By Rich Lowry
Tuesday, April 09, 2019
The fast-food chain Chick-fil-A is wanted on suspicion of
aiding and abetting Christian organizations.
The home of the “original chicken sandwich” was banned
from its second airport in two weeks for the offense of contributing to
Christian groups deemed anti-gay by its critics.
The San Antonio City Council voted to exclude the
restaurant from its airport, and Buffalo, N.Y., soon followed suit, thus
denying travelers the option of juicy chicken sandwiches and waffle fries in
the cause of social justice.
This is about punishing the Georgia-based company for the
faith of its leadership. The official bans are anti-Christian, unconstitutional
and a harbinger of a larger effort to hunt down and punish any organization
that has uncongenial views on sexual morality.
In San Antonio, the leader of the anti-Chick-fil-A
effort, City Councilman Roberto Treviño, explained that, “Everyone has a place
here, and everyone should feel welcome when they walk through our airport.” The
irony of discriminating against Chick-fil-A in order to demonstrate the city’s
famous open-ness was, of course, lost on him.
As for everyone feeling welcome, it’s not as though
Chick-fil-A refuses to serve or hire anyone. It didn’t become the
fastest-growing restaurant chain in America, projected to take third place in
sales after McDonald’s and Starbucks, by putting obstacles between hungry
patrons and its sandwiches (except for on Sundays, when it is closed).
The hostility to Chick-fil-A stems from a controversy
back in 2012 when its CEO, Dan Cathy, made statements opposing gay marriage,
and the foundation established by the company’s founder contributed to
politically engaged social-conservative groups. There was nothing wrong with
this, but since most profit-seeking enterprises don’t like controversy, Cathy
said the company would back off the gay-marriage debate and focus on the
chicken.
It has, but its critics still detect a lingering stench
of Christianity.
The left-wing outfit ThinkProgress
issued a report cited widely in the press and among Chick-fil-A opponents
accusing the company’s foundation of “anti-equality” giving. By which it means
it donated to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (and
a small Christian home for troubled young men in Vidalia, Ga.).
Needless to say, a lot of other people are guilty of the
same offense, given that the Salvation Army raises about $2 billion a year. To
consider all that the Salvation Army does — its thrift shops, aid for the
homeless, disaster relief, anti-trafficking programs, Christmas gifts to needy
children, and much, much more — and reduce the organization to an allegedly
anti-LGBT group is perverse.
For its part, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes stands
accused of seeking “to spread an anti-LGBTQ message to college athletes.” It’s
true that FCA asks its leaders to forswear homosexual acts, but it also wants
them to pledge not to engage in heterosexual acts outside of marriage and, for
that matter, refuse to use drugs, alcohol, or tobacco.
According to Chick-fil-A, its donation to FCA supported
sports camps and school programs for inner-city kids — not exactly
controversial causes. And its gift to the Salvation Army went to youth camps
and Christmas presents for thousands of Atlanta kids.
The latest campaign against Chick-fil-A is based on the
idea that it is impermissible for it to associate with any group with a
traditional Christian understanding of sex and marriage, for any purpose
whatsoever, no matter how unobjectionable or noble.
22
Any public official joining the punitive campaign against
Chick-fil-A needs a remedial lesson in the Constitution, which forbids discrimination
against private companies on the basis of political or religious viewpoint. It
is the enemies of Chick-fil-A who are intolerant and out-of-the-mainstream.
They desperately need to abandon their tawdry McCarthyite crusade and “Eat Mor
Chikin.”
No comments:
Post a Comment