The good news: Several Idaho legislators were unhurt this week in a deadly bombing in the Turkish capital of Ankara. And no, the lawmakers were not traveling overseas on state taxpayers’ nickel. But that still leaves some nagging questions. What exactly are Idaho lawmakers doing touring Turkey in the first place? And what does a nonprofit group hope to accomplish by squiring Idaho legislators around the nation for 10 days?  There are — in life and in politics — no freebies. This tour was bankrolled by the Pacifica Institute, a group of Turkish-Americans that seeks “to develop social capital — the creation and extension of positive connections within and between disparate social networks to achieve mutual understanding and common commitments to enriching the social good”/Kevin Richert, Idaho Statesman. More here.

Question: Have Idaho lawmakers involved in this trip to Turkey compromised themselves in anyway by accepting the freebie from the Pacifica Instute?