Sex, Lies, and Advertisers

Is there a special hell for those who claim that an individual commits an offense against his fellow man and then commits the very same crime that he was just whining about? I don’t know, but there probably should be. Such is the recent case of our not-so-favorite Grinch, and possibly some of his minions.

Think back a little over a year ago. Gary Comegys was in the midst of his unsuccessful campaign to replace Barrie Tilghman. SbyNEWS publisher Joe Albero had the audacity to publish some photos of area businesses sporting some very prominent “Comegys for Mayor” signs. NOTE that Albero didn’t call for a boycott of these businesses; he just let the public know who was supporting who.

What was the response from the Barrie Comegys house blogger? Joe Albero is a horrible person because he dares to write that Burnett-White Tire Co. (among others) have Comegys signs on their property. YET, Jonathan Taylor (the Barrie Comegys house blogger) has posted a list of businesses (with phone numbers) and calls on his VAST army of readers (all 12 of them) to call these advertisers and “share their opinions of Joe Albero and sbynews” (sic).

Evidently, at least one of Taylor’s faithful readers has taken his advice. Former Delmar mayoral candidate Tom McGuire has called at least three businesses who advertise on SbyNEWS. According to these business owners, one was berated for advertising on SbyNEWS and told that they would no longer enjoy this person’s patronage. Another was threatened with physical violence. A third was told, “You must be a child molester like the rest of ‘em.” This last business owner also claims that the caller asked him if he knew that Albero had stated that he “wished Jennifer Foxwell was dead”. (for those readers not aware, Ms. Foxwell is the mother of the unfortunate child murdered in Wicomico County at Christmas.)

I obtained a phone number from which these calls were made from the business’s caller ID. While this number is not in the name of McGuire (it is in his wife’s name), he answered the phone. Mr. McGuire admits to calling these businesses. However, he denies making any threats, calling anyone a “child molester” or making a statement regarding Ms. Foxwell. McGuire also states that he actually spoke to only one person. He also claims that he has no ties to Jonathan Taylor, although I never brought up the subject of Mr. Taylor.

As I didn’t witness the calls themselves, I was willing to leave it at that – a case of “he said / she said” (shades of the Daily Times). However, I was unable to complete this post Tuesday afternoon as planned. When I came back to complete the post I decided to see if there were any additions to the Barrie Comegys blog. Lo and behold! There was now video with Mr. Taylor, in his Grinch suit, talking about Albero and Ms. Foxwell. This “coincidence” was a tad too much to swallow!

We mustn’t forget that Taylor has a despicable record of making outrageous, even libelous, statements and then deleting the posts days or weeks later. He has not only attacked Albero, councilwoman Debbie Campbell, and councilwoman Terry Cohen, he has attacked their families. He recently claimed that he was cleaning up his act in anticipation of a run for Salisbury City Council next year. Now, he’s back to his old tricks.

What does this mean for Salisbury News? Not much. Joe Albero will keep publishing. I will continue my modest contribution. However, the pathetic antics of a few maladjusted individuals do make it difficult on advertisers who simply wish to reach the sizable audience provided by Salisbury News (thanks to its readers).

Fortunately, I believe that those who choose to advertise here know that they are appreciated by those who read, rather than ridicule. I am confident that they are receiving great value for their advertising dollars. Some advertisers may choose to leave rather than put up with the foolishness of people like Taylor and his little team of commercial terrorists. Most probably won’t, because they don’t want to buckle down to intimidation any more than Albero will.

If people like Taylor were sincere in their rhetoric, you would think that they would be working hard to put out a product to rival SbyNEWS, and steal market share. Unable to do that, they resort to attempting to intimidate honest, hardworking businesspeople with a series of lies and threats. Ultimately, this may just be about jealousy:

If I cannot earn money from my Blog then neither is someone else I know.

Well Jonathan, first you need to put up a site that real people want to read. Second, you need to build an audience. Then, if you are lucky, perhaps people will want to pay you to advertise. I can promise you this - IF that ever occurs, I won’t be harassing the people who choose to spend their hard earned money on you. Of course, I’m not holding my breath for that to happen either.