The War on Chicken

Two competing perspectives on the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day:

Fox News News Crawl:

Hundreds of thousands of real Americans flocked to local Chick-fil-A restaurants yesterday to demonstrate their solidarity with the company’s embattled owner and show the overwhelming public support for traditional marriage and wholesome American values.

MSNBC News Crawl:

Over 99% of Americans refused to eat at Chick-fil-A yesterday to demonstrate their solidarity with embattled same sex couples and show the overwhelming public support for gay marriage and progressive American values.

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My daughter was hungry after dance class last night.  I was driving her home, it was late and she had a very restrictive list of foods that would satisfy.  Chick-fil-A was nearby, and we had just enough cash.

As we pulled into the parking lot, I realized that a quick trip through the drive-thru was not to be.  It was Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, and every Bible thumper from Stafford to Manassas was lined up to praise the Lord and nibble some chicken breasts in honor of heterosexuality.  Unfortunately when my daughter asked about why the restaurant was so crowded, I told her.  That wasn’t the unfortunate part.  The unfortunate part was that I shared my personal opinion about the deep fried controversy.

If I am misinformed, please let me know:

The owner of Chick-fil-A was quoted in a religious publication as saying that he believed in the Biblical definition of marriage (i.e. the one man, one woman part, not all the other parts that describe marriage in less than flattering terms).  Once his opinion became public, the mayors of Chicago and Boston spoke out against the company, and the mayor of Boston went so far as to attempt a ban of Chick-fil-As in his town.  In addition, same-sex couples around the country plan a kiss-in at the restaurants for Friday.

As far as I know, the owner did not cancel the health plan of known homosexuals, he didn’t refuse to hire or serve suspected gays, and he did not advocate for company sponsored protests at military funerals.  All he did, from what I have heard, is express his opinion on same sex marriage.  This could be cause to boycott Chick-fil-A as a way to keep this gentleman from making more money that he can turn around and donate to like-minded politicians.  This is not a cause to ban the opening of his restaurants in a major metropolitan area.

Hey, liberals, here’s a thought – the Far Right creates imaginary martyrs all by themselves all the time.  You don’t need to provide them with any real martyrs.  The owner of Chick-fil-A is on wrong side of history, but a city government refusing to allow him to open a location for merely expressing that belief, without a tangible discriminatory act, is heavy handed, unnecessary, and dumb.

Don’t eat at Chick-fil-A.  Fine.  Kiss inside a Chick-fil-A.  Fine.  Picket with rainbow placards.  Fine.  Restrict access to the most delicious chicken nuggets in the fast food industry?  Never!

Personally, I like that the place is closed on Sundays regardless of the reasoning.  It’s worker friendly, and frankly, more places should be closed on Sundays.  Whether you believe the Bible or not, we could all use a day of rest.  And we certainly need a day of rest from the War on Chicken.

The Right is right on this one.  Don’t get me wrong – I probably will be less likely to eat at Chick-fil-A knowing that the profits are funding causes I cannot support.  But ban the restaurants?  I won’t go there, and neither should you.