Chick-fil-A has come under a lot of fire for CEO Dan Cathy’s stand in support of traditional marriage. It’s a good thing they have powerful friends: the American people.
On August 1st, crowds poured into Chick-fil-A franchises around the country. Supporters stood in line for hours for a bit of fast food that they normally wouldn’t have waited more than a couple of minutes for. I was one of them. Why would I, and scores of other regular folks like me, bake in the hot, midday Arizona sun for a couple of hours, just for a chicken sandwich?
The answer: free speech.
Dan Cathy and his chain of chicken sandwich shops never hurt anyone. They never visited violence upon homosexuals. Gays were never discriminated against in their hiring practices, or banned from being customers. All Cathy ever did was work tirelessly to build a successful, family-based company. That, and he came out (no pun intended) in direct support of traditional marriage.
Mind you, he didn’t denounce gays. He didn’t advocate oppressing members of the LGBT community through the heavy hand of the government. He didn’t denounce homosexuals as living in sin and iniquity, and call on God Almighty to visit divine wrath upon their persons. All he did was state his unequivocal preference for the lifestyle choice of the vast majority. Is it really an unpardonable sin to express one’s support for something other than an alternative lifestyle practiced by a small minority?
Apparently, some believe expressing such support is, in fact, unpardonable. Boston’s Mayor Thomas Menino angrily vowed to block Chick-fil-A from opening up franchises in his city. Chicago alderman Proco Moreno declared he would deny a permit for a new Chick-fil-A chain in his city unless CEO Cathy publicly recanted his remarks (Moreno was not clear as to whether recanting would spare Cathy from being burned at the stake). Even the Muppets’ Jim Henson Company terminated its business relationship with the chicken sandwich heretics.
It’s a good thing that there are still people in this great country willing to stand up for the oppressed. In response to the ridiculous persecution of Chick-fil-A, stores around the nation were inundated with customers standing in support of free speech. I spoke with several fellow customers in the long, snaking chicken line. Some were old, some were young. Some came with fellow church members, others with their families, and still others came alone. They represented a diverse rainbow (ironically) of races, cultures, backgrounds, and income levels. But their message was the same: “We are here to defend free speech.”
America is a great country because it is free. Because you can be who you want to be and do what you want to do, as long as you don’t harm or oppress your fellow citizens. And it will stay free so long as there are patriotic citizens willing to take a stand in the defense of the rights of others. From what I saw yesterday, and what the whole country saw as hordes of free people poured into Chick-fil-A franchises nationwide, I can say this with confidence: America is still free.
Free speech tastes kind of like chicken. With a side of waffle fries. And American pride for dessert. God bless the U.S.A.
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About Joel Valenzuela
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If only all these same Americans showed up to vote for the right people on Nov. 6 we could actually save America. Well, I believe they will show up on Nov. 6 — it’ll be an avalanche of freedom-loving, Christian Americans. And these progressive, communistic, anti-freedom, anti-Christian subversives in our government won’t stand a chance of winning. We need to defeat them for good. The true American people is a force to be reckoned with. See website: http://www.haasstrep68.com page 4 for the history of treason.
I too, am a Tea Partier, and I think people are ‘ready’ to vote now! The enthusiasm of Americans will be overwhelming this November! Obama has tried to destroy our country, but we will not let him or the liberals do such thing. Free Speech is alive and well. I stood in line in the (Arizona) heat for two hours as well yesterday! There were people handing out American flags and a singer, who sang beautiful and patriotic songs! Go America!
Yes you too around the nation can experience the Arizoan weather in your own home. It’s quite simple. Go into your kitchen, cut your oven on and stick your head in it. That’s Arizona weather. Tula if you stood in Arizona weather for 2 hours (I couldn’t take 2 minutes) You are to be commended for sweat fortitude. Few people have seen this but I have, I lived in Arizona once upon a time. I have seen with my own eyes a egg fried on the sidewalk. You did good by withstanding the heat of the desert to give honor to a great company and great people,,CHICK-FIL-A !
I, too, stood in the Arizona midday heat for two hours, while wearing a shirt and tie. It was still worth it.
I’m glad you all liked the article. Remember, activism and journalism aren’t reserved for the few… you ALL can take part! That’s why we’re here.
HERE HERE Well SAid
Anyone that objects to a Amercian just saying what he believes in dosent deserve to be an American either way he says it or who says it , that your and His right!
We boost Chick-Fil-A all the way. Even if you are a little short of cash, go in a buy a drink or something simple, just to help boost this Christians companies sales. They are standing up to Satan in the form of the ‘gays’.
This kind of thing happens once every so often. I believe it’s important to take a stand for the rights of free Americans to conduct their business in peace. If we don’t exercise the liberty muscle, it atrophies.
