Boston City Council

You may have heard about the Boston Globe printing pictures that they alleged were of US soldiers raping an Iraqi woman but in reality were staged pictures taken off a hard core porn site. The Boston Globe has taken a bit of a beating today for their obvious bias and complete lapse of common sense and basic journalistic fact checking.

The pictures were presented at a press conference held by Boston City Councilman Chuck Turner at Boston City Hall. The Boston Herald and the Associated Press were also at the press conference but it seems that their fact checking procedures are a little more professional than the Globe's.

The Boston Globe deserves all the derision that is thrown their way for this complete breakdown in journalistic integrity but that is not the point I wanted to make with this entry. (Everyone in Boston expects the Globe to be completely anti-Bush anyway.)

I wanted to ask why a press conference was allowed to be held on this at Boston City Hall in the first place. Did Councilman Chuck Turner believe that part of his job description included investigating possible abuses by the military in foreign lands? Who gave him the OK to spend money and resources on such a misguided press conference? The money it costs to run a press conference quickly adds up and that money can be much better utilized by the city in other ways.

If Councilman Turner did not pay for the press conference then he should be sent a bill. Somebody other than the City of Boston should pay the cost for yesterday's embarrassment.

This isn't the first time that Councilman Turner has wasted City resources on blatantly political goose chases. Last year Councilman Turner took it upon himself (along with Councilman Felix Arroyo) to issue a proclamation to the Dixie Chicks for the City of Boston - praising them for their "brave stand" in speaking out against President Bush and the war in Iraq. The problem is - Turner and Arroyo never got the official OK of the City Council to issue the proclamation and when they asked for an official blessing they were basically told not to bother the Council with such frivolous personal attention getting matters when the Council is already backed up with immediate issues facing the City.

Obviously, Councilman Turner doesn't learn. Maybe if he was sent a bill for yesterday's press conference he would get the message.