Really - Nothing better to do (Chic-Fil-A) (Boston, Cambridge: appointed, restaurants)

[LeavingMA]

Chick-fil-A dust-up is smart politics for Menino - Opinion - The Boston Globe

[case44]

Sounds like stupid politics if you ask me. Some people just have way too much time on their hands. People go to Chick-Fil-A for their great food and could care less about their stance for morality. In the end, that's what it comes down to.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by case44

Sounds like stupid politics if you ask me. Some people just have way too much time on their hands. People go to Chick-Fil-A for their great food and could care less about their stance for morality. In the end, that's what it comes down to.

I agree, I wish they would open more of them around here. I know some will come on here and say "Oh well all fast food sucks", but truthfully almost all of us wind up eating it once in a while. And those times when I'm on the run, I would kill to have an alternative to the deplorable KFC/Taco Bell, McDonalds, Wendy's, etc. Chick-fil-as generally have excellent service, clean restaurants, and as high quality fast food as you will find. They put the other ones to shame. McDonalds has a better chicken sandwich??? Either she is lying (never really tried Chic-fil-a), or she has the food critique of a donkey.

Menino is out of his mind in discouraging a good business from his city during these economic times (just to pander to a certain extreme political base that happens to keep his campaign fund scrumptous). It kills me driving down Columbia Rd. seeing check cashing depot after package store after tattoo parlor after ghetto chicken joint, etc., while Menino is throwing a temper tantrum over "Chic-fil-a" of all places! I think it's time for him to retire.

And oh yeah, the Globe is a joke.

[lrfox]

Frankly, I support the Mayor's letter and attitude towards Chick-Fil-A. There's been a lot of griping about "1st Amendment Rights" on behalf of the franchise, but the Mayor has that same right as well and expressed it nicely in his letter to Chick-Fil-A. Most major polls show that the majority of Americans support gay marriage now, so his stance isn't even particularly bold. Still, I found such a firm position on the issue to be refreshing in an age where politicians are so careful to toe the line out of fear of negative feedback. I agree with his feelings toward Chick-Fil-A, and I appreciate his letter.

That said, I do have a few nitpicks. First, he should never have said he "vows to block Chick-Fil-A" from opening in Boston. An unfortunate choice of wording. He cannot legally, nor should he legally be able to block them from opening in Boston unless they break any laws (which they haven't, to my knowledge). In spite of my opinion that the CEO of the company is A) Out of date in his line of thinking, and B) Stupid for saying his views are the same as those of everyone in his company; he has every legal right to express those views. Thankfully, he retracted the "vow" and acknowledged that he cannot legally block the company from opening its doors in Boston. Also, while his letter was strongly worded, it did not claim he was able to block them from opening in Boston.

Still, I agree with his feelings and really enjoyed the letter. There's not too much Menino does that makes me proud to call him my mayor, but this was an exception. The letter was great. It was a blueprint for similar action in Chicago and Philadelphia. I'm always happy to see Boston leading the way in something.

And of course, I believe that Chick-Fil-A should have the right to fail or succeed on their own merit without anyone's interference. Having had Chick-Fil-A before, I think they'll do just fine in Boston (although I'm sure you'll get some minor protests to start). Chick-Fil-A is pretty tasty.

I might even be equally disappointed with the idea of another fast food franchise (any fast food franchise) moving into a historic spot (rumor has it that Chick-Fil-A is looking at the Purple Shamrock space). I'd rather see them in the ground floor of a modern office/ high rise than a historic row of buildings. But again, they have every right to open their doors and fail or thrive like any other business. I did enjoy Menino's letter and agree with his sentiments toward Chick-Fil-A though.

[goyguy]

Stance for morality? What kind of twisted definition of "morality" is our troll, I mean visitor, from Texas getting at?
Not that Southern bigots hiding behind religion are anything new, even in the junk food world. (Look up Lester Maddox and his "Pick Rick" [sp?] drive-in restaurant. He used to chase people from it whose skin tone didn't agree with him, with an axe handle. I'm sure he was able to justify it with "Scripture.")
With all a man with the family name Cathy must've had to put up with as far as teasing etc, I probably would've gone all "moral" on same-sexers too if I'd been born with it.
Mickey D's has a sandwich out now which is so close to a clone of the Chik-fil-A product I have to wonder about patent infringement. 'bout the only reason to go to Chik-fil-A these days would be if you can't get enough soggy waffle fries. Nothing else is unique there now.
Everybody CAN agree that all those billboards and TV ads with the cows are funny.

