Here at Hope n' Change, we strongly support Chickenboy's right to express his support of mixed species marriages, even though we don't agree with his position. Especially because most of those mixed species positions would be either uncomfortable or dangerous to attempt.
But he does raise a vitally important point: that expression of our First Amendment rights is also becoming increasingly uncomfortable and dangerous.
Does the strongly religious CEO of Chick-fil-a have the right to say he supports traditional marriage? Of course - as long as his opinions aren't translated into illegally discriminatory actions of any kind. And conversely, gay marriage advocates have every right to express their opinions as long as those expressions stay within the confines of the law.
For the record, Hope n' Change is supportive of gay marriage and Chick-fil-a sandwiches, and can respectfully acknowledge that others have differing opinions for a host of reasons. But we don't hate those people whom we disagree with, and it's the growing rhetoric of hate and suppression of free speech that worries us most.
For instance, is it "hate" to simply say: "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I do not support gay marriage?"
Because that's exactly what Barack Obama said in 2008. And since that time, he hasn't really "evolved" a bit - because even now he says that the issue should be a matter for the states to decide individually, meaning he doesn't believe there's any constitutional right to gay marriage. Although he tapdances around that opinion when soliciting campaign donations from gay supporters.
Of course, any controversy over something as fatuous as chicken sandwiches is sure to generate a strong reaction from the Hollywood lefties, perhaps best exemplified by Rosanne Barr's statement that "anyone who eats S--t Fil-A deserves to get the cancer that is sure to come from eating antibiotic filled tortured chickens 4Christ".
Apparently Ms. Barr not only missed her charm school classes, but also missed her president's plea to use "words that heal rather than wound." Or maybe she simply gave up on civility a short time after the speech...just like he did.
But that lack of civility may come with a very high cost: Chick-fil-a's Vice President of Public Relations, Donald Perry, has been in the middle of the high-stress flood of venom directed against his company. Or at least he was until last Friday, when he died suddenly of a heart attack. Not exactly the way Ms. Barr wished him to perish, but with the same effect.
Or, possibly, cause and effect.
Hope n' Change concedes that gay marriage is a significant issue...but it's not even remotely near the top of the list of things Americans need to be most worried about right now. And arguing about the relationship between gay marriage and chicken sandwiches is simply stupid.
But what's not stupid, and is instead chilling, is the pronouncement by the Democrat mayors of Boston and Chicago that they want Chick-fil-a out of their cities because the company holds different political (and religiously-based) opinions than those mayors do.
And this, finally, returns us to where we began. However you feel about them, the opinions and actions of Chick-fil-a are all legally protected by the Constitution. The actions of the Democrat mayors are expressly forbidden by the Constitution.
Now that's a fight we can sink our teeth into. With a side order of waffle fries.
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