When Truth Doesn't Matter - Neither Do we

Despite Trump - The Truth Matters

by Bill Gouveia

Donald Trump has manipulated the media into a position where no matter what they do — he wins. It’s a politically brilliant and morally bankrupt philosophy that just might propel him to second term in the White House.

He has officially abandoned any pretense of valuing the truth. In the Trump White House, truth is irrelevant. It is meaningless. It is a distraction, an obstacle to be overcome in order to achieve what Trump values above all else — political victory and personal credit.

This president is a pathological liar, virtually without values or conscience. He lies so much and so blatantly that covering and documenting every single lie would be a full-time job. He knows that, and benefits from it.

Trump has skillfully managed to make a large segment of the voting population care more about the media calling the President a liar than the fact the President actually is usually lying. Quite frankly, it is impossible to cover him with any accuracy without pointing out how often and boldly he lies.

But when networks and news organizations report this — he calls them out for being unfair. To his supporters and many in the middle, this immediately negates that reporting. It is presumed the President is being attacked, and if he perhaps stretched the truth a bit — well, that’s the media’s fault for picking on him.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Trump doesn’t deal in truth, he only deals in blame. And he’s winning the blame game — huge.

But let’s be clear about a few indisputable and undeniable facts.

This president lies purposely for political advantage, blatantly and unapologetically. He doesn’t even try and hide it anymore. He doesn’t have to, because no one other than some in the media even bother to call him on it.

Few Republicans in the House and Senate who are not retiring have the courage to point out Trump’s lies. They know he’s lying, but they are afraid to confront him. They are gutless cowards, more worried about their own political futures than the government or the country.

This President has recently lied about the record of Retired Admiral William McRaven, the decorated Navy Seal commander who led the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. He just lied about the California wildfires, disrespecting first responders and people who lost everything. Yet, from the Republicans — crickets.

But I’ll stop there, because frankly this is how Trump wins. We point out the details of his lies, and then that becomes the focus rather than the real issue. His supporters don’t care if he lies, as long as their political goals are advanced. He’s a liar — but he’s their liar.

The President of the United States is a proven pathological liar. That’s a fact we can’t change and must live with for at least the next two years.

But don’t pretend this is business as usual. Don’t claim other presidents have done this. No one has ever disrespected the truth like Donald Trump. This is not comparable to any other administration. This is a purposeful destruction of democracy.

Truth matters. And when it doesn’t — neither do we.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

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Get out and vote tomorrow - No excuses

GET OUT AND VOTE TOMORROW

By Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

Tomorrow is Election Day. Many reading this now may have already voted early.

While this writer does not endorse candidates for office, my columns often talk about them. In this election, there are many worth discussing on the national, state, and local level. Given space limitations, I’d like to discuss three races and sets of candidates that have made strong impressions on me.

In the race for state representative in Attleboro, the city cannot go wrong. Both incumbent Jim Hawkins and challenger Julie Hall are intelligent, articulate candidates with strong records of public service.

But Hawkins has been a great representative in the months since he defeated Hall in a special election. His knowledge of the issues is impressive, his handling of difficult political situations has been superb, and his humor and humility have made it easy to like and respect him. Win or lose, he has earned this re-election opportunity.

State Senator Richard Ross of Wrentham has been a huge disappointment. His refusal to debate his opponent, or even respond to invitations to do so, reflects poorly on the veteran senator.

I don’t know much about his opponent Rebecca Rausch, but she and the people of the district deserved better than this. Ross has not really explained his actions or reasoning, but he appears to be taking his voters for granted. He probably will win tomorrow — but doesn’t deserve the victory.

Perhaps the most fiercely contested local race is for state senate in the Bristol and Norfolk district, which includes part of Attleboro and many other Sun Chronicle area communities. In this battle, Senator Paul Feeney is in a rematch with Jacob Ventura, who has worked for state representative Steven Howitt in the past. Feeney edged Ventura last year in a three-way race.

Feeney has been a positive force in the area, very active in the district and working on real problems that the state can and should address. His record during his short time in office thus far is both impressive and undeniable.

