A Roundup of Recent GOP Attacks: Girl Scouts, Muppets, Dr. Seuss and Lunch Breaks Aren’t Safe

To most Americans, the Girl Scouts of America only bring a few things to mind: camping trips, merit badges and, of course, ridiculously delicious cookies.

But this week, one Indiana Republican refused to sign a resolution to honor the 100th anniversary of the organization because -- somehow -- he believes it is a radical liberal organization that with liberal progressive troop leaders [who] will indoctrinate the girls in their troop according to the principles of Planned Parenthood.

Evidence of this, according to a letter penned by state Rep. Bob Morris to members of the Republican caucus, is demonstrated by the fact that the Girls Scouts troop leaders have reportedly used Planned Parenthood instructional series and pamphlets for sex education courses. He also wrote that the female role models included in the Girl Scouts' education seminar are feminists, lesbians or Communists, and complains too few lessons include information on the womens' religious backgrounds.

Morris wrote that he came to these conclusions after speaking with some of his constituents and conducting a small amount of Web-based research.

Morris' warnings did not take hold, according to Indiana's Journal Gazette, which reports his letter was dismissed by people in his own party, including House Speaker Brian Bosna. Planned Parenthood also released a statement denying any connection to the scouting group.

Several considerably more serious concepts have drawn the ire of conservative-leaning commentators or lawmakers in recent months -- such a breast cancer screenings, contraception and even child labor laws. However, institutions that don't initially seem to have a partisan edge have also been targeted, and now the Girl Scouts.

Lou Dobb's Dr. Seuss Indoctrination Paranoia

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax may have been published back in 1971, but the children's classic about environmentalism apparently did not pose a threat to the nation's youngest citizens until it reached the big screen -- at least, according to Lou Dobbs.

Speaking on his Fox Business show earlier this week, Dobbs warned Americans that Hollywood has purposely injected anti-business indoctrinations to brainwash children into hating capitalism.

Now, an 'unmentionable' -- a story you won't hear anywhere in the liberal national media, Dobbs said, completely seriously. Hollywood is once again trying to indoctrinate our children.

Dobbs claimed the film, about a character who speaks for the trees against a force that wants to destroy the forest for industrial development, reinforces Occupy Wall Street-like rhetoric that demonizes the '1 percent' and [espouses] the virtue of green energy policies.

Fox News vs. The Muppets

Eric Bolling, another Fox News on-air figure, recently took issue with another childhood classic: The Muppets.

Bolling raged against the film adaptation of The Muppets, saying it directly targeted children with anti-corporate propaganda.

He particularly took issue with the film's villian aptly named Tex Richman, who in the story is working to drill under the Muppet theater for oil.

I'll put it out there: Is liberal Hollywood using class warfare to kind of brainwash our kids? Bolling asked.

To poke fun at the non-issue, the creators of the film produced a stage press conference more than a month after Bolling's comments where the characters themselves -- Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog -- said the commentator's accusations were almost as laughable as accusing Fox News of being, uh, you know, being news.

No Need for Lunch Breaks

Meanwhile, New Hampshire state Reps. J.R. Hoell and Kyle Jones have introduced legislation that would repeal a state law calling for mandatory employee lunch breaks, saying it is an unnecessary regulation because employers can be relied on to offer those breaks anyway.

Hoell, addressing the state House Labor, Industrial and Rehabilitative Service Committee, said he was asked to submit the legislation by one company that claims the mandatory lunch break is a paperwork nightmare, according to the Concord Monitor. Meanwhile Jones, a 20-year-old first-term representative, argued the law is unnecessary because it would make employers look bad if word got out that they did not offer workers meal breaks, anyway.

Witnesses before the committee, including New Hampshire's AFL-CIO President Mark MacKenzie, repeatedly asked the lawmakers how they could be sure that repealing the 36-year old law -- enacted as a safeguard against unfair working conditions -- would not result an abuse of workers. Hoell, who admitted he is not a labor expert, granted that such a scenario is always a possibility.

There is always potential to misuse freedom, Hoell said. Whether that falls under the term abuse, that is rather broad.