Mayor Vows to Keep People from eating mor chikin!
“Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy told the Baptist Press this week that his privately owned company is ‘guilty as charged’ in support of what he called the biblical definition of the family.”[1]
This confession by the President of the successful fast-food chain, whose cows have encouraged Americans for decades to “Eat Mor Chikin” has caused no small stir. But it should come as no shock that a company that has been known for its religious values would take such a stand. Their mission statement is: “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us. To have a positive influence on all who come in contact with Chick-fil-A.” Furthermore, they are closed on Sundays, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
However Boston “Mayor Thomas Menino told the Boston Herald on Thursday that he doesn’t want a business in the city ‘that discriminates against a population’”[2] in a piece titled, “Mayor Vows to Ban Anti-Gay Marriage Food Chain From City.”
Wait a minute! What happened to the First Amendment? This is Dan Cathy’s religious belief, a position that was recently upheld by the majority of citizens of North Carolina and also in arguably America’s most liberal state, California, in 2008. At best, this is a 50/50 issue nationwide. It is not like he was calling for proponents of gay marriage to be locked up and forced to listen to three hours of Glenn Beck every day. He simply expressed a religious belief with which half the country agrees.
But this article is not about Gay Marriage.
It is about freedom of thought; freedom of religion; freedom of speech. In America anyone can open a business no matter what his or her views are on just about any issue. The Mayor of Boston has no legal right to keep a business from opening in Boston because he disagrees with their political views. This is not the USSR!
If the Gay and Lesbian community wants to keep Chick-fil-A from prospering in Boston, don’t resort to communist style rhetoric—just don’t eat there! That is how it works in America. You can boycott, you can picket, you take out radio and TV ads sharing your opinion, but you cannot tell a legitimate business, “Because you disagree with us, you can’t do business here.”
What about the citizens of Boston who support traditional marriage? Or mayors in cities where gay marriage is not legal—should they start working to kick out companies that support gay marriage?
Another news report[3] revealed how much money Chick-fil-A has donated to organizations that are fighting for traditional marriage values, as if they uncovered a scandal. Again… this is not an extreme view… 50/50!
Opposition doesn’t equal discrimination
And just to be clear, contrary to the Boston mayor’s comment, Chick-fil-A does not discriminate against homosexuals. The chicken chain has said that it strives to “treat every person with honor, dignity and respect — regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender.”[4]
You can actually disagree with someone on a heated political issue and still treat every human being with respect… except in Boston that is, where if you don’t line up with Comrade Menino’s views, you will be exiled to the economic Gulag.
Question: Do you think the Mayor was out of bounds?
[1] Mayor Vows to Ban Anti-Gay Marriage Food Chain From City, AP
[2] ibid
[3] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/20/chick-fil-a-gay_n_1689800.html
[4] Mayor Vows to Ban Anti-Gay Marriage Food Chain From City, AP
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