We send an impassioned plea to HBO as Sesame Street leaves PBS. Story by Matt Cummings Dear HBO: Please don't screw up Sesame Street . It's a simple request, but one that's essential to keeping the center of our national culture alive. I am a product of Sesame Street , as are many of my friends. We all remember the insanity of Ernie and Bert, the musical numbers educating us about crossing the street, the dangers of driving the wrong way, and the relationships formed between felt characters and humans living on a street just over the bend. Kermit the Frog, Grover, Count von Count and a dozen others are more iconic than any sports franchise and more beloved than any comedy, their simple values of love and friendship leaving an enduring mark on how we raise our children. The show has helped to form the basis of America's television culture, going so far as to connect children to big concepts like the death (Mr. Hooper) as well as Big Bird's f