'MY VIEW' BY DON SORCHYCH | JULY 27, 2011


Don Sorchych My View

Enjoy C4


We received a lot of mail concerning Geno Riley who is really Eugene Riley from Tatum Ranch. There are many detectives out there and they all found most of what there is to know about this despicable person. Linda Bentley has corralled all the information in her front page news article in this week’s online issue.

Riley is the guy who wrote a lying deceitful boycott e-mail to the wrong business owner, Todd Newman, owner of the Cave Creek Coffee Company (C4). Newman met him head on by publishing his answer to Riley’s fables and Riley’s e-mail as well.

We wonder how Riley would react to boycott threats in the business he owns. Cowards like him would likely capitulate, pleading on his knees.

editorial cartoon by bil canfield
His e-mail and the mailed letter share outrageous claims about what Sonoran News is. We mail to six zip codes and have a readership of as much as 240,000 each month, not counting our weekly online edition and I have yet to hear what follows next.

Riley wrote, “That so-called ‘newspaper’ is nothing short of a disgusting rag of hate. The ‘Enquirer’ has a higher standard of journalism ethics.”

He has a right to his opinion but how would he know? As an airport employee and pool company operator I doubt he has anywhere near the knowledge that experienced newspaper professionals do. Yet, we have some 80 awards from annual competitions, judged by out-of-state professional newspaper people from our 17 years in the business. We are the only one that has that distinction in our market area except the Arizona Republic.

We are not a “shopper.” We give two solid pages to three editorials and letters to the editor. The area speaks their opinions through our printed and online newspapers. Maybe Riley doesn’t fathom the First Amendment and is angry that people speak their mind in Sonoran News.

In the concluding paragraph he wrote:

“If you ever decide to stop advertising in that disgusting and offensive rumor based trash talking, mean spirited editorial rag, please drop me an e-mail as we would love to come back someday.”

I have looked through several Sonoran News editions and edit every one. Only a way, way, left wing nut case could describe this paper in those hysterical terms. Read Linda Bentley’s article, which will tell you who “Geno” Riley is.

When C4 owner Todd Newman wrote me and disclosed Riley’s letter I missed an attachment – a letter addressed to the writer of the anonymous letters mailed to Sonoran News advertisers in late June. Here it is:

Dear Blank [anonymous] letter writer,
Let’s get one thing straight right out of the gate, you are NOT my neighbor!  My neighbors are the many folks in this town who rallied around our family and our business when my wife had a stroke.  My neighbors are those wonderful people who helped out in any way they could to help us keep our business alive while we were dealing with complications of my wife’s stroke for 6 months.  My neighbors were those who offered prayers, encouragement, and support.  My neighbors left groceries at our home just so we would have something quick to eat between hospital runs, they offered to take our daughter to and from school, brought her lunch, cleaned up weeds around the coffee shop, and (I could go on and on!).  You are nothing like a neighbor, so please don’t insult mine.

Anyone who willfully harms any business in our wonderful Cave Creek community because they don’t agree with the editor of a newspaper or a “controversial publication” as you put it is certainly not a neighbor of mine.  How dare you think that you have the right to control where I advertise and take away my freedom of choice!  I firmly believe in the freedoms that I have in this country.  I will be damned if I will allow a subversive group hidden behind a veil of secrecy with an agenda to intimidate my business or my family under the guise of being a neighbor.  

A neighbor would want to see each and every business in this town be successful.  For you to threaten businesses with the intent to control what publications they advertise in and by willfully harming them by word of mouth guilt by association is disheartening.  I advertise in a lot of publications though I may not agree with some or all of their content, I know I have customers who read these publications or websites and respect them.  I advertise intentionally as effort to make sure that we are reaching out to our complete customer base.
One of the things that I love about this town is the eclectic and diverse opinions, spirited debates, and then the willingness to put politics, religion, and all things aside to jump in to lend a helping hand to a member of the community that is in need.  Those are the individuals I call a neighbor.  Although I appreciate your assistance with my adverting budget and respect your right to shop where you desire, I still possess the unique ability to educate myself and form my own opinion, thank you but I don’t need someone to do that for me.

However, I do want thank you for reinforcing my view that there are still narrow minded people who blindly follow others and hide behind a veil of secrecy in order to cause harm to others.  You are precisely the reason our country is in the shape it is in today.  If you want to be really effective why don’t you all list your names in the Scottsdale Republic, City Sun Times, New Times, Desert Foothills Focus, North Valley Magazine, and other publications so that all of us who are “Being Watched” and others in the town can decide if they want to do business with you?  If you send me the list I will pay to have it published for you.  In the spirit of advertising fairness if there is a particularly favorite publication of yours please send a check for $450 and I will be happy to place an ad there too!
Sincerely,

Todd Newman
Cave Creek Coffee Company
P.O. Box 4650
Cave Creek, AZ 85331