Ventura is a bright, articulate gentleman who has worked very hard campaigning for the last year or two. But despite his claims, he has not been centered on the issues truly affecting the working-class people of his district. Ventura has relied heavily on negativity and distortion to try and discredit and defeat Feeney.

Backed by far right wing groups like the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, Ventura has tried to follow President Trump and ride “immigration issues” to victory. He falsely claims Feeney wants to turn Massachusetts into a “sanctuary state,” and of not supporting public safety agencies and officials.

Ventura has enough going for himself that he doesn’t need to resort to these tactics. It’s sad that he has continued to use them.

People will point out those I have praised here are primarily Democrats, like myself. But at this level, I find party designation to be irrelevant. It is much more about the individual candidates, which is why I give credit to Republican representatives like Jay Barrows of Mansfield who always serves his district well.

If you haven’t voted, please do so tomorrow. And if you don’t vote — don’t complain.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Grandson, Gronk, Fingernails - Who Knew?

Watching Grandson's Nails Go Gronk Viral
by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

If you’ve never had the opportunity to watch as your 5-year-old grandson goes viral and takes over the internet, let me tell you – it’s quite an experience.

As Jim Hand’s front page story reported here (Sun Chronicle, October 24), my grandson Sam Gouveia recently ran into a problem involving fingernail polish, gender expectations, and what my son Aaron (Sam’s dad) refers to as “toxic masculinity”.  I won’t go over the whole thing in my limited space here. 

Suffice to say he wore nail polish to school, and was devastated to be teased by kids and told “that’s for girls”.  He could not understand why even some of his friends were being mean just because he likes “pretty nails”.  He was inconsolable, and initially wanted to take off the polish to stop the teasing.

In many households the story would have ended with Sam removing the polish, conforming to societal gender norms, and blending in.  But my son Aaron and his wife MJ believe in two things above pretty much everything else:  Loving their kids, and teaching them to always respectfully stand up and be themselves.

They talked to him, asking if he liked wearing the polish.  He said he did.  They told him polish was not “just for girls”, and that many men wore it too.  Sammy was skeptical.

At that point Aaron turned to the internet, where he is a “Dad Blogger” of some considerable repute.  He posted and tweeted pictures of Sam and laid out the situation, saying it was outrageous that in this day and age this type of mentality was still being passed along to future generations.  “He cited “toxic masculinity” and bemoaned the loss of his son’s ability to simply be himself.  That’s the short version.

The response from people across the world – not just the country – was swift, overwhelming, and totally unexpected though tremendously appreciated.

Sammy’s story was posted on sites and in newspapers across the globe.  Aside from the Sun Chronicle, he was in the Boston Globe, Good Morning America, ABC News, Yahoo, People.com, BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, and newspapers and sites in the United Kingdom and even in China.  Aaron’s original Twitter feed has been re-tweeted over 30,000 times and counting.  Sammy has appeared on television stations across America, and has been among the top stories on major national news sites. 

The response has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive, although there have been negative comments and reaction as well.  Sam went back to school in newly-applied polish, supported by teachers, administrators and citizens of his community.  In fact, some across the Twitter universe wore nail polish on Friday of last week in support of Sammy.

It came to a head Saturday, when Patriot All-Pro Rob Gronkowski tweeted a video message of support to Sammy on the Patriots Twitter account.  Sammy was ecstatic – though I think Dad, Uncle Nate and Grandpa were even more excited

On Friday I attended the annual conference of the Massachusetts Moderator’s Association.  I don’t know if my fellow Moderators noticed, but I did so proudly rocking painted fingernails.  All in support of my grandson and his parents.

It’s been a great week to be a Grandpa and a Dad.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official.  He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Boston Fans Behavior A Bit Overblown

Who's Obsessed and Arrogant?  Us?

by Bill Gouveia

Despite the fact the Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs played perhaps the most entertaining and intense game of the entire NFL season two Sunday nights ago, the actions of a handful of fans — one in particular — seems to be commanding a lot of local and national attention.

And rightly so, to a point.

