Boston

[bmf31c]

In a city with a population of 600,000 and a median income of 40k....they had 71 murders last year.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston

http://cbs4boston.com/topstories/loc...351110247.html


How come no one is up in arms about that?

[SoonerPatriot]

I'm not sure I understand your point. Could you elaborate?

[bmf31c]

Why is our large city murder rate not a media talking point?

Everyone is on the Federal governments ass, which is understandable, but it's not all sunshine and lollipops at the state level.

If Iraq is not secure and safe, than neither is Boston.

[SoonerPatriot]

I guess the heart of the question is would you feel safer walking down an average street in Boston or an average street in Baghdad?

I personally would prefer to take my chances in Boston because more than likely crap wouldn't be blowing up all around me.

But I would agree that everything isn't lollipops on the state level and 71 is too many. Heck, one is too many.

[bmf31c]

Originally Posted by SoonerPatriot

I guess the heart of the question is would you feel safer walking down an average street in Boston or an average street in Baghdad?

I personally would prefer to take my chances in Boston because more than likely crap wouldn't be blowing up all around me.

But I would agree that everything isn't lollipops on the state level and 71 is too many. Heck, one is too many.

The snapshots that the media show on TV aren't necessarily the truth on the ground. We tend to see how unsafe it is on CNN, but if Al-Jezeera was reporting on Boston could they show things in a pretty negative light?

[SoonerPatriot]

Sure they could. It wouldn't necessarily make it so, but certainly they could.

Ironically, I just got done watching a pretty good documentary on Sundance Channel called "Operation Dreamland". It follows a unit of the 101st Airborne on regular patrols in Iraq. The great thing about it was it wasn't filtered through Michael Moore, Fox News, CNN or any other politically slanted crapola. The filmaker basically just let these guys be themselves. No narrator. No script. It was an open mic for these guys to talk about what they were experiencing.

The feeling I got was things weren't at all good in Iraq on a day-to-day basis. Yeah, there were light hearted moments of US Troops bonding with Iraqi men and children, but an hour later they're dodging RPGs or trying to determine if there's an IED on the road in front of them. The thing I took away most from it was life was very different there on a moment to moment basis.

I think there have been some good things that have come out of Iraq. Folks in favor of the war often talk about schools being built etc and the flourishing free-market. Obviously Sadam is out of power.

That said, my position has always been that I care more about:

1-Our troops getting waxed on an almost daily basis, which should be considered important news by every American citizen regardless of their political affiliation.

2-Our tax dollars being pissed away on something that probably wasn't really necessary in the first place when we have so many problems here at home, not the least of which is our own security in this day and age.

To me, and I think to many Americans, real news are points 1 and 2. The other stuff, which should of course be reported, doesn't quite rise to the same level of importance. I think media coverage of the war has reflected that.

[bmf31c]

Very insightful post. Hopefully, the good (schools opening, streets safe) will outweigh the bad in the near future. It would be great if we could get more inisghtful news that isn't twisted around a channels politics.

[DarrylS]

Originally Posted by bmf31c

Why is our large city murder rate not a media talking point?

Everyone is on the Federal governments ass, which is understandable, but it's not all sunshine and lollipops at the state level.

If Iraq is not secure and safe, than neither is Boston.

If you monitor the Herald or the Globe it is a pretty continual talking point, particularly for the former. Most violence in the cities of the NE is gang related, not that it makes it any better than any other violence, but unfortunately it has become a norm in just about any big city. Some of it is related to immigration issues and some to turf wars, it is a very complex issue with no easy answers. To compare it to anything going on in Iraq seriously begs the issue, I walk the streets of Boston and do not feel fearful as most of the violence is isolated in very poor areas.

[Turd Furguson]

Tell Bush to pull our people out of Boston now!!!!!!!!!

[bmf31c]

Originally Posted by GJAJ15

Most violence in the cities of the NE is gang related, not that it makes it any better than any other violence, but unfortunately it has become a norm in just about any big city. Some of it is related to immigration issues and some to turf wars, it is a very complex issue with no easy answers. To compare it to anything going on in Iraq seriously begs the issue, I walk the streets of Boston and do not feel fearful as most of the violence is isolated in very poor areas.

Gang could be changed to Religous Sects.

Immigration to religious issues.

Turf wars = Turf Wars

If violence is a accepted norm in a large city in the United States, Why is it that there is a different standard in the large cities of Iraq?