BY: EDITORIAL BOARD
The Editorial Board of MaineToday Media often posts “Our View” editorials which appear in its publications such as Portland Press Herald, Morning Sentinel/Kennebec Journal and other publications it owns. Their “View” often reflects only the views held by the social elite and progressive liberals of Southern Maine and rarely, if ever, reflects the view of hard working every day Maine citizens throughout the rest of Maine. This is the MJN View to counter MaineToday Media’s “View” that the Capitol Police Chief, Russ Gauvin should step down and resign over what it calls “false social media posts.”
Chief Gauvin made posts on his social media account which reflected his personal opinions about the November election and other issues. Now he is being vilified for his thoughts and opinions by the progressive left and the Editorial Board at MaineToday media. How soon those same people forget that President Trump was called an illegitimate president for 4 years by those on the left. Hillary Clinton lamented that Trump “stole” the election and repeated that opinion recently, “I was the candidate that they basically stole the election from.” Hillary Clinton still hasn’t accepted the results of the 2016 election. The Washington Post was calling for impeachment within 19 minutes of President Trump being sworn into office. These thoughts and are opinions about the election and presidency are acceptable to the left because they align with their own beliefs. Chief Gauvin’s opinions are not acceptable to the left so he must be canceled by the media and his career must be placed in jeopardy.
MaineToday Media’s editorial board writes “Gauvin’s social media activities were discovered by reporters at Mainer, an alternative monthly magazine. They found that Gauvin regularly took positions popular on the far right, including posts and articles questioning the use of masks to slow the spread of COVID-19. Gov. Mills issued an emergency order requiring people to wear masks in public places, including the State House, which Gauvin’s department is supposed to patrol.” There are plenty of medical professionals who have also questioned the use of masks and whether they are beneficial to slow the spread of COVID but let’s destroy the Capitol Police chief’s reputation because the left disagrees with his opinions. Perhaps the editorial board should identify themselves so they can be put under the same scrutiny for their opinions to which they are subjecting Chief Gauvin.
MaineToday Media quite benevolently states that “Gauvin has a First Amendment Right to speak his mind” but completes that sentence with “but he does not have a right to a government job.” According to the editorial board, “you can’t be a government employee and spread anti-government sentiment at the same time.” I’d like to ask the editorial board “Since when?” Here are examples of government employees spreading anti-government sentiment AND inciting violence.
- Senator Cory Booker (D) concluded an address by encouraging people not to be passive. “Go to the Hill today. Please, get up in the face of some congresspeople,” he said.
- Representative Maxine Waters (D) said, “Let’s make sure we show up wherever we have to show up. And if you see anybody from that cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere. We’ve got to get the children connected to their parents.”
- Senator Tim Kaine (D) called on liberals to fight in the streets against Trump and his supporters.
- Representative Ayanna Pressley (D) has called for unrest in the streets to pressure GOP officials who support the president.
- President Obama (D) said: “If they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun.”
According to MaineToday Media “His (Gauvin’s) resignation would send a message that words have consequences. It would remind everyone that real harm can result from spreading made-up stories. And it would send a powerful message that even though we have a right to free speech, we all need to take responsibility for what we say.” Apparently, the comments and sentiments by the democrats set forth above are perfectly acceptable to MaineToday Media because they were made by those on the left. A conservative police chief, however, must be completely destroyed for his opinions even with his forced apology. Hypocrites.
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Chief Gauvin is an honorable man whom I had the pleasure of working for at Portland PD as a dispatcher. He does not deserve any mistreatment for expressing his opinions. Is this still a “Free” country??
This is shameful. No thoughts/support of violence, just questioning the narrative and expressing his opinion, which does not seem to be preventing him from doing his job. Is the 1st amendment still a thing? Or just to those on the left?