Special interests could fil-A the Dems

August 3, 2012

Katy Grimes: Only hours after the Democratic National Committee announced that the 2012 platform would endorse same-sex marriage, a group of black pastors came out swinging, and saying that they feel betrayed by President Barack Obama.

“We voted for Obama. We campaigned for Obama. But he has left our founding purposes,” Rev. William Owens Sr., the founder of the coalition of African American Pastors, told World Net Daily. “With all of the problems in America within the black community – education, jobs, business, the economy – with all of our problems, he chooses to get in front of same-sex marriage,” he continued. “That flies in the face of the African-American community.

“We feel betrayed.”

Could same-sex marriage issue fil-A the Dems?

Simultaneously, the Chick-fil-A controversy exploded, but in a good way.

Gay rights activists and other partisan liberals plan a national “Kiss In” at Chick-fil-A restaurants today to protest the restaurant owners’ position on traditional marriage. In a stunt worthy of junior high school antics, organizers are asking all gay activists to show up at Chick-fil-A locations and kiss one other publicly.

The beef is over Chic-fil-A owner Dan Cathy’s recent interview with the Baptist Press.  “We are very much supportive of the family — the biblical definition of the family unit,” Cathy explained. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that.”

After Cathy’s comments were brought to the attention of Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Menino “urged Chick-fil-A to ‘back out’ of its ‘plans to locate in Boston,’” Time magazine reported.

And then Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, President Obama’s last Chief of Staff, stepped in it and said that Chick-fil-A has no place in the city of Chicago.

“Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values. They’re not respectful of our residents, our neighbors and our family members. And if you’re gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values,” Emanuel said, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno stepped in it arm-in-arm with Emanuel, and said he planned to block a permit for Chick-fil-A in a Chicago neighborhood. “Same-sex marriage, same-sex couples — that’s the civil rights fight of our time. To have those discriminatory policies from the top down is just not something that we’re open to,” Moreno said.

It appears that Emanuel shares the God-complex of his former boss.

A sexual proclivity became a political movement

Despite the protests, this has quickly become a free-speech issue.

Gay rights activists and some members of the national media delivered scathing attacks on Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day, calling for homosexual activists to “infiltrate” and bully the family-owned company until they renounce their support of traditional marriage.

But as Time reported, “No evidence has been presented to suggest that Chick-fil-A discriminates against gay or lesbian customers or employees. There is nothing to suggest that the company has broken the law in any way.

In his comments to the Baptist Press, Cathy never even mentioned same-sex marriage. He simply said that he and his company supported traditional marriage. “The only issues at play are the personal view of the owner of the restaurant chain and the philanthropic efforts of the private company,” Time reported.

So where does all of this hype and vitriol against supporters of traditional marriage come from? Most supporters of traditional marriage say they don’t care how someone else lives, but they don’t want the gay movement forced on them or their kids, and don’t feel that the government should have any role in the movement.

Many say that it’s not a same-sex marriage or religious issue at stake, but rather they are fed up with the government hassling a business owner for his religious beliefs. It’s none of the government’s business.

Chicago Alderman Moreno announced that while he may have been wrong about trying to stop Chic-fil-A from opening a new location, but now wants Chick fil A to put into writing that it “won’t support any groups with a political agenda, including those with an anti-gay marriage stance” before he’ll consider allowing zoning rights to a Chick fil A restaurant in his ward.

Moreno just doesn’t get it.

“If they’re serious about that, and they’re willing to put that in writing and they’re willing to adopt that. I think those are the grounds where we can move forward,” Moreno said.

“Chick-fil-A may have a pretty good case under the First Amendment if the city uses their religious or political beliefs as a basis for denying a business license or ability to do business in the city.  That is the kind of thing that happens in fascist states,” said Hans von Spakovsky, a Heritage Foundation senior legal fellow and former Justice Department attorney to the assistant attorney general for civil rights.

This issue is not about homosexuality, despite how loud the shrill activists are.  This is only about the First Amendment, and the right to speak openly on a controversial subject, and continue to run your business. Cathy’s comments were deliberately blown out of proportion, despite the very respectful way he expressed what was important to him.

And maybe even worse than the Mayors sticking their noses into Chick-fil-A’s business, is the media’s political spin.

While the left has bee trying to push this as a civil rights issue, and create the image that Chick-Fil-A is oppressing an entire minority group, this controversy is being used to silence the voices of those who don’t agree with the left.

It’s an election year, extremists are running the Democratic Party, with the main stream media in lockstep. However, despite pulling out all of the stops, the average man and woman are showing their support to Chick-fil-A.

And black pastors are spitting mad… things are looking up. And it’s beginning to appear that extremist Democratic Party operatives are the ones who don’t fit in. Chicago values and Democratic values are not the values of most.