Chi Trib’s Dawn T. Trice objects to a Catholic parish’s decision to cancel a Girls Inc.-related fund-raiser because Girls Inc. is pro-choice, arguing that Girls Inc. does great work.  Its motto, “inspiring all girls to be strong, smart and bold,” should decide the matter, says Trice, who peeled data off its web site when its people were not available to her.

But what would Trice say about school districts (Oak Park is one) and community fund-raising operations that freeze out Boy Scouts of America because it’s anti-gay?  Groups do that sort of thing.  For them it’s not pursuing a “narrow political agenda,” as the fund-raiser doll-maker, American Girl spokesman called the parish’s decision.  It’s a heart-of-the-matter issue, as gay tolerance is at the heart of those school districts’ position. 

If Trice wants to argue that the good outweighs the bad in this case, fine.  But to profess acceptance of consumer boycott “for any reason” and then to condemn this boycott makes no sense.

ON THE VENTI FRONT . . . From one who knows:

Venti is a coffee size at Starbucks – the largest size you can get. Rather than small, medium and large, S-bucks offers something like tall, grande, venti. They want to make it all seem bigger and more mysterious. I try to stick it to the man sometimes by just ordering it the basic way, “Small coffee, please.” Sometimes they don’t know what I’m talking about.