A 21-year-old Mansfield man is under investigation for tossing a beer into the face of Chief’s receiver Tyreek Hill after he burned the Patriots for an amazing 75 yard touchdown reception late in the final quarter. He was also greeted by several New England fans with an all-too-familiar obscene gesture known as “flipping the bird.”

The Patriots organization, with local police, identified the beer-thrower and took swift action in less than 24 hours. He is banned for life from all Gillette Stadium events, and will be referred to authorities for possible charges.

In the meantime, the national narrative has returned to how awful Boston fans are. How they are generally obsessed Neanderthals who have no lives other than their local sports franchises, and the most obnoxious fan base in the entire country.

I’ll agree with at least part of that.

As a dedicated and lifetime Boston sports fan, let me fully admit to the obsession aspect. Professional sports in these parts has always been taken more seriously than in other places outside the Northeast. Of course, there are levels of said obsession. It is possible to be an avid Boston sports fan without being a bit over the top — though I admit to not quite understanding how.

As a 47-year Patriots season ticket holder, I’ll also agree with the obnoxious charge. As a stereotypical group, we are hard to take. Two decades of unprecedented success has brought our smugness to new levels. Add three Red Sox championships in the last 14 years (and possibly another this year), and it gets worse.

But in my nearly five decades of going to Patriot games, I have to tell you Pats fans are generally not poorly behaved at the stadium. Since the Kraft family bought the team, they have enforced better conduct at the stadium. For the first 20 years or so I had my tickets? Well, that was another story. The tales of crazy and unlawful behavior at the old Schaeffer/Sullivan/Foxboro stadium were pretty disgusting.

But the rise in criticism of Boston fans is directly related to the rise in success of Boston teams. And that just goes with the territory.

Let’s be clear. The idiot who threw a beer at an opposing player deserves the lifetime ban. That borders on assault, and should never be tolerated. He deserves to face charges.

But having attended Patriot games in New York, Pittsburgh, Oakland (talk about criminal behavior) and many other places, let me tell you Gillette is far from the worst. That doesn’t excuse the recent behavior, but it is not unique nor unprecedented.

It’s still wrong, and Patriot fans need to be better than that. But we are not totally obsessed idiots.

Now excuse me while I find my lucky shirt and drape it over my life-size Tom Brady statue in the bedroom.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and a longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

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Not Just Dangerous For Young Men...

This column appeared in the Sun Chronicle on Friday, October 12, 2018

AN INSIDE LOOK

By Bill Gouveia

            “This is a very scary time for young men in America…”

            That was how President Trump responded recently when asked about the impact of the Supreme Court Kavanaugh confirmation hearings on the country.  Trump clearly sees Justice Kavanaugh as the only victim in this situation.  He has ridiculed and insulted the woman who testified she was sexually assaulted and clearly and unambiguously identified her attacker at great personal risk.

            But he does not limit it to just the Kavanaugh situation.  The President of the United States believes this is a dangerous time for young men.  He expressed concern for them in today’s society, citing “evil people” who threaten them. 

And what about young women?  Does he also believe it is a dangerous time for them?  When directly asked if he had a message for young women given recent events, President Trump seemed totally unconcerned.

“Women are fine”, he said dismissively, then turned and walked onto his Presidential helicopter, headed to make yet another political speech.

Women aren’t fine, Mr. President.  They are strong.  They are brave.  They are smart.  They are growing in political power and confidence.  They are continuing their fight for equality under the law, in government, and in our society.  They are helping their brothers, husbands, sons and other men better understand that they don’t need to be cared for – they need to be cared about.

It’s perfectly fine for you to be worried about young men, President Trump.  You should be worried about all young people.  But you seem obsessed with your own experiences.  Sir, the lessons we preach are never as effective as the lessons we teach by example, by how we act towards others.

For generations, we as a society made it nearly impossible for women who had been abused to step forward.  We made reporting abuse and sexual assault a badge of dishonor for the victim.  We expected women to simply understand it was a man’s world, and they weren’t cut out to run it. 

