Chick-fil-a

I find myself, again, writing on a controversial subject. Not so much because my opinion matters, but to work out some of the conflicting ideas I have in myself.

1. I have no issue with marriage between two people of the same gender. If two people love each other and want to make a spiritual and emotional commitment, why not allow them to make it legal?

2. There have been wars fought to keep our freedoms...one of those basic rights is, freedom of speech.

3. I RESPECT PEOPLE THAT STAND UP FOR WHAT THEY BELIEVE IN. (Cap lock accidentally, but seems important).

Therein lies my mental struggle. I don't have to agree with you, but you still have the right to say it. I am sure there are other business owners that agree with, Chick-fil-a president, Dan Cathy's stand. They are sitting back quietly hoping nobody will notice them, because taking a stand is controversial and potentially bad for business. So they go along to get along. It's the smart businessman thing to do. I will note here also, that several companies have come out in support of gay marriage, most notably Target, Starbucks and Amazon. And just why is it, do you think, that you don't hear about that? These companies are not little Mom and Pop local businesses...and yes there has been a call to boycott Starbucks, but nothing like the furor caused by Chick-fil-a. I have to wonder, as I have before, if media isn't driving us.

I have to stop here a moment for a bit of education. Mr. Cathy has taken a public stand against gay marriage based on the biblical definition of marriage. So what does that mean? I am not an expert, but I can give a brief overview...No sex outside of marriage. No divorce, except for adultery. The wife must submit to the husband in all things. The husband is to protect and provide for his family, putting the family's needs first. This is the basic idea of marriage as outlined in the Bible. So before you step up to support Cathy, take a look at your own home and ask if you meet his standards.

So what conclusions have I drawn? I still believe in two people's right to make a public, and official, declaration of commitment. I still believe in the right to form and express an opinion...hopefully, an educated one. I still believe in the right to stand up for what you believe in. I also believe that you have to face the consequences for your actions. I also detest when the actions of one causes problems for many, especially when the many have little or nothing to do with the actions of one. Many Chick-fil-a's are franchises, owned not by the company, but by individuals...people that had nothing to do with Cathy's stand. These are the local Mom and Pop's trying to put food on the family dinner table. They may or may not agree with the company's stand...how do you know? I'd bet there are even franchises owned by gays...oh what a mess that has to be.

And here again, I had to stop, time for a little self education. See, I believe in making decisions based on knowledge, at least as best as I can understand the information that I can find. And what I found after doing a little digging...Chick-fil-a exceeds $2 billion in annual sales and a whopping 50% of net profits from the franchise goes back to the corporation. So, yes, taking a stand and boycotting Chick-fil-a may indeed send a message. But what is that message? Take a stand for what you believe in. But that is exactly what he did. And sometimes you just have to agree to disagree. No minds will be changed over a chicken sandwich and waffle fries. But if you are going to take a stand against Chick-fil-a because he was bold enough to exercise his right to freedom of speech and spoke his beliefs, then know where other companies stand and support those that agree with you. Skip Chick-fil-a and head over to Starbucks.

And in the end, it all comes down to this, for every $1 spent at Chick-fil-a, 50 cents goes to the owner of the store and 50 cents goes to the corporation...and some portion of that is going to support an anti-gay group.

All of that just to decide where to get my chicken sandwich.