The city council of Boston made an awfully big deal of the resolution they passed calling for a boycott of Arizona. They obviously wanted to make a splash with other narrow-minded liberals like themselves -- hey, maybe even get a shout out on the Katie Couric show.But nowadays they're wishing they could forget the whole thing. In fact, it looks more and more like a bonehead play, one that glaringly revealed the council members' political impotence, their hypocrisy and their irresponsibility. For on the first count, the resolution means nothing whatsoever. The council president even admits that now. And so the public realizes this was a cheap and very insincere grandstand play, not the kind of publicity council members were hoping for.
Regarding the matter of hypocrisy, the members never had any intention in fulfilling their boycott promise. The most comic example is the councilman who got permission from the co-sponsors to attend a Arizona Diamondback game when they came to play the Red Sox at Fenway Park. And you know he wasn't the only one there!
Finally, citizens are really getting their fill of irresponsible politicians. Thus, despite the obfuscation and distortion that the mainstream press has shown in covering the Arizona immigration law, the facts continue to emerge. The law is not racist. It is not draconian. Rather it is full of common sense, fairness and necessity. And so the law is quite popular.
Even in Boston.
The Boston Herald reports, "Councilors have privately expressed regret, saying they’ve been verbally accosted by angry constituents and taken aback by the level of national attention the boycott brought."
“If it had to be done all over again, there’d probably be more thought put into it and perhaps a hearing,” said Councilor John Tobin of West Roxbury. “It was an emotional issue and an emotional time. I think the sponsors were getting a lot of pressure to say something, to file something.”
Pressure from where Tobin doesn't say. But it certainly wasn't from the public. Nor was it even from the grassroots of Massachusetts Latinos. For despite the promises by protest organizers that thousands would be marching in the streets to complain about the presence of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer in Boston, only 350 showed up for the party. And the "official" signs produced by march organizers (signs labeling Brewer a racist and a bigot) further portrayed the event as ugly and unreasonable.
Apparently it was this bunch that the city council of Boston was trying to please. Bad company to be in, folks. And combined with all the other aspects of that muddle-headed boycott resolution, you really should start over. Apologize. Explain that you hadn't properly researched the law. Admit that you unfairly besmirched the people of Arizona. And offer as restitution a of rescinding the boycott vote. Then humbly and lightheartedly order a few cases of Arizona Iced Tea to be served after the next few city council meetings.
Yeah, I know. They won't do it. But it would be the right thing to do. And it would be a nice, even winsome way to get out of the pickle they created for themselves. So, I'll write anyway with my suggestion. You want to join me? Use this address: 1 City Hall Square, Suite 550
Boston, MA 02201-2043, or the e-mail form on this page.
