Truman's Conscience

Oh Please,....I'm just doing my job!

Though I don't quite know why, I was somewhat amused by FolioWeekly's "bouquets & brickbats" feature in this weeks [03.28.06] issue. The point is I shouldn't be. A bouquet was thrown Suzanne Jenkins' way for her participation on www.metjax.com a community minded discussion forum for the Jacksonville area and northeast Florida region. Jenkins is a District 4 Jacksonville City Council Representative who started out in her political career as a Democrat until a highly publicized party switch in 2003 to the GOP (I may be wrong on the year). I found myself a bit at odds over my feelings regarding FolioWeekly's laudatory plug because I value this local weekly progressive alternate news source and enjoy reading it regularly.

My problem with this 'bouquet' awarded to the queen of the Wal-Mart backers league is the same I would have with one of those roadside inns that proudly proclaim on their marquee "clean rooms and sheets." When one decides an overnight stay is required at one of these inns these are niceties that should not be only a given, but something that should not have to be advertised. In Ms. Jenkins' case I feel the same way with her 'bouquet' awarded to her by FolioWeekly. These 'bouquets' should not be awarded for actually doing your job, whether it's through a discussion board or the old fashion way: by phone, mail or in person. Usually, the 'bouquets' awarded by FolioWeekly are for extrodinary deeds that are above and beyond the call of what is expected of a community citizen. At this point, this is the only time in my memory a bouquet has ever been awarded by FolioWeekly for something so mundane as someone actually doing thier job. I'm not sure in the end what to make of it. Is this FolioWeekly's backhanded way of saying the rest of the Jacksonville City Council isn't? If so, something is terribly wrong here and FolioWeekly's editorial responsibiliy lies in doing a rather extensive piece on that fact. So how about it?