Hey Dave Bossert, Get over it!
Written by Jeff on July 23rd, 2008The blogger from the West Side has penned yet another mean-spirited assault on columnist Tim Myers, who stopped writing for the West Ranch Beacon after the Signal offered him his old Sunday column back. Posted herein, I tell Bossert to get a life.
The SCV isn’t home to many blogs, and the ones that do cover this town aren’t very large in the grand scheme of the internet. Our audience is limited by geography (and much of that audience is apathetic about SCV news), and most of us get to know our readers, commenters and other SCV literati in the course of events.
That’s not to say we don’t have influence, but really, it’s foolish for any of us to take ourselves so seriously.
Somebody needs to relay that to Dave Bossert, the president of the fictional government body known as the West Ranch Town Council and the man behind the West Ranch Beacon blog.
For the third time, Bossert has posted a message relaying his disgust, hurt feelings, and general teenaged-angst over Myers’ “betrayal.”
Well, I have to say that there were plenty of emails since last Wednesday when I posted the piece titled “Tim Myers’ Ego seems to Trump his Integrity by a Mile.” Many of our readers were basically of the same mind in saying “good riddance” to Myers and his liberal views. Although, I do like having alternative views on this site as a way of bringing some balance to topics and issues.
For me, I still think that I was more taken aback by Tim’s blatant disregard for his word which appears to be more and more indicative of people like Tim these days. You know the pseudo intellectual liberal who will justify any decision, viewpoint or opinion no matter how dishonest it may be.
Gee Dave, would you like some cheese with that whine?
Let’s review the facts of Tim Myers’ departure from West Ranch Beacon. Here’s what happened:
1. Signal asks Tim Myers to be exclusive Sunday columnist
2. Tim Myers accepts, regretfully informs Bossert
3. Bossert throws tantrum
That’s basically the gist of what happened here that got Bossert so mad. And the funniest part of all is that Tim Myers openly admitted to Bossert that he’d prefer to write for the Signal rather than West Ranch Beacon.
Let me clue in Dave on why that is: Writers write in order to be read. And no matter what you think of your blog (or what I think of my own), more eyeballs read the Signal than West Ranch Beacon.com, or SCVTalk, or both combined for that matter.
As Myers said, the “Signal is still the hottest game in town,” and is read more widely than blog sites. Plus there’s the satisfaction of knowing your name went through an actual,physical, printing press and stains the fingers of your readers.
But to hear Bossert talk about his site and his hurt feelings, you’d think West Ranch Beacon was the most important news outlet in Santa Clarita.
Frankly, it’s not even close. Bossert posts commentaries maybe two or three times a month; the rest of the time, his content is automatically copy/pasted from various news soures around the web. He’s little more than a bad imitation of the Drudge Report, a blog that’s on auto-pilot 90% of the time, with little character and style and even less comment activity.
What’s more, he can’t spell very well.
Which leads me to my next point. Recently, Bossert gleefully attacked me personally after the cowardly and anonymous NotAFerryFan copied him on an email sent to me.
NotAFerryFan (herein referred to as NAFF) was upset that I had criticized one of his recent one-sided videos; you know, one of those silly YouTube posts that says Pulskamp and the City Council are dead-set on turning Santa Clarita into New York City West.
At frist NAFF accused me of censoring his comments, a claim that is laughable on its face since I’m not a government agency and I reserve the right to edit, approve, and otherwise post content on my privately owned site.
Then NAFF told me, “I am guessing that you (Jeff Wilson),as a struggling 40ish writer, have not achieved the American Dream and are jealous of those who have.”
Dead wrong NAFF!
I’m a struggling 30ish writer who’s quite proud of my achievements.
All this back ‘n forth inspired Bossert to go all Bill O’Reilly on me, accusing me of being a member of the “far left” camp who wants to redistribute wealth rather than work and earn my “own slice of the American dream.”
Yeah, that’s exactly who I am. I don’t wake up each morning at 4:30, search for relevant news for my readers, write everything that appears on the site myself, and hope people enjoy it. I’m not busting my butt to make this a better place through posting relevant topics and information and encouraging respectful discussion, all the while maintaining a 40 hour a week job, an active social life, and commuting places on my bicycle.
So just how long will Bossert throw his own pity party? I’m not sure, but there’s even less reason to visit his site now that Tim Myers has gone back to The Signal. Perhaps Tim shouldn’t have informed Bossert of his decision at all and instead just invited Bossert to call 661-367-2388.
Dave. Get over it. You’ve been rejected.
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Hey Jeff. You do seem to bend to the far left. I hope you have achieved the American Dream as you wish to define it. These days it is tough to defend and maintain that dream; this because so many are demanding that someone else pay their way.
The mouth from the west is just that, and a big one I might add.
You do a fine job with this blog and I appreciate your effort. I must assume that the blog is part of your dream, or you would be spending your time differently. Many have had to work 60 to 70 hours a week to build their dream. A price not without sacrifice, and perhaps too expensive for some.
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I thought it was a great move of Dave’s to bring TIm on in the first place, but one has to wonder if it was just to spite the Signal. He should also have taken notice that Myers doesn’t shake off his publishers lightly. It’s now obvious that Bossert doesn’t cast off talent lightly. You’d be crazy to write for this man after this fiasco. Interesting that with all this supposed reader e-mail about Tim Myers and his “liberal ways”, the only comment to Simon Weston’s juvenile diatribe was a perfect one-liner from Tim.
You’re right Jeff, Bossert does hardly any news whatsoever, and beyond linking like the Drudge Report, he actually lifts entire paragraphs verbatim from news stories without attribution. Nearly all stories are either out of context or old news for anyone who reads a major paper. He frequently regurgitates press releases without labeling them as such.
He’s got a definite point of view, as do most of his columnists, which is always interesting, but there are illusions of grandeur of his civic role and the mission of his website that are rather pathetic.
He shouldn’t be one to talk about censoring comments, either.
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I haven’t had a 40 hour-a-week job since I was a teenager. I have long envyed those that can work 40 hours, take 2,3,4 or more weeks in vacation time every year and be totally able to forget what’s going on in the office while they’re away. I guess that’s what grates on others like me who watch as 1/2 their check vanishes every week while many sit around watching Oprah and wait for the postal carrier to bring them their check. Cash is correct. When my daughter, a democrat, got her first “real” job and received her first “real” paycheck I had to laugh we she said, “dad, they took away almost a third of my check with deductions!” You can imagine my response.
Jeff, you have a full-time job yet you still find time to keep this blog going. It’s an obvious passion that you have and a job well done. Those of us who can, do. Those of us who can’t, wait until someone else does it for them.
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Being one who tends to lean right, I appreciate your insight and perspective. I try to keep a balanced view of things, and Although I have linked the WRB I rarely visit it, I find your summaries more relevant, and thus only read in depth what really catches my interest.
I am usually content to just quitely sit in the corner and read what other have posted here, but on this I just had to speak out.
Bossert is a Republican that gives conservatives a bad name. Someone who blames every misstep, or slight as a personal attack of the left wing, rarely if ever taking the time to do some personal introspection.
I thank you for what you do here, before I found your site I was very much in the dark about local politics accept when it came to the SCV Historical Society (for whom I docent), and even then it was not always clear.
So keep up your left wing work and I will keep reading it so I can make sure my view are tempered and have both sides of the story.