CONSIDER THIS: Chuy Aguilera and the Art of Lying

By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

Michael Rodriguez

I was out of the office Tuesday due to a bad case of food poisoning. Simply put, I thought I was going to vomit a lung. So there I was, lying in bed trying not to breathe because relentless puking had made me so sore that even so much as laughing felt like I was cracking a rib. Still, as sick as I was, nothing made me more nauseous than the information that was shared with me that evening.

I received a phone call from someone who informed me that Chuy Aguilera of Chuy’s Custom Sports had name-dropped me during one of his marathon public comment speeches at the regular board meeting on Tuesday night. I watched the meeting on the district’s YouTube channel Wednesday and was utterly disgusted to hear Chuy claim that the “San Benito News” had called him to inquire about whether San Benito CISD Board President Yliana González was getting a divorce and if she was having an affair. He then proceeded to go into detail about another fabrication, alleging that he had also questioned why we’re not talking about men having affairs and claimed further that my reaction was to just drop it—none of which is true, by the way.

I’m not sure what world Chuy is living in, but it’s not in the world of reality. Neither I nor anyone at the San Benito News have ever called Chuy for the sole purpose of maliciously prying into González’ personal life. I can attest to the fact that it’s often come up, in more than one conversation, but only ever in the context of condemning those who commented about it on sbnewspaper.com and elsewhere.

In other words, I didn’t just call Chuy one day and say, “Hey, Chuy. How’s it going? So is it true that Yliana is getting a divorce and having an affair?”

Please.

This technique of lying is quite common. They’ll take the truth, remove it from its original context so it becomes a half-truth, concoct an entirely different context and then call it gospel. Chuy has mastered this, the art of lying that is. I can testify to as much especially after I called him Wednesday to question him about his little speech. To say that he was evasive would be an understatement. After Chuy maintained that such a telephone conversation did take place and tried to back it up by stating that his mother was in the room at the time (not sure what that proves, but O.K.), I attempted to correct him about how all our past conversations regarding González have taken place. His reaction was to pull that third grade routine of talking over me in a laughable attempt at aggression.

In order to get anywhere with Chuy, you have to meet him at his game. So I obliged and began speaking more aggressively. He later conceded the fact that he likes to say whatever he wants during public comments—whether what he’s saying is true or not—but doesn’t want to be held accountable for what he says either. How convenient.

I scored a victory in the debate, if you want to call it that, when he continued to resort to schoolyard antics by saying, “You and your mom and everybody will not tell me what to do! You can say whatever you want in your (expletive) paper, because I don’t give a (expletive). You can kiss my (expletive)!” Then he hung up. I’m not entirely certain what my mother or “everybody” has to do with this, but I can only assume that he attempted to get personal and thought that maybe it might get me upset. I suppose if I was a child, it might. Instead, I called him back and explained to him that I’d be doing my talking in the paper if he refused to hear me out (that usually happens when people don’t want to be corrected).

I once knew this man as a merchant the community was blessed to have, largely due to the fact that his funding of the Los Indios NFL Flag Football League offers area children with an outlet and also because of his propensity to help those in need. For instance, Chuy purchased a casket for a little girl who tragically died over a year ago.

I want to know that man again, because the man who I just spoke to on Wednesday and who was untruthful at Tuesday evening’s board meeting is someone else. Exorcise those demons once and for all, Chuy. Then man up and come see me when you’re ready to be held accountable for the venom you spew.

In closing, the ironic thing is that in Chuy’s attempt to distract attention away from the rumors surrounding González’ personal life, he only served to make it public. With that said, I want one thing to be made clear: No one deserves their personal life to be thrust into the spotlight. I have worked long and hard to keep the board president’s personal life out of the paper because it has nothing to do with our news coverage. It’s a shame that the actions of one man served to render such attempts futile. In responding to Chuy’s blatant lies, I am in no way validating his remarks about González but only refuting the claims he made regarding our involvement.