Standing up for Free Speech
(Fox News) It used to be that taking a bite of a chicken sandwich just meant you were hungry. Now it has become a symbol of whether you stand for or against same-sex marriage, or – alternately – the right to express your personal views without fear of retaliation.
At Chick-fil-A locations across the country, people voted with their wallets today, coming out to express support for the fast-food chain after CEO Dan Cathy said in an interview that he is a firm backer of traditional marriage.
“I believe what the Bible says (about marriage),†Chauncy Fields told us after wolfing down a breakfast of chicken and biscuits. “So I came out here to support Chick-fil-A and the movement.â€
Chris Johnson sees a double standard. “He (Dan Cathy) said the exact same thing that President Obama said,†Johnson told Fox News — referring to the president’s past opposition to gay marriage – “And he gets negativity, and Obama gets positivity.â€
Chick-fil-a locations across the country were slammed. And, no, I didn’t go myself, I was off playing golf. I did drive near the one in Knightdale, NC around 5pm, and it was still slammed, more than one would normally expect at that time period.
Among the groups is Project 21, a black conservative activist organization. One of its members, Demetrios Minor, said critics of Dan Cathy have taken his statements completely out of context. “I think liberals are missing a vital point in their blind hatred of Chick-fil-A,†Minor said in a statement sent to Fox News. “Being against gay marriage is not being anti-gay.â€
That’s a big point. Chick-fil-a is not against gays. They do not discriminate in hiring (I couldn’t find any stories where they had been accused or sued) and do not discriminate in service. The head of the company simply said he was against gay marriage. And then we saw how the tolerant characters on the Left expressed their tolerance. Of course, they did not do the same thing to Obama when he expressed that he was against gay marriage.
The bigger issue was not that Liberals called for boycotts of the company. Let’s face it, Conservatives will do the same at times, though usually less organized. You don’t hear Rush, Beck, Hannity, Boortz, et all calling for boycotts (there might be some who do, I just never get to listen to them here in Raleigh). With Conservatives, it just kinda tends to happen. The bigger problem is elected officials demonizing Chick-fil-a, clearly a violation of First Amendment rights.
Anyhow, here’s how the Left will respond
On Friday, same-sex couples plan to converge on Chick-fil-A locations for National Same-Sex Kiss Day. At 8 p.m., they plan to publicly embrace to voice their displeasure against the millions of dollars Chick-fil-A is said to have donated to anti-gay marriage organizations.
A Facebook group dedicated to the protest pokes fun at Chick-fil-A’s slogan “Eat Mor Chikin†with the motto “Kiss Mor Chiks.â€
Oh, good, that should be huge. Especially at a time when no one will see it.
The C-F-A’s in my county in PA were all jam packed, drive throughs backed up down the highways, lines out both doors. It was amazing. I went to one, and the people in line were saying “I don’t hate gays, but I do believe Dan Cathy has a right to his opinion!” And some said they don’t believe in gay marriage but dittoed that sentiment about everyone having a right to their opinion and the right to express it! The crowds would not have been there had Dan Cathy said- I won’t serve gay people…or anything similar. But that is not what he said, though liberals would have you believe it.
This was more about how the center right majority of this country is awakening to the loss of it’s freedoms thanks to the left who seems to want to change how we think, what we can say and whether we can express our religious beliefs! I did hear folks lamenting that we’d better win the presidency and the senate and keep the house! One great sign on FB I saw was “I can see November from Chick Fil A”
I sure pray that we win and stop the bleeding f the constitution!
The chick was filled everywhere I went and traffic was really bad.
But there was very little news coverage and even Fox took a liberal editting to the subject. But on Friday, the cameras will be everywhere and will show what appears to be a large crowd when few are present.
Ours was jam packed…we waited for an hour in the drive-thru line and walk-ins waited just as long to get in the doors. Our town only has 8100 people. Don’t know what the restaurant in Clemson looked like eight miles down the road, although it was crowded this morning when I drove by.
I don’t think the ‘kiss off’ is going to bear much fruit though.
Chick A Fil supports groups that are anti gay These werer the same groups that don’t want gays in the military.
John, are you even here on this same planet? No They Were Not. They have the right to their personal religious/ cultural stances and opinions. And per the military- personally my concerns were with troop morale, and consequences among the ranks per the gay marriage issue in the military.
And by the way- there were NO TWO SAME people with NO TWO SIMILAR opinions at the Chick Fil A I went to…or any I’ve heard first person detail thereof. Most of us were there almost exclusively to support a person’s (ie Dan Cathy) 1st amendment rights! And we can still accept and love gay people, even if (horrors) we disagree with the concept of gay marriage. Civil Unions, bring it on, calling it marriage, not so muc. I don’t support gay bashing or homophobia, and never did.
Stop reading Huffpo and watching MSNBC. Even if you just listen to nature, you would know more than you learn from those places!!!