JUDGE REBUKES PALMETTO STATE LAWMAKER WHO TRIED TO SILENCE HIS CRITICS …
|| By FITSNEWS || Last November we picked up the story of Greg Duckworth, a thin-skinned member of the S.C. General Assembly who sued two of his constituents after they criticized him in letters to the editor during his 2012 campaign.
What a whiner …
We wrote at the time that Duckworth was nothing but a big crybaby who was wasting the court’s time … and this month the court agreed with us.
S.C. circuit court judge Roger M. Young has thrown out the charges against Duckworth’s critics – Charles Collins and Bren Gibson. Not only that, Young made it pretty clear Collins and Gibson weren’t lying when they accused Duckworth of using his position as a member of North Myrtle Beach’s city council to steer business to his company.
“There is no showing of clear and convincing evidence that any of the statements made in the (letters) were made with the knowledge that they were false or in reckless disregard of their truth,” Young wrote in his ruling. “Indeed, one could make a reasonable argument that most of the statements contained in the letters were demonstrably true, and those that weren’t fall within the category of political speech given special protection by the United States Constitution.”
Well, well …
So it turns out Collins and Gibson’s attorney – Reece Boyd – was correct last fall when he termed Duckworth’s legal assault as nothing but an attempt to suppress free speech. And not just any speech, political speech (a.k.a. the right to criticize our “leaders”).
Props to Young. In a state where petty, vindictive lawmakers wield total control over the judicial branch, it’s rare to see a judge stand up to a sitting lawmaker – even when the facts of the case are abundantly clear.
Let’s hope this case serves as a reminder to whiny politicians everywhere … as well as an example for judges everywhere.
First Amendment freedoms are – and must remain – inviolable. But free speech can’t defend itself, which means all of us must fight daily to protect it – especially from politicians who can’t handle truthful criticism.
35 comments
Haha! Couldn’t happen to a nicer slimeball.
For those who don’t know, Duckworth was the one chosen by the so-called “Myrtle Beach Mafia” to take down a fine public servant, Representative Tracy Edge, as revenge for his not playing along with them and taking their money to do their bidding. Unfortunately, they were able to put the sumbitch in, to the great detriment of North Myrtle Beach and the entire area.
Kudos to the judge. Congratulation to all parties, and to Attorney Reese Boyd.
Whoever runs against Duckworth sure has a great campaign issue.
So, maybe, he’ll be gone real soon.
Little douche-man Ducky got real cocky there. He, along with certain “powers that be” hoped the verdict in the Mark Kelley v David Wren/TSN/McClatchy lawsuit was going to have an across-the-board “chilling effect” on people criticizing their selected politicians. That judges would cite it as case law, or treat it that way at least. It hasn’t really happened. Appeal in that case — a horrible miscarriage of justice — still pending. If denied, it won’t be the last. This is the kind of issue that must be fought all the way to the top court in the land, if must be.
The case with Tracy Edge was sad, but it had nothing to do with him not playing along or taking their money.
Based on all I heard it had to do with his wife. Not him, but his wife.
Bullshit. That was all very unfortunate, but it was not the major issue. No matter what you heard. Could it have made him more vulnerable? Sure. They will use anything they can. He was marked for termination as a Representative, simply because he made things difficult for some of the most corrupt politicians in the legislature and their cronies in Horry County.
He was a gentleman, in love or faith, based on all that I have heard. He tried to do the right thing, but his wife was completely out of his control.
She is/was nuts based on all that I have heard. Tracy fell on his own sword to protect her.
NOT the main issue. You can’t make it the main issue by repeating it.
Hey – Buz, you know me as well as anyone in politics could. You KNOW what I am saying is true. Tracy Edge was/is a good man, but his wife made him weak IMO.
How does the mayor, who is a hairdresser, become a millionaire? Why does Baldwin get to build everything for NMB.
But nothing will ever happen. It’s NMB where the residents are blind and all of council and the mayor laugh all the way to the bank
All I can say is one woman did fight for MB on County Council, against all odds, and she died. I miss you Doris.
Last email I received from her – I believe she was a good woman, parts omitted for obvious reasons:
FYI The City Manager has been involved from the get-go. From the date of his employment. July 2010. Before Mike Mahaney, there was John Smithson. Each were/are equally involved. In fact I think I can say without hesitation that the city manager signed the contract. I am a sitting member of Council and will most likely have to ask for a signed hard copy under the Freedom of Information Act. I have had to do this in the past. Strange isn’t it?
Nonetheless your letter is right. I think/KNOW Our City has been dragged thru the mud so many times because of questionable actions by either council and/or Staff. and there seems to be the same names involved or named or always there .. I do not hear of such headlines from our sister cities..Loris, Conway, Aynor. Etc.
SHAMEFUL and each time it has been an ordeal just to get council to even open up to the possibility there may be a problem. If A resident complained They were given a derogatory label .. Talked down to ……..Of course chambers have been packed with friends . Some who do not live in NMB nor own property/pay taxes.
..I go on record with this statement … I am not against non-taxpayers voicing their opinions and even welcome them they bring an important viewpoint..HOWEVER when it comes to sending a,message as to how this City is to move forward I definitely believe our “orders” should come from NMB property owners.”
Even with that I think our investment property owners who cannot vote (second home owners included in this category) get the short end of the stick tax wise
Thank you again and again for being involved, voicing your opinion, and getting the information out there.
North Myrtle Beach needs you!