I would agree that Boston’s mayor went too far, but I also think you go too far to say that Chick-fil-A is oppressed. Being born with a certain skin color or a sexual orientation that makes you a minority that singles you out for less-than-equal treatment by the majority is oppression. Publicly expressing a controversial or unpopular view and being criticized by it is not oppression.
Just as Chick-fil-A is well within their rights to believe what they believe, consumers and other firms are well within their rights to do or not do business with firms that disagree with their own beliefs.
As a libertarian, I of course disagree that the state has any role in deciding whether or not two people can voluntarily marry each other if they so choose. Furthermore, Chick-fil-A goes a bit beyond opposing gay marriage, funding groups such as Exodus, which attempts to “cure” people of gayness. Imagine how African-Americans might react to a group that “cures” people of blackness through skin-treatments or how libertarians would react to a group that “cures” people of libertarianism through “therapy.”
Anyway. I disagree with the Boston ban, but as far as I concerned, Chick-fil-A brought this political firestorm upon themselves.
You claim to be libertarian, so I question your comment that “Chick-fil-A goes a bit beyond opposing gay marriage, funding groups such as Exodus, which attempts to “cure” people of gayness.” if you were a true libertarian you would support their right to support any group they please as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else.
Despite the liberal media and LGBT supporter claims to the contrary, no one has ever identified a “Gay” gene, despite the fact that the entire human Genome has now been mapped. Therefore gays are only identifiable by their actions, not by any genetic difference from other people, such as Blacks, Asians, etc. Therefore Chick-Fil-A has every right to support an organization that aims to “cure” that which they believe is sinful behavior. To my knowledge they have never kidnapped a gay person and forced them to attend these sessions. They do not discriminate in their hireing practices, or service provided, so what’s the problem?
As for your comment about the state not having any role in deciding if any two people can marry, why then do they require a license? Chick-Fil-A did not bring this upon themselves, a left biased media, and a vocal minority group pushing for special rights, and unable to tolerate anyone with a different point of view, brought this upon them. Thankfully, once again, the left wing attempts to force a boycott backfired and had the opposite result. I wish we had a Chick-Fil-A here where I live.
“if you were a true libertarian you would support their right to support any group they please as long as it doesn’t hurt someone else.”
Chick-fil-A does have the right to go beyond opposing gay marriage, just as consumers and firms and the public have the right to punish (or reward) them for it. My comment was in direct response to Joel’s assertion that that *all* Chick-fil-A did was to support traditional marriage. Their support of Exodus indicates a far stronger position than that. They have a right to that position, but the public has a right to voice its approval or disapproval of that position as well. Recall that I voiced opposition of Boston’s mayor. Surely, you must, like myself, approve of the actions of private individuals and firms in voicing their own beliefs.
“As for your comment about the state not having any role in deciding if any two people can marry, why then do they require a license?”
As in most examples of licensing, this is because the state has overstepped its bounds. The state requires medical licensing and taxicab medallions as well, which Milton Friedman identified as an artificial restriction on the number of suppliers. Likewise, a marriage license is a state-imposed artificially limit on the numbers of marriages. Most libertarians believe in freedom of contract and oppose any restrictions (such as tariffs) that prevent voluntary transactions.
Incidentally, your use of the term “liberal media” indicates that you don’t believe free market forces work very well. If there were a media bias, there would be a profit opportunity for suppliers of conservative media, and such firms would enter the market until supply reflected demand.
Good comment, Ink. I mostly agree. One big distinction I should point out, though:
No one really cared about CFA’s charity funding. It was barely a blip on the radar. The huge overreaction came in response to Cathy’s innocuous statement. The media-incited sensationalist storm had no bearing in reason. I have no problem with individuals deciding to eat other chicken because they don’t like CFA’s public position supporting a majority lifestyle. What I have a problem with is mob rule.
Already, the climate created by the persecution has emboldened authority figures to the point where they think they can flout the law and get away with it. It’s exactly this “sheeple” thinking that got the current severely un-vetted president elected. It’s naive to think that the only threat to free speech and liberty is government, even if it happens to be the main aggressor.
Mob mentality preceded legal disenfranchisement under the Third Reich. Don’t think it won’t happen like that here.
In a free society, people are free to react however they see fit, whether it be to “overreact” or behave like “sheeple” and a media is governed by market forces instead of by the government. Yes, authority figures are overstepping their bounds, but politicians bowing to public pressure even when they shouldn’t is one of those things you get in a democratic and free society.
“Mob mentality preceded legal disenfranchisement under the Third Reich. Don’t think it won’t happen like that here.”
Godwin’s Law strikes again.