This whole thing has gotten way out of hand.
Recall that first it was Boston Mayor Thomas Menino who went authoritarian on Chick-fil-A. See Legal Insurrection, "When political correctness runs amok, it will look like the Mayor of Boston."
Now we have the idiots in Chicago following suit, at Volokh, "No Building Permits for Opponent of Same-Sex Marriage." (Via Memeorandum.) And check Jeff Goldstein, "“Alderman to Chick-fil-A: No deal”":
So now a Chicago petty tyrant pol joins with the bigoted mayor of Boston to declare that, to the contemporary “liberal,” tolerance is nothing more than policing conformity of thought — and that he will proudly cast himself as intolerant of intolerance!Well, yeah. Gay rights advocates are the biggest bigots of them all.
More at Weasel Zippers, "Another Dem Politician Moves to Ban Chick-Fil-A Restaurants – Update: Mayor Rahm Emanuel Backs Ban, “Chick-Fil-A Values Are Not Chicago Values”…"
Look, this is what the Democrat Party has come to in America. Even the far-left Los Angles Times called out the left's bigotry and bullying, "Free speech and Chick-fil-A":
The Muppets are well within their rights to shun Chick-fil-A after the chain restaurant donated to anti-gay groups and its president, Dan Cathy, made statements implying a strong, biblically-based stand against same-sex marriage. They're private, um, puppets. But public officials have a responsibility to carry out their ministerial tasks fairly and evenhandedly — and to uphold the principle of free speech — whether or not they like a business executive's social or political stances. We disagree heartily with Cathy, but are far more troubled by the reaction of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who vowed to block Chick-fil-A's effort to open an outlet in that city.More at Michelle's, "Hey, Boston: Leave Chick-fil-A alone." (Via Memeorandum.)
Boycotts are a time-honored way for consumers and groups to express their views through their spending power, though it's worth noting that just as Americans have split along more divisive lines politically, so have their shopping habits. Some people won't travel to Utah because of Mormon support for Proposition 8; others won't step foot in aJ.C. Penneybecause of its ads featuring same-sex couples. As both a private citizen and a prominent public figure, Menino is welcome to abstain from fried chicken sandwiches and urge others to do likewise.
It's a different matter if he attempts to trample the free-speech rights of others by using the power of his office to fight against a business license for Chick-fil-A. Menino suggested that it would be appropriate to block the chain from opening in Boston because Cathy's views amount to discrimination. That would rightly apply if Chick-fil-A were to refuse service to gay customers; the city has a right and an obligation to prevent discriminatory actions against its residents and visitors. But there's no evidence that any such thing has occurred.
PHOTO CREDIT: OC Weekly.
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét