Cock Fight

When asked, the CEO of the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain shares his anti-gay-marriage views during an interview with a religious media outlet. He’s a religious man…his views are uhm, based on his religion. What a surprise. This is America where people can be religious, whatever religion, and it’s a protected right. This interview occurred in early July, by the way. I listened to the man’s comment, and I heard not scorn, or hate, or name-calling. He sounded rather humble, actually. He said something along the lines of “I don’t think we should shake our fist at God and tell Him we know better than Him what constitutes marriage.” Interesting that his position is based on a supplicant attitude to his God…this is not a militant, loud-mouthed, offensive man forcing his views into public space. But, now it’s been blown into another skirmish in the war between liberals and conservatives.

Boston and Chicago mayors have threatened to not approve permits in their towns for Chick-fil-A restaurants to operate, to punish the company’s CEO for his religious views. Huckabee has organized a Chick-fil-A Day for conservatives to eat at the restaurants this Wednesday, while liberals are organizing donations to pro-gay-marriage groups the same day.

Where does someone like me, socially liberal yet fiscally conservative (in other words, libertarian before Ron Paul came along and made it cool), line up in this particular fight? I’ll be frank with you – I do not understand the gay marriage thing and why it is an issue. They should be allowed to marry and be as miserable as all the heterosexuals, in my opinion. Seriously, why do I care what other people are doing? I suspect that it is all about money…and benefits…and insurance coverage…and if that is the case, then why hasn’t a market solution developed? Surely there are insurance companies who recognize gay spouses. I suggest gay couples use their services. Oh, you’re talking about the millions of government jobs with government benefits that involve insurance companies that don’t recognize gay spouses? My immediate reaction to that, with no firsthand knowledge or facts, is so what? Government employees tend to be overcompensated compared to the private sector any way. It’s hard to get sympathy from me as a government employee who wants more of my tax money. Adding gay spouses sounds like more of my tax money would have to be collected for that additional coverage. I’m not going to support that. Meanwhile, marry in your churches, have fights, break up, get divorces, move on, like everybody else. Knock yourself out. I’m not saying gays should not marry. I’m saying no, you can’t have more of my tax money as a result. I don’t think it’s worth borrowing from China to fund. I don’t think anything is worth borrowing money from China to fund, though.

I really don’t believe in the government telling people what they can or cannot do. I don’t see where the government needs to become involved in creating policy for gay marriage. It should be silent on this issue. It should be silent on a million other things, as well, that it has not been.

Although, I do not agree with the CEO’s stance with the reasoning he uses, I do plan to participate in Huckabee’s Chick-fil-A Day, because I do believe using government to punish someone for their views is egregious. What would liberals think about cities in the South refusing permits to gay-owned businesses? Discrimination, right? Outrageous? You bet. So, why would it be okay for cities in the North to discriminate against religious business owners? It’s not.

And, in the meantime, the media will froth at the mouth to cover Wednesday’s make-believe, contrived “event” and report the results back to us…while the debt continues to grow in the background, casting an enormous shadow across the country, engulfing everyone and generations yet born…and the people and media bicker about gay marriage and abortion and the definition of free speech.