commandments were in there. But, then they are just common sense rules anyway. How about, "Thou shalt now bear falls witness against they neighbor." Some of you might want to contemplate that one for a bit.

[Chandidevi]

11:18 PM on 05/10/2011

Hey, speak for yourself aribear! I would investigate the program, as a responsible parent. I know that most Scientologists are uneducated and have little discernent. They are uneducated movie actors like Tom Cruise and John Travolta and Kirstie Alley. Gimme a break. Like your mentor said, "the best way to make a lot of money is to start your own religion." LRH was a huckster and all his followers are fools.

[aribear]

09:04 AM on 05/11/2011

I don't think that the actress was presenting the less as a scientologist, the author just brought that to our attention because it is known that she is one. So we have no idea as to what the course would involve.

[Kevin Phillips]

01:41 AM on 05/11/2011

WRONG! I would be screaming no matter what. These are ideals and concepts for a parent to tech their children. Stop wasting tax payer money on BS like this. Schools can't even teach basic reading/writing/math anymore. Not to mention how schools no longer teach grammar. With education dollars - hell, education nickels and dimes being so scarce these days - using a single penny to pay for something as non-essential basic REAL education should be shot down before anyone can say "AY! Cayrumba! Bart Simpson wants to teach my kid what Scientologists thinks are good manners!"

[aribear]

08:53 AM on 05/11/2011

For someone that likes to correct other people's spelling, you should check your own punctuation.