CHICKEN BRUHAHA GETS BIGGER

@Atom Blitzer,

You're right as far as that goes, Atom. However, if that person or organization (especially if it's a commercial business) supports other hate groups through donations etc., they could be held liable for their part in fostering any violence or other illegal acts that these hate groups have perpetrated. Any one has a right to an opinion, no matter how hateful it might be. Any one has the right to voice that opinion. But if holding the opinion leads to an illegal action, that's a different story.

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Here's a good argument from the ACLU against government regulation of discrimination speech.

Quote:

The ACLU “strongly supports” same-sex marriage, Schwartz said, but noted that if a government can exclude a business for being against same-sex marriage, it can also exclude a business for being in support of same-sex marriage.

more. . .

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@engineer,

engineer wrote:

I think if the mayor is acting in his role as mayor then it is hurting CFA's business. Potential licencees from the Chicago or Boston areas might feel that they can't do business in those cities and not seek to do business. It seemed to me that both of those mayors were speaking in their capacity as mayor making it a first amendment issue.

Where's the detriment to Chick-fil-A? The mayors made the Big Chikin feel unwelcome and like it had cooties or something Crying or Very sad

That doesn't rise to a violation of the first amendment.

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@joefromchicago,

joefromchicago wrote:

I agree, but then I also don't see any of that going on in this case.

I overheard on TV yesterday that a Chicago alderman is on record as trying to block a Chick-Fil-A building permit. Did I hear wrongly?

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@InfraBlue,

A municipality does not have to issue a business license to anyone who doesn't comply with the requirements for that license, and if one of the requirements is that the business have in place a written non-discrimination policy that protects LGBT employees, then that business isn't entitled to a license. That has nothing to do with free speech.

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@joefromchicago,

joefromchicago wrote:

Where's the detriment to Chick-fil-A? The mayors made the Big Chikin feel unwelcome and like it had cooties or something

That doesn't rise to a violation of the first amendment.

They did it specifically in response to the statements of the CEO of his personal beliefs, not due to any misdeeds from company.

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@Thomas,

Thomas wrote:

I overheard on TV yesterday that a Chicago alderman is on record as trying to block a Chick-Fil-A building permit. Did I hear wrongly?

As I understand the situation, Chick-fil-A is seeking a zoning variance to build in Joe Moreno's ward. In Chicago, zoning matters are exclusively in the hands of the aldermen, who have wide discretion on whether to grant or withhold variances. Nobody is entitled to a zoning variance as a matter of right -- it's a variance, after all, which means that the applicant is seeking an exception to the general zoning rules. The alderman, therefore, could reject Chick-fil-A's request for any reason or for no reason. Frankly, I don't think Chick-fil-A has a chicken leg to stand on in this instance.

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@engineer,

engineer wrote:

They did it specifically in response to the statements of the CEO of his personal beliefs, not due to any misdeeds from company.

So what? Where's the detriment?

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@joefromchicago,

When the mayor says your business is not welcome in town, I can't see how that does not chill the business environment. If CFA was welcome prior to the CEO's comments and not afterwards, how is that not a punitive action taken due to his speech? CFA's policies have not changed.

1 Reply

@engineer,

engineer wrote:

When the mayor says your business is not welcome in town, I can't see how that does not chill the business environment. If CFA was welcome prior to the CEO's comments and not afterwards, how is that not a punitive action taken due to his speech? CFA's policies have not changed.

Joefromchicago can no doubt speak for himself. That said, I believe his point here isn't so much about constitutional rights as about legal procedure.

Your constitutional arguments are irrelevant unless a court agrees to hear your case in the first place. And it won't hear your case unless you demonstrate that you've suffered a tangible harm that the court can do something about. That's why Joe insists that you show him what tangible harm Chick-Fil-A has suffered because of the mayors' reprimands. At least I think that's the reason.

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@Thomas,

Yes, that's a fair summary. The mayors of Boston and Chicago and San Francisco can all say that Chick-fil-A is a big ol' meany and a poopy pants and everything else, but unless Chick-fil-A can point to some damage it sustained as a result of those remarks, it can't complain about how its free speech is being suppressed. At this stage, it's just a bunch of people (actual and juridical) exercising their free speech rights.

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@joefromchicago,

I don't see anyone claiming the CEO can't talk. Nor do I see any government preventing him from talking.

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We had a bit of a dust-up here in Tucson on Wednesday during the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day.

Quote:

An executive at a medical manufacturing firm lost his job after a YouTube video of him verbally ambushing a young employee at a Tucson Chick-fil-A went viral.

Adam Smith, formerly chief financial officer at Vante, stepped down after the video - which Smith shot and uploaded himself -caused embarrassment to the company.

The video was picked up by countless blogs. Before Smith took it off YouTube, others had downloaded it and reposted it.

Both the escapade and its fallout filled Tucson-linked tweets.

Smith, who served as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Arizona last semester, filmed himself berating a drive-thru employee at Chick-fil-A, 3605 E. Broadway, on Wednesday. Conservative commentator Mike Huckabee dubbed that day "Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day" and encouraged customers to eat there to show support for the chain after its president, Dan Cathy, said the company supports efforts to block gay marriage.

In the video, which runs 2 minutes, 21 seconds, Smith enters the drive-thru, explaining that he's ordered a free cup of water. Once the employee hands him his cup, he lambastes her employer, calling Chick-fil-A "a hateful corporation" and "a horrible corporation with horrible values" that "gives money to hate groups."
more...

It was definitely a stupid thing for a guy in his position to do. The article had a vote question: Should Smith have been fired for his rant? At the time I looked the tally was 79% Yes.

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@mesquite,

This is exactly the sort of thing i was taling about at the beginning of the thread. The commentator i heard on the radio said that "liberals" were likely to shoot themselves in the foot over this issue, and that conseratives were well placed to take the moral high ground.

1 Reply

@mesquite,

I voted 'No'. I wouldn't have fired him. I'd probably have to weigh in his stupidity and bad judgement when evaluating him for either a raise or a promotion, though lol.

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@Setanta,

I agree about the likelihood of shooting themselves in the foot. The "Kiss In" scheduled for today will most likely create far more backlash than support.

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@mesquite,

It also gives the jokers a lot of free publicity, which never hurts. Somebody call a podiatrist.

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I had no intentions of participating in the Kiss In today. However I did have to post this video, it’s hilarious.

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@jcboy,

Yer right -- it's hilarious!
Thanx for posting.

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@Lustig Andrei,

Andrei he's a loon!

I don't agree with the Kiss In! Period!

Has everyone in the LGBT community lost their minds? This Chick-Fil-A issue has spread like a bad case of herpes, and looks as if there's no end in sight.

This Kiss In is not how change happens, because right now all that is happening is that we are preaching to the choir, and we're not doing a very good job.

I'd rather show the world that we are better than to stoop to the level of hate and anger.

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CHICKEN BRUHAHA GETS BIGGER

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