Boston Mayor Tom Menino let the media know early this morning that he would be contacting the publisher of Rolling Stone regarding Boston bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's face covering this week's issue of the magazine. This afternoon, Menino let Jann Wenner know that he didn't appreciate their rewarding a "terrorist with celebrity treatment."
Other Massachusetts politicians have followed Menino's lead. Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo said in a statement: "Rolling Stone's decision to glamorize the image of a man who brought terror to our city is disappointing. The marathon bombing shook our city and now thousands of people who were personally affected by this tragedy will have the unfortunate experience of coming across the face of a terrorist in a space usually reserved for rock stars and cultural icons. Boston is strong, but we are still healing."
Former U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R - Mass.) tweeted: "I respect the First Amend., but I am personally disgusted by Rolling Stone's cover - outrageous for the Boston Marathon victims & families."
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick reportedly called the decision "tasteless" at an event today, and when Patrick was asked what he thought about the cover, he added, "not much."