I'm not a fan of Catherine Specter's alleged advice column in the Post-Gazette.  In fact, I'm secretly convinced she was planted by the Mellon-Scaife contingent to subtly shift PG readers back to "when men were men and girls were girls."  Her advice has mostly been ridiculous and demeaning.

Today, however, she took herself to a new low endorsing silence in the face of overt racism for the sake of self-preservation.  The question stemmed from a renter whose landlord made racist comments about other (african American) tenants.  Her question:

Question:  I don't feel right paying money to someone with those values, but I have a lease. Can you put my mind at ease until I can move out?

Cat's Call: Stay cool, remain friendly with your neighbors, and hightail it outta there when you get the chance.

Apparently, Catty was too busy applying lip gloss to pay attention in history class.  Because guess what?  Silence is complicit endorsement.  This reader wants to feel better for not speaking out against injustice and racism.  She doesn't get a pass from me or any other reasonable person. 

Guess what Catty?  There are LAWS to protect people from racist landlords.  Including retaliation by turning off your heat.  There are resources right here in Pittsburgh that your reader could call if she felt the need ... Fair Housing Partnership which enforces fair housing laws is a good place to start.  So your argument for self-preservation is complete crap.

Catty, this woman wanted to rationalize remaining silent in the face of racism. You had the opportunity to provide a thoughtful answer to educate people on how to respond to overt racism.  You blew it by minimizing the real issue. 

In 2003, PG columnist  Tony Norman wrote this about Ms. Specter "She believes the burden of living a good life means acting generously, even when it's against her best interests."

I don't see it.

Pgh Lesbian Correspondent's Call:  Tony Norman's sabbatical cannot end soon enough. 

In Sunday's Post-Gazette, I found this piece from John Bryson Chane who is Episcopal bishop of Washington. 

The Bishop questions the pastoral concern of the conservative wing of the Anglican church for the gay and lesbian community.

This clearly crosses the line from opposing gay marriage to criminalizing homosexuality and, in fact, homosexuals.  This is clearly an assault on the human rights of gays and lesbians in Nigeria. 

Where is the pastoral concern for the citizens of Nigeria?  Is this the future direction of the worldwide Anglican church?  Or the Pittsburgh church?

Here in Pittsburgh there is growing sense of schism (I'll get called out for using that term) within the Episcopal church led by our own version of Akinola, Bishop Robert Duncan and the Anglican Communion Network.  In November 2005, Akinola was a prominent speaker at a local meeting of the Network.  A meeting filled with battle cries to gird the loins of faithful Episcopal conservatives against the threat of homosexuality. 

You may recall that the US Episcopal Church ordained an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire in 2004. 

Very troubling it is.