Chick-fil-A Protests: Have They Gone Too Far?

[liberty]

Scooter and Reaper don’t let this bother you especially you Reaper we know that you can be tough.
But cities that ban a business because of an opinion what have we become the Soviet Union and the officer of a company picking on a minimum wage worker; is that acceptable? I have no personal opposition if two guys that want to be legally bound together but everyone pro and con has right to their opinion.


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http://finance.yahoo.com/news/chick-fil ... -far-.html

..Chick-fil-A Protests: Have They Gone Too Far?
By Claudine Zap | Yahoo! Finance – 14 hours ago....Email
Share4Print.........It seems that a sandwich has become the target of partisan political debate. Ever since Dan Cathy, the president of chicken restaurant chain Chick-fil-A, voiced his opposition to gay marriage, opinions about the company have caused a lot of indigestion.

Adam Smith, then the CFO of a medical supply firm, created a wave of interest on the Web when he posted a video of himself berating a Chick-fil-A worker at a drive-through window in Tucson, Ariz. Smith, who said he "just couldn't stand all the hate," wasn't exactly showing his sweet side.Smith tells the employee, who offers him free water and wishes him a nice day, "I don't know how you live with yourself and work here. I don't understand it. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values. You deserve better." Smith's employer, Vante, was not impressed, stating in a press release that Smith no longer works for the company.

Overnight, a Chick-fil-A in Torrance, Calif., was vandalized with the spray-painted message "Tastes like hate" in advance of today's "National Same-Sex Kiss Day."

Some gay activists have encouraged same-sex couples to document themselves smooching at the restaurant chain's locations.

This comes after Wednesday's Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, organized by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, which brought out tens of thousands to wait in long lines and, Chick-fil-A confirmed, resulted in a "record-setting day" for the business. Mayors in Chicago, Boston, and San Francisco have rolled up the welcome mat to the chain, and in Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa praised his city for its "vibrant" LGBT community.

New York City's Michael Bloomberg, on the other hand, a supporter of gay marriage, said on his radio show Friday that it is not appropriate for government "to look at somebody's political views and decide whether or not they can live in the city, or operate a business in the city, or work for somebody in the city."

Twitter was abuzz from all the activity. As helpbydonating (@ithas2besaid) noted, "If you want to protest these mayors who banned Chick-fil-A, that's one thing. But if you want to defend the constitution, defend all of it." Richard Penney (@RichardPenney) weighed in, saying, "If you don't like Chick-fil-A don't go there. If you do, go there. But banning the business because you disagree w/ the CEO? Fascist."

On the other hand, all the chatter about chicken sandwiches simply seems to be making some people hungry. Coraline Jones (@kaylacurtsinger) posted, "The more y'all keep talking about Chick-fil-A, the more I crave it."

Sometimes, a sandwich is just a sandwich.

....@yahoofinance on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook ...

[Lord Jim]

I have never been to a Chick-fil-A...

In fact, I had never heard of Chick-fil-A until this brouhaha erupted a few days ago...(which leads me to believe that at the end of the day, this winds up being a huge publicity bonanza for the restaurant chain...apparently there's one in Fairfield, but I'm not inclined to drive 50 miles for fast food...sort of defeats the whole purpose...)

Organizing or participating in protests and boycotts against businesses that you have issues with for any reason is completely legitimate, and entirely within anyone's rights. It's the American way. (As is organizing events supporting a business; a couple of days ago, a "Show Your Support For Chick-fil-A Day" resulted in the company's highest sales day in it's history....I saw video footage of people lining up down the block at restaurant locations all over the country to buy a greasy fried chicken sandwich...)

I have to say though that verbally abusing the young men and women, (some percentage of whom are no doubt gay themselves) who are doing no more than trying to earn a few honest low-pay dollars at a fast food joint seems like misdirected outrage to me...

However, what I find the most troubling about this, are the elected officials who have come forward (like an alderman in Chicago I saw interviewed who's name escapes me) and some Mayors, (including our own Ed Lee) who seem to be implying (or in some cases, like that of the Alderman actually saying) that they would use their power as government officials to prevent Chick-fil-A from operating in their communities because of the publicly expressed political/religious views of the company's owner.

For the government to do things like deny zoning permits on the basis of a business owner exercising his right to free speech is manifestly not the American way....

My hope is (and I think this likely) that they will not attempt to act on these threats, and that these politicians are just bloviating to cash in on the publicity....

ETA:

Apparently Barney Frank agrees with me:

Congressman Barney Frank, Massachusetts Democrat, gave me his thoughts on Thursday about the Chick fil A debate.