Doris Williams
NMB City Council
Cherry Grove Ward
Will Duckworth have to pay the defendants’ and the taxpayers’ court costs?
That would be true justice, wouldn’t it?
Wishful thinking, but sometime dreams are all that keep us involved.
Anyone named “Duckworth” and looking like this guy was sure to get picked on in high school-which is probably the whole reason he went into politics, to gain power to try to make others lives more difficult as payback to satiate his inner demons.
Also, he shouldn’t be wearing crooked bow ties….
Only about 5% of the people who wear bow ties don’t deserve to be punched repeatedly.
Hmmm….SouthMauldin you say.
I know that area all too well, they wear bow ties, they drive BMWs and do stupid crap. Mauldin is well known for its conservatism, but any who have lived there, also know they are known as mob rule, drugs, gangster, and basically the rich who keep to themselves.
South Mauldin “may” be different, but all I know of Mauldin – they are your bow tie guys/gals.
If you want to show “props” to the judge, how about getting his name right?
Can we assume that’s Duckworth with the bowtie and the 70s high school haircut at the podium?
Either that or Johnny Deal, the “dorky nerd and damn proud of it”, jerk who likes to swing on the nuts of Jim Matthews. Hard to inagine that there are old, grown, “men” out there whose mothers still dress them funny like this.
Sounds like both may have Bruce Jenner similarities.
What a whiny little cunt.
I am not saying who is right or wrong in this case, what I do notice is those who speak out, who stand up for what is right, are usu. coined “whiny.”
When did speaking out for the truth become such a “whiny” effort?
Truth? Don’t be absurd. Read what the judge said. Dude used his influence on council to get business in NMB. Some of us knew about it for a year or more before the election. I don’t even live in NMB, and I knew about it. Most of the details about it, as a matter of fact. And I was far from being alone in knowing that. I think Tracy was blindsided by the treachery, and by the lengths to which they would go to bring him down. The long knives were out for him, that’s all. He violated the “code”, and as a result they looked bad. Not that I blame all who kept the money, all that much. But it wasn’t so much them, it was the ones who bundled it and dispersed it who were behind Duckworth. Plain and simple.
Buz, I have never met the man, but you DO know me, we have worked along side in the past. We both remember. I know your bitch with MB in general, and while I never admitted it, I do agree with you in some respects.
Tracy Edge had a wife that was/is a loose cannon – IMHO. He was not blind sided, he chose his wife – look up her history in the event you forget. Look how many times a good decent person fell on his sword to protect his wife. The writing was on the wall.
The long knives are always out for anyone who is in politics. Not a fan of Duckworth, but the truth sticks.
I’ll try one more time. When you “go along to get along”, all sorts of things get overlooked. Had he not gone against the big dawgs, his unfortunate situation at home would not have risen to the level of hurting him as much as it did. We are talking about people with considerable clout in the media. You are talking about something that was used as a weapon against him, and trying to make that the main reason he lost. It wasn’t. Big money and big power just used that bad situation against him. Now I’m done. See it your way if you choose, no skin off my ass.
Buz, there has never been a topic (outside MBTP) that was skin off your ass.
He was not in a position to fight the big dawgs, because they had something to hold over his head. Yes, people with considerable clout and they used it against him, just like they do against any politician, unfortunately the masses could not look past his wife and see him.
What they saw was him bailing out his wife over and over and over again. They tied the two together, as so often happens in politics.
I think he is/was a good man and I believe he chose the path that was best for him, that lead to the most happiness, though it is hard to imagine.
His choice IMHO is what cost him position, not his politics, not his character, but he chose his wife.
I am happy for him and sad at the same time. I hope she is worth it.
Ha! So you do remember me? :)
Doesn’t Peeler have the history or reputation of suing whoever he is mad at or frightened of at the moment?
Doesn’t most legislators?
Duckworth is another example of a “republican” trying to limit free speech. State Treasurer Curtis Loftis prevented a staffer from answering questions from Senator Lourie and Bryant last week and is doing everything he can to keep his staff quiet in the office. Just the other day a whistleblower raised these red flags about Loftis and his office:
There’s significant evidence of fraudulent activity coming from the State Treasurer’s Office. How was the Treasurer’s Office able to pay the Bank of New York Mellon’s custody bill’s last summer and fall? Were funds diverted from other agencies and budgets such as DMV funds? Do Chief of Staff Clarissa Adams’ initials appear on the approval form for the diversion of these funds? How much did this six figure payment cost? Did the legislature give approval in the state budget? Why has so much money been diverted from Unclaimed Property this year? Did Curtis or Clarissa approve this transaction? What is it paying for? Why have fees increased so much in the Local Government Investment Program? What are they paying for? Who are the contract employees making hundreds of dollar every hour they work to implement an IT system? Have there been cost overruns? How much did settling the Amick case cost the taxpayer? Did Curtis break the law? Did he settle it to avoid it coming up the primary?How much does the State still owe the Bank of New York? Why does the State owe money after the lawsuit was settled? Did the settlement funds come in as cash? Or was it a reduction in the amount the State owes Bank of New York?
Whistleblower is certainly a sociopath. How else could one post include so many false statements in one place.
Whistleblower got fired from the treasurer’s office for lack of performance, not reporting leave, and insubordination.
No wonder the post reads like a worthless peice of shit that has been scorned.
Whistleblower,
This may be one of the dumbest, childish and inaccurate post ever made by an Internet troll. It is an honor to read such utter bullshit, as such bull shit may never be seen again. Until the troll post again, of course.
Congratulations.