Real Name: Chris Cobler Address: 311 E. Constitution St. Victoria, TX 77901 Gender: male Member Since: September 16, 2007 Last Signed In: October 11, 2008 Profile Views: 2299 Blog Views: 14339 Who's Got Spirit? We hope our readers are the ultimate winners Can you tell the election is only a month away? Where do you turn for listings about businesses? Crikey, why did we write about alligator hunting? Aggies, butterflies, Pandora radio, and keeping Victoria beautiful What turns regular people into monsters? What is it about stories involving dogs? What new technology will change the world? Be true to your school September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 
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How do you keep track of all the accusations?
Two or three weeks ago, Scott Hanson hung up on me after I became exasperated by his criticism that the Advocate wasn't digging hard enough into Victoria District Attorney Stephen Tyler. We're doing all we can, I told Hanson, also known as Sailor on our discussion forums.
Then Thursday night, Public Service Editor Gabe Semenza called me right before the start of the Bach Festival performance to tell me Tyler had accused the Advocate of helping to write the recall petition. As I said in today's story, that's outrageously false. I left a message with the district attorney this morning to ask why he would make such a ridiculous accusation without a shred of evidence. You might say the newspaper is under attack from both sides. I see this as evidence that we're being fair. We will continue to do so. It's up to the public and a judge to decide whether there's merit to the group's recall petition. We haven't posted the petition yet because Hanson did not provide it to us Thursday. We're still working to get it this morning from the courthouse. I certainly understand why people might be confused by the entire mess. You have to be following closely the twists and turns of this saga. Even then, we still don't know all of the facts surrounding the investigation into Michael Ratcliff, the DA's former chief of staff and a former sheriff. We're working to post all of our coverage under special reports to help you digest it. We're not finished re-posting and organizing the dozens of articles we've published on the subject in the past year, but librarian Robbi Patterson is working hard on this. If you'd like to know anything else about the Advocate's coverage, please let us know. My direct number is 361-574-1271. 5 comments from 5 users
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posted by
ragman
on Jun 21, 2008 at 01:48 AM
The fact that both sides are attacking The Advocate proves one thing: you must be doing a heck of a job! posted by
ChrisCobler
on Jun 20, 2008 at 02:21 PM
Luminary,We'll watch out for the zealots, vigilantes, demons and mad dogs. Every source has an agenda. That doesn't mean their concerns shouldn't be heard and investigated. That's what a newspaper does. Robert, I hear you about voting them all out of office. I might have voted with you last night when Gabe called me, but that seems a bit rash upon reflection. In my experience, most locally elected officials are good people. The exceptions shouldn't overshadow the rule. Bighorn, Good advice to try to stay about the fray. We'll keep trying. posted by
Luminary
on Jun 20, 2008 at 02:15 PM
Zealots and vigilantes are always blind to the facts because of the demons in their head. When you try to curry favor with them for a headline or story you become complicit with their agenda. Once you feed that monster they feel in control. You should not be surprised when the mad dog bites you. posted by
roberttx
on Jun 20, 2008 at 10:32 AM
I agree, vote them ALL out: sheriff, city council, mayor, DA <<<<< once again, VOTE THEM ALL OUT.
posted by
bighorn
on Jun 20, 2008 at 10:25 AM
I'm afraid you guys had this coming when you took ANY side in this fiasco. Editorials, when labeled as such, should be welcome by the public. But the declaration that the DA was wrong minded in the indictment of City officials has drawn a line in the sand. Again, the newspaper has a role in the community. I suppose your past and future reporting will determine that role. Interesting that both sides seem to think the VicAd are against them and contributing to the opposing side. Could it be that both sides are overly defensive? Again, understandable given the nature of various charges, and the size of our community. Unfortunately, the false accusations and "behind closed door meetings" are only adding to the general publics confusion. And in turn, our paranoia. One conclusion? SEND THE WHOLE BUNCH BACK HOME AT ELECTION TIME!!!. My God, third graders would exhibit more common sense and self control than our "leaders". Chris, I can understand how it would be horribly difficult to be objective when hit the "hang-ups" and "late night" phone calls from both sides. Try to stay above the fray.
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