Nothing is legally keeping Mr Cathy from peddling nutritionally empty meals wherever he has the money to, just the same as nothing is compelling anybody who doesn't think the Christian Right way to patronize the business. A few years back, Domino's was looking to open a franchise in Cambridge. Remarkably the city was able to get away with thwarting them. (The founder of that pizza chain, Tom Monaghan - who also owns the Detroit Tigers, among other things - is a fringe Catholic nut job along the lines of Mel Gibson. Latin Mass, no reproductive choice no way no how, expansion of the death penalty, fun stuff like that.) But around 2009-10, maybe helped by increased commercial vacancies, they succeeded in opening a location anyway. So what? They won't get a penny out of me. And with all the good, locally owned, well established pizza/sub places in the area their Cambridge outlet will probably never operate in the black.
At times I think it's forgotten that what's good for the goose is good for the gander and vice versa. Freedom of expression cuts both ways. The kicking and screaming would be every bit as loud if a community down South denied a restaurant permission to open because its owners maintained a progressive attitude.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by lrfox

I agree with his feelings toward Chick-Fil-A, and I appreciate his letter.

Seriously? What have they done wrong, have they ever discriminated against anybody?

In short it looks like both the mayor and the CEO have opposite views on the issue, and both could have said things better (or not at all). They both have a right to their views, just like the mayor has the right to be voted out and the CEO has the right to have his business fail. Obviously neither looks probable right now.



Here is the other side of the coin. This happened right in Boston and the store is still in business.

Massachusetts Man Says He Was Fired for Telling Colleague Her Gay Marriage Is Wrong | Fox News
(of course this is what he claimed, I am skeptical of all news these days. But, I have seen first hand the difficulties some face in the workplace by those with Christian and other traditional views and who speak up about it. I can easily see something like this happening today.)

I guess discrimination is OK when it's against views that aren't P.C. at the time (or the mayor's).

I would also not take too much stock in those polls. The population of all 31 states that have voted on the issue have kept marriage in it's traditional form (even after polls suggested the opposite would happen).

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by goyguy

Stance for morality? What kind of twisted definition of "morality" is our troll, I mean visitor, from Texas getting at?
Not that Southern bigots hiding behind religion are anything new, even in the junk food world. (Look up Lester Maddox and his "Pick Rick" [sp?] drive-in restaurant. He used to chase people from it whose skin tone didn't agree with him, with an axe handle. I'm sure he was able to justify it with "Scripture.")
With all a man with the family name Cathy must've had to put up with as far as teasing etc, I probably would've gone all "moral" on same-sexers too if I'd been born with it.
Mickey D's has a sandwich out now which is so close to a clone of the Chik-fil-A product I have to wonder about patent infringement. 'bout the only reason to go to Chik-fil-A these days would be if you can't get enough soggy waffle fries. Nothing else is unique there now.
Everybody CAN agree that all those billboards and TV ads with the cows are funny.

Nothing is legally keeping Mr Cathy from peddling nutritionally empty meals wherever he has the money to, just the same as nothing is compelling anybody who doesn't think the Christian Right way to patronize the business. A few years back, Domino's was looking to open a franchise in Cambridge. Remarkably the city was able to get away with thwarting them. (The founder of that pizza chain, Tom Monaghan - who also owns the Detroit Tigers, among other things - is a fringe Catholic nut job along the lines of Mel Gibson. Latin Mass, no reproductive choice no way no how, expansion of the death penalty, fun stuff like that.) But around 2009-10, maybe helped by increased commercial vacancies, they succeeded in opening a location anyway. So what? They won't get a penny out of me. And with all the good, locally owned, well established pizza/sub places in the area their Cambridge outlet will probably never operate in the black.
At times I think it's forgotten that what's good for the goose is good for the gander and vice versa. Freedom of expression cuts both ways. The kicking and screaming would be every bit as loud if a community down South denied a restaurant permission to open because its owners maintained a progressive attitude.

Entire post reeks of bigotry. A classic example of how those screaming the loudest for "tolerance" are the last ones to practice it. And where do you come from, "visitor" ?

[bostonbarney]

At least this whole tempest in a fry pan taught me how to pronounce Chick-Fil-A. I've never been very good with cutsie spelling of words. If he had spelled it Chick-Filet I'd've been good. But "Chick-fill-A" never made any sense to me. Fill A what???

Strange that there seem to be so many people pledging to support Chick-Fillet because of its owners beliefs, but battering those who are intending to boycott because of those same beliefs. There's a lot of that going around these days. Somebody should be working on a vaccine.

[TAM88]

Remember, Mayor Menino is not the only Mayor to speak out against Chic-Fil-A.

[WILWRadio]

An article that will interest anyone that is following this story.

Dershowitz: Anti-Chick-fil-A Mayors 'Showing Terrible Intolerance'