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Beaty, 57, is a real estate manager who served a 14-month term in federal prison for threatening to kill President George H.W. Bush and other politicians in the early 1990s. His constant tweets — in which he has called a survivor of the Parkland, Florida, school shootings an “opportunistic rat,” dismissed the #MeToo movement as “nonsense” and called for the killing of sharks with baited drum lines — led to a petition to remove him from office, although the county has no recall provision.
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Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates approves resolution condemning hate speech
By Geoff SpillanePosted Mar 7, 2019
BARNSTABLE — The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates overwhelmingly approved a resolution Wednesday that “strongly condemns any form of hate speech,” especially from county employees.
The resolution affirms existing county non-discrimination policies and passed 73.85 percent to 25.22 percent.
The assembly is the regional government’s legislative branch and is comprised of 15 delegates, one for each town on Cape Cod. The weight of each delegate’s votes is proportionate to town population.
Only three of the 15 Assembly delegates voted against the resolution: Linda Zuern of Bourne, Thomas O’Hara of Mashpee and James Killion of Sandwich.
Deborah McCutcheon of Truro, who controls .93 percent of the vote, was absent.
The resolution, a matter of opinion that requires no action, was introduced by delegate Brian O’Malley of Provincetown in the aftermath of a controversial tweet last month by Barnstable County Commissioner Ronald Beaty Jr.
A prolific Twitter user, Beaty asked whether gay politicians were too “self-absorbed and self-centered” to fairly represent all constituents.
Beaty contends his comments are protected under the First Amendment right to freedom of speech and says he has no intention of apologizing or stepping down, despite calls for his resignation, including by six of the eight members of the region’s legislative delegation.
“It needed to come out,” O’Malley said Thursday. “It’s not a win and it doesn’t change anything, but it goes on record as something commented on. The intent was to say ‘we have some standards here.’”
At the outset of the resolution discussion, O’Malley amended it to remove the words “and censures” following “strongly condemns” based on a memorandum issued by county legal counsel.
“Censure,” according to the memo, refers to a legal process that some federal and state governmental entities are empowered to utilize, but the county charter does not grant that authority.
Assembly Speaker Suzanne McAuliffe of Yarmouth, often reminded delegates to avoid mentioning anyone by name, as the resolution was generic and not specific to one person.
Zuern referred to the resolution as “totally unconstitutional” and said “hate speech” could mean different things to different people.
“I consider (someone saying) ‘President Trump is evil’ to be hateful,” she said.
Elizabeth Harder, the delegate from Harwich, argued that free speech doesn’t necessarily mean there are no consequences for statements.
“This has nothing to do with politics,” she said, suggesting elected officials debase their office when they attack groups within their constituencies.
While the delegates steered clear of references to Beaty, the eight people who offered public comment at the meeting did not.
Chris Bartley, a gay man, spoke in support of Beaty and his rights when communicating through his private Twitter account .
“I think it’s absolutely a stupid thing that we are going after Ron Beaty right now and not focusing on challenges (facing Cape) Cod,” he said.
Shira Kavon, of Provincetown, said she has no argument with First Amendment free speech rights, but questioned whether the tweet was an expression of freedom or essentially an attack. She also expressed concern that Beaty defends his free speech rights but squashes others by blocking them on Twitter when he does not like what they say.
“As a Jewish Barnstable County resident, I fear who he might choose as his next target,” she said.
Beaty was quick to respond to the assembly vote Wednesday night.
“Under the Barnstable County Home Rule Charter, the Assembly of Delegates has no legal authority whatsoever to ‘censure’ anyone!” he wrote in an email. “To be brutally honest, the resolution itself was a politically motivated stunt drafted and promoted by a delusional and self-righteous petty local politician, and has about as much real world significance as a fart in a windstorm.”
In an email on Thursday, Beaty said he was going to contact the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts “regarding both this episode, as well as the letter signed by the Cape Cod and islands legislative delegation which attempted to coerce me into resigning my position as a county commissioner.”
Related content
https://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20190307/barnstable-county-assembly-of-delegates-approves-resolution-condemning-hate-speech
Shoot from the Lip Ron Beaty !
FROM:
POLITICO MASSACHUSETTS PLAYBOOK
- "Barnstable County officials call for Beaty to step down," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: Calls for the censure or removal of Barnstable County Commissioner Ronald Beaty Jr. continued Wednesday at a meeting of his fellow elected county officials. Four members of the county Assembly of Delegates — John Ohman of Dennis, Brian O'Malley of Provincetown, Lilli-Ann Green of Wellfleet and Elizabeth Harder of Harwich — demanded he step down because of his tweet Tuesday inquiring whether gay politicians were "too self-absorbed and self-centered" to represent all constituents."
FROM
POLITICO MASSACHUSETTS PLAYBOOK
- "Beaty's comments about gays spark outrage," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: "A controversial elected Cape Cod representative's comments about gay people has sparked an angry backlash throughout the community and on Beacon Hill. 'I'm calling for Commissioner (Ron) Beaty to resign, I'm that upset,' said state Rep. Timothy Whelan, R-Brewster. 'I don't even know what else to say.' Beaty has made a reputation for himself for inflammatory and controversial comments. On Tuesday, he posed a question on Twitter that many believed to be homophobic. 'Generally speaking, are gay politicians too self-absorbed and self-centered to adequately represent ALL of their constituents in a fair and equitable manner?' Beaty tweeted. The post comes less than a week after two openly gay elected officials who represent the Cape and Islands — state Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, and state Rep. Sarah Peake, D-Provincetown — were named to leadership positions on Beacon Hill."
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