It has been less than a century since women earned the right to vote in this country.  It has been less than half a century since women were given control of their own bodies.  And it was only 13 years ago a man who would become the 45^th President of the United States was taped saying the following:

“You know, I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything…Grab ’em by the p***y. You can do anything.

We should thank him for a great teaching moment.  You have to wonder if he still believes “they let you do it”. 

“They” aren’t letting anyone do it anymore, Mr. President.  Women are standing up for themselves.  And while you think that puts young men in danger, it doesn’t.

But it does put sexual predators in danger.  It puts those who still believe “you can do anything” in danger.  It means the days you apparently still long for are finally ending. 

And that is great news for all Americans.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and a longtime local official.  He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

Mayor Needs Perspective With Opponents

It's Just Not Always About You, Mr. Mayor...

Being mayor of a city is a tough job. It requires intelligence, strong character, political savvy, and a great deal of perspective. It also involves often having to deal with people who — to put it mildly — might be something short of supportive.

Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux has demonstrated all these attributes during his time in office. But if there is one thing he needs to work on, it’s that last one — perspective.

Heroux has had his share of tiffs with local politicians and activists, as every mayor inevitably does. While his record of accomplishment is considerable, his handling of criticism and opposition has been poor. The most recent example was his spat with former city councilor Roxanne Houghton.

Houghton supported the mayor in the past, but lately has been severely critical. She went public about an apparent inadvertent violation of state pesticide laws. She complained about other city services and demanded the mayor take action. She filed a public document request seeking some of Heroux’s emails.

The mayor says she has been abusive towards him and other officials. In response, Heroux threatened to ban her from attending meetings of his recently-formed Highland Country Club task force. In an email Houghton made public, Heroux wrote:

“I’m warning you right now that if you show up at any of my future use meetings I will have the police remove you immediately…”

Heroux eventually reversed himself, saying he had misinterpreted a conversation with the city solicitor. He points out he could keep the public out of task force meetings completely. However, he admits he cannot selectively exclude individuals. He explained that to Houghton and apologized.

While Heroux now understands he cannot selectively ban certain people from public meetings, it is important to note he says he would have, if he could have. Sorry, but threatening to have someone removed by police just for showing up at a meeting is unacceptable behavior from the head of any local government.

As a town moderator, I have had to threaten to remove people from a public meeting for their behavior. But never just for being there. That would be wrong.

Mayor Heroux bristles at any suggestion he is politically sensitive, or “thin skinned”. However, his statements and actions indicate some merit to that suggestion. Handling criticism and opposition — reasonable and unreasonable, fair and unfair — is a huge part of the job, one Heroux has performed poorly during his time in office.

He states some councilors are working with Houghton in a manner that “selfishly” takes away time that he should be spending on city business. However, sometimes people just disagree. It is not always personal, or a political plot.

Heroux points out there are 43,000 people in Attleboro, and says those who waste his time hurt them and the city.

Leading a city government is not easy. No official should be the target of actual abuse. If Houghton or anyone has done that, they should be reported to authorities.

But when it comes to reasonableness and perspective, the standard for a mayor has to be higher. Mayor Heroux needs to improve in those areas, and understand it is simply not always about him.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

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Kids Of All Ages Still Love Planes

All Generations Love The Local Airport

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

There’s something about airplanes that fascinates children — even if they are only young at heart. As grandparents, my wife and I are very happy to take advantage of that.

When I was a kid (yes, I was young once) airplanes were not as sophisticated as they are today. Most of the people I knew had never been up in one. It was only a decade or two after World War II, and as kids we ran around our yard with our arms spread wide, imitating the fighter planes and pilots we saw on television and in the movies.

The nearest big airport was in Boston, a far-off place if you were living here back then. The big jets were not something we saw regularly. But if we ventured to nearby Mansfield, we could enjoy the magic of smaller airplanes close up. We could hear them, see them, and marvel at the way they soared into the air or returned safely to the ground.

We could go to the Mansfield Airport.

My maternal grandparents lived in Mansfield, and we always took “the back roads” to go visit them. That took us right past the airport every time, and we would always plead with my mom to take us up to the big fence that separated the parking lot from the planes.

