You Mean They STILL Haven't Fixed This?

A little more than a month ago, I wrote this blog-note to my many many friends in the City County Building.

I was writing to ask them to un-block access to my friend Sue's blog as it had been blocked in some offices but not others on Grant Street.

That her blog was blocked in the first place was simply unconscionable.  That it's still being blocked is unconscionable, but now the unconscionable is wrapped in reprehensible, basted in detestable and lovingly garnished with lark vomit.

As Sue writes this week, her blog is being blocked because it was the subject of two complaints made in 2008 to OpenDNS.  (That's about a half decade ago, for those of you obsessed with such things.)

She quotes the advice she's been given by Jim Sheppard, Special Assistant to the Mayor:

If you appeal the label with OpenDNS and it is approved it will life the block on city computers and anyone else that uses OpenDNS for filtering purposes.

Since when does a citizen have to do any of this in order to be heard in the corridors of power?

You can like the blog or not like the blog but as I wrote in February:

It's an important voice for an important segment of the Pittsburgh community and agree with it or disagree with it access to its content should not be blocked - anytime.

Especially since:

“The Rainbow flag has flown in front of the City-County Building on several occasions before, including the past two years during pride week in June,” special assistant to the mayor Jim Sheppard said.

Sheppard referred to the flag as “a non-political, non-offensive, symbolic gesture in solidarity with the LGBT citizens of the City of Pittsburgh.”

And that would be the same Jim Sheppard who told Sue to appeal to DNS to get her five year-old undeserved porn label tossed.  But as Sue herself asks:

Third, is it really my responsibility to challenge homophobia by a City contractor? How is it that the Citizens Police Review Board and the office of Councilman Bill Peduto have been able to “open” their office to my site without taking this step?

Perhaps the City should make a symbolic gesture in solidarity with the LGBT citizens of Pittsburgh and un-block my friend's website.

What do you think, Mr Sheppard?