"I think it’s entirely legitimate for individuals to say, 'I don’t want to eat there.' I don’t think government should discriminate against Chick fil A because of the views of the owner," said Mr. Frank the only openly gay member of Congress who recently married his partner. "I wouldn’t want to personally eat there. I wouldn’t want to support a guy who thinks I shouldn’t have my rights, but I don’t think the government should do that."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/wat ... criminate/

[Lord Jim]

BTW, Lib's OP post looks way off center to me, with words cut off on the right-hand side...

Is it it just me who sees this? All the other posts look fine.

[Lord Jim]

Apparently the ACLU agrees with me too:

As Chicago became the latest city to tell Chick-fil-A it isn't welcome because its president doesn't support gay marriage, legal experts said the communities don't have a drumstick to stand on.

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel became the second big-city mayor to blast the company over president Dan Cathy's comment last week that he is “guilty as charged” for supporting the traditional definition of marriage. Emanuel spoke up after Alderman Proco Joe Moreno announced he intends to block the chain from opening its second Chicago location over his stance.

But barring the popular fast-food restaurant over the personal views of Cathy is an “open and shut” discrimination case, legal scholars told FoxNews.com.

“The government can regulate discrimination in employment or against customers, but what the government cannot do is to punish someone for their words,” said Adam Schwartz, senior attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. “When an alderman refuses to allow a business to open because its owner has expressed a viewpoint the government disagrees with, the government is practicing viewpoint discrimination.”

"What the government cannot do is to punish someone for their words.”

- Adam Schwartz, American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois

The ACLU “strongly supports” same-sex marriage, Schwartz said, but noted that if a government can exclude a business for being against same-sex marriage, it can also exclude a business for being in support of same-sex marriage.

“But we also support the First Amendment,” he said. “We don’ think the government should exclude Chick-fil-A because of the anti-LGBT message. We believe this is clear cut.”

Jonathan Turley, a professor at the George Washington University Law School, said Moreno’s intentions raises “serious” constitutional concerns.

“It’s also a very slippery slope,” Turley told FoxNews.com. “If a City Council started to punish companies because of the viewpoints of their chief operating officers, that would become a very long list of banned companies.”

If Moreno did indeed put such a plan into action, it would be “excessive and likely unconstitutional,” Turley said.

Wilson Huhn, a professor and associate director of the Constitutional Law Center at The University of Akron School of Law, echoed Turley’s stance, saying that a denial on behalf of Moreno regarding a second Chick-fil-A restaurant in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood would “absolutely” violate the First Amendment.

“It would be an open and shut case,” Huhn said. “You can’t do that. They cannot be denied a zoning permit based upon the viewpoint of their CEO.”

Moreno and Emanuel can express their personal opinion on the matter, Huhn said, including the organization of boycotts and protests against the fast food chain.

“But if official action were taken against Chick-fil-A based upon their opposition to same-sex marriage by denying them permits or to prevent their restaurant from expanding, that would absolutely be viewpoint discrimination,” Huhn said.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07 ... z22aAMNkwr

[loCAtek]

Beaver’s Restaurant Promotes Hot Lesbian Sandwich


Louis Peitzman






Houston restaurant Beaver's endorses marriage equality, and not just because chef-owner Monica Pope is a lesbian. The political sandwich precedent has been set.

I know we're mostly over talking about the Chick-fil-A boycott and the conservative backlash, but as counter-protests go, this one sounds especially delicious. The "Chick on Chick Filet" is—


Two loving chicken breasts married on toasty buns with a honey mustard witness and joined in celebration with tolerant fries.

And yes, in this context, I think it's appropriate to note that the restaurant is called "Beaver's."

[Crackpot]

I have never been to a Chick-fil-A...

In fact, I had never heard of Chick-fil-A until this brouhaha erupted a few days ago...(which leads me to believe that at the end of the day, this winds up being a huge publicity bonanza for the restaurant chain...apparently there's one in Fairfield, but I'm not inclined to drive 50 miles for fast food...sort of defeats the whole purpose...)

And you claim to be a southerner

[Joe Guy]

When did LJ claim to be a southerner?

[Crackpot]

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=6891&p=84943&hilit=Virginia#p84943
for one

[Lord Jim]

Well, I grew up in Northern Virginia, which culturally isn't really very "southern"... (though my father was from North Carolina)...I did however burnish my southern credentials with four years in Charlottesville.....

In any event, I prefer Virginian to Californian....

[Joe Guy]

So, you're a (northern) Virginian who has lived in California for many years and you still call yourself a Virginian?

There's something unacceptable about that.

I need to talk to mayor Ed Lee about whether you should be permitted to continue to reside in his city.

My guess is that in his opinion you are probably as unacceptable as a Chick-Fil-A franchise.

[Lord Jim]

I was actually kind of disappointed with Lee for jumping into this...

As San Francisco politicians go, Lee is one of the more responsible, adult, and less grandstandy types....

Of course that could be because until fairly recently he wasn't a politician....

Maybe there's something in the water they supply at City Hall....