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发帖数: 29846 | 1 by Alli Bachmann
Let’s talk about some facts and history. The Cathys began their journey
towards the “American Dream” in the 1940′s by opening up a small grill in
Georgia. After years of experimenting with cooking techniques, the infamous
chicken sandwich was born. Nearly two decades later, Chick-Fil-A as we know
it, opened in an Atlanta mall. Truett Cathy, the founder, expanded their
restaurant from mall to mall until their first free-standing restaurant
opened in 1986. To date, there are 1,ooo Chick-Fil-A free-standing
restaurants across the country, predominantly in the South. Grossing over $1
.4 billion annually, the Cathys never withheld their success from others.
The Cathys created scholarship funds to encourage their employees to
continue their education, they have the Chick-Fil-A NCAA Bowl challenge (Now
in its 45th year), the Chick-Fil-A Bowl, a scholarship earning NCAA golf
event every April and the Chick-Fil-A Leadercast where 80,000 business
leaders meet annually for leadership development. The Chick-Fil-A tree bears
more fruit than chicken apparently. Does this sound like a business that is
“bad” for America? Of course not.
All Chick-fil-A locations, both company-owned and franchised, mall and
freestanding, are closed on Sundays. ”I was not so committed to financial
success that I was willing to abandon my principles and priorities. One of
the most visible examples of this is our decision to close on Sunday. Our
decision to close on Sunday was our way of honoring God and of directing our
attention to things that mattered more than our business” Truett Cathy
stated.
In a recent interview with The Baptist Press, Dan Cathy said “We are very
much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit.
We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married
to our first wives. We give God thanks for that…we know that it might not
be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we
can share our values and operate on biblical principles.” He continued, “I
think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist
at Him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,
’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful,
arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to try to redefine what
marriage is about.
And so the controversy began. Equality Matters swiftly published a report
of Chick-fil-A’s recent charitable contributions (disclaimer: not the ones
I have listed above). It was determined that the Cathys have donated to the
Marriage & Family Foundation, Exodus International, and the Family Research
Council. It wasn’t long before the family-owned business became the newest
villain cast by social media. Soon, left-leaning mayors across the country
began urging Chick-Fil-A to keep their chicken and “unwarranted” beliefs
out of their cities. Boston Mayor Menino sent a letter to the company urging
it to stay out of his city due to Cathy’s “prejudiced statements.”
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel issued a statement declaring that “Chick-fil-A’
s values are not Chicago’s values.”
On the other side, a staunch advocate for gay-marriage, Mayor Bloomberg (NYC
), addressed the first-amendment issue on his daily radio show. “What’s
for sure is that government cannot in the United States, in America, under
the Constitution, be run where you have a litmus test for the personal views
of somebody when they want something in the commercial world” Bloomberg
declared. “It isn’t the right thing to do and it isn’t what America
stands for. And those people who don’t like (Chick-fil-A) don’t
understand their rights were protected by people who took a difficult
position in the past and stood by it” he added.
Former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee, called for a Chick-Fil-A
Appreciation Day to remind Americans that the first amendment applies to all
religions and speech. The Governor created a facebook event and announced,
“I ask you to join me in speaking out on Wednesday, August 1 – Chick Fil-
A Appreciation Day. No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly
demonstrate. The goal is simple. Let’s affirm a business that operates on
Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for
the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick-Fil-A
on Wednesday, August 1.” Without the infamous left-leaning media covering
the days up to Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day, Huckabee used twitter and
facebook alone to send his message.
While Chick-Fil-A is a southern food chain, I did find one in a nearby mall.
The weather was not cooperating and the roads were flooded from a recent
thunderstorm. I knew that my personal beliefs would get me to Chick-Fil-A on
August 1st rain or shine. When I rode the escalator up to the food court, I
was flabbergasted. Words escaped me. Here in northeastern New Jersey, the
line for Chick-Fil-A wrapped around the food-court and down a back staircase
. The message was clear. I stood in the winding line with hundreds of people
who were drawn to Chick-Fil-A for so many American reasons. Some were there
to support their freedom of speech and religion while others were there to
support traditional marriage. No one had a sign, picket, or demonstrated
hate speech. Costumers reported driving to the New Jersey mall from
Connecticut and New York just to be a part of this historic event sweeping
the country. Governor Huckabee frequently updated the facebook event page
with images of Chick-Fil-As filling up around the country. Chick-Fil-A vice
president of marketing reported a record-setting day of sales.
chick.jpg
Large crowd within a mall on Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day
Back in Chicago, police have reported 300 homicides in the first half of the
2012 year; an increase of 31% since last year. Chicago and the state of
Illinois also have a long history for its unscrupulous and crooked
politicians. With two consecutive governors currently serving sentences and
dozens of corruption charges pending, I ask Mayor Rahm Emanuel, “What
exactly ARE Chicago values?”
It is simple; it is unconstitutional for officials of public office to
forbid a business that has done nothing illegal. It is an individual
consumer’s personal decision and right to choose to dine at Chick-Fil-A or
not. Having a religious belief or social opinion and being able to express
that view openly is what makes us unique as individual Americans and
separates us from any other country. The first amendment does not only apply
to the popular opinion or politically correct, it applies to all. Chick-Fil
-A does not discriminate against employment or service, therefore, the
President and company should not be exiled, or shamed.
Not supporting gay-marriage is not a crime. |
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