She didn’t stop that often, but my grandparents — that was a different story. My grandfather would pull up right to the fence and we would eagerly put our faces right up to that barrier in order to feel closer to those magical machines that both roared and soared.

We would get excited when we saw a pilot walk out toward the plane. And when the engines finally kicked in, and the propellers twirled, we would strain our eyes to watch it go to the end of the runway and then cheer as it sped back and up into the clouds.

Pretty boring stuff now, right? With all the entertainment options available today, you wouldn’t think it would be much of an attraction.

That airport in Mansfield is still there, although it looks a lot different. The big hangers are in different places, the planes are much fancier, and there is even a restaurant now where you can have breakfast or lunch while watching the comings and goings. There is a fenced-in area with tables and a wooden plane just perfect for young kids to climb on and imagine they are owning the skies.

Our grandsons live nearby, and we take them there regularly. Tommy is the youngest, and is wild about the airport. He begs to go all the time. He’d rather do that than watch “Beat Bugs” on cable TV or play a game on our cellphones (well, most of the time anyway).

The look on his face and the excitement he feels reminds me of when I was a kid. The feeling I get while watching him helps me understand why my grandparents brought us there so many times.

Some things are generational, while others manage to cross those boundaries. The airport is one we can still share.

Bill Gouveia is a Sun Chronicle columnist and longtime local official. Reach him at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

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Keep The Issues Local In Local Election

Local Elections?  Stick To Local Issues

by Bill Gouveia for the Sun Chronicle

It is a sad commentary on our political system that elections have become less about the issues that actually fall within the jurisdiction of the elected positions themselves, and more about simply being an outlet for the hate and distrust so rampant throughout every level of government and society.

There is an old saying when it comes to elections: If you can dictate what is discussed, it greatly increases your chances of winning. Control the topics — control the election.

This philosophy is being used in the race for state senate in the Bristol and Norfolk district, which includes Foxboro, Mansfield, Norton, Rehoboth, Seekonk and half of Attleboro. In a rematch from just last year, incumbent Democratic Senator Paul Feeney of Foxboro will again face Attleboro Republican Jacob Ventura. In 2017, Feeney defeated Ventura, with an independent candidate also in the mix.

This time the race boils down to just the two, and the dynamics have changed. Feeney now has a record to run on and defend, and Ventura now can focus entirely on one opponent as well as touting his own qualifications.

But last week, Ventura made clear two of the top issues he intends to run on are illegal immigration and sanctuary cities. This is despite the fact neither of these controversial and emotional issues are actually before the state legislature, or likely to be. They generate much more political heat than actual impact on the constituents of the district.

Ventura is focusing on an old amendment to the budget — eventually defeated by the House — that would have limited exchanges of information between local police and federal immigration authorities. He claims this would have contributed to Massachusetts becoming “a sanctuary state,” and that such a move would hurt the fight against gangs like MS13.

He is backed by the conservative group Mass Fiscal Alliance, which targets Democratic elected officials with a social media assault on those very topics. They mailed fliers against many Democratic candidates just before the last election, and are the facing official complaints about failing to reveal their political donors as required by law.

Feeney says the group is a prime example of “dark money” political groups that seek to influence local elections from outside the districts.

There are so many crucial issues that should be the focus of debate between local candidates. State spending, local aid, educational funding, the opiate crisis, the MBTA, transparency in state government, infrastructure improvements, school building funding reform, and ongoing regional sewer issues just to name a few. Those are the things voters of the Bristol and Norfolk district expect their leaders to address.

Using the “dog whistle” topic of illegal immigration to attract attention is unwise and wrong. It’s an attempt to cash in on fear and distrust, and distracts from the very real issues a state senator should be taking on. It is a reflection of the current national election strategy – make people angry and defensive, then harness the negative energy to try and win office.

Too many elections lately have been driven by hatred and negativity rather than issues. Here’s hoping local voters don’t allow this to be yet another one.

Bill Gouveia is a local columnist and a longtime local official. He can be emailed at billsinsidelook@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @Billinsidelook.

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