On Chick-fil-A controversy, see related blog:
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I'm a pretty open book when it comes to my opinions regarding politics and social issues. You can search my name on Patch to find a few columns I wrote sharing my political leanings. However, please don't judge this book by it's red cover.
Sure, I'm passionate when it comes to governmental fiscal responsibility and my strong desire to vote Barack Obama out of the White House can't be wavered. But there's another subject I'm crazy passionate about. The rights of the gay community.
If anyone on my social media networks breathes a stitch of anti-gay rhetoric, I'm claws out. The equality of law abiding, tax paying American citizens is not something that is up for discussion in my world.
I've had gay friends, a gay business partner, and I've marched in favor of the legalization of gay marriage. Although classifying my friends and business partner as "gay" seems unnatural to me...as they were just my friends and my business partner. I really do not understand why anyone's sexual preference makes them something different than me or you or anyone else.
My personal thoughts on gay marriage is that all "marriages" should be classified as civil unions at the state level. If two citizens want to go to the county courthouse and make their partnership legal, and they have the correct documents to do so, then they should be granted a civil union. If those same two people want to then classify their partnership as a "marriage" they can and should do so via the religious institution of their choosing.
Treating "marriage" as I just described takes the religious argument, that so many cite to make their anti-gay debate, out of the equation. Personally, I can not wait until the day, and it's coming, when this issue isn't something that divides our country.
However, right now our country is more divided than ever on the subject. Why? Because of a comment Dan Cathy, the CEO of Chick-fil-A made. Because of his comment to a Christian publication, the country is up in arms planning protests and boycotts of the restaurant. The mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, has even pledged to block Chick-fil-A's desire to open a new restaurant across from City Hall in his city. A restaurant which would provide much needed jobs in this strapped economy.
To further add to the divide, Jim Henson Productions, at the request of Lisa Henson their CEO, has publicly denounced Dan Cathy's opinion and put an explanation point on that denouncement by pulling their promotional partnership with the restaurant.
And now my head starts to pound. I present to you the following:
In November 2008, Barack Obama stated, "I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. Now, for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix.”
In October 2010, Barack Obama stated, “I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage.”
Here's where my head starts to spin and is on the verge of exploding...
Lisa Henson, THE Lisa Henson, the very one who is the CEO of the Jim Henson Company, donated over $50,000 to Barack Obama's campaign at the time he made those comments.
Yet when Dan Cathy, CEO of Chick-fil-A now infamously stated, "We are very much supportive of the family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that." ....the very same Lisa Henson made a big display of pulling her company's partnership from Chick-fil-A citing "Chick-Fil-A’s CEO’s opposition to same sex marriage."
Soooo.....where was the outrage against Barack Obama? His statements on the subject show a MUCH more of anti-gay stance. Yes, he recently came out in support of gay marriage but as the most powerful person in the world he has yet to act on that position. Which seems odd as he's tossing executive orders around more than a pizza joint tosses dough in the air on a Friday night. Also, Lisa Henson has continued to donate more than $5,000 prior to Obama's sudden (and conveniently timed) change of heart.
I can see if Dan Cathy said something along the lines of, "Those [enter horrible gay slur here] aren't welcome to nom on my chicken"...but he didn't even MENTION the term or any variation of "gay."
Apparently I'm missing something here...because this makes ZERO sense to me.
Unless you mention the term "hypocrite"...then I get it.
http://www.rr.com/news/topic/article/rr/55255278/72592521/Longtime_Chick-fil-A_spokesman_Donald_Perry_dies
@Greg ...There are no words that can describe you in a civil manner.
and demonstrate that liberals of this ilk need to drown in the swamp that birthed them.
Quote me one line from the gospels where Jesus condemned homosexuality.
Thirty-three years ago, I was 'married' in my own living-room with a very liberal Catholic priest performing a civil ceremony. I'd as soon have had a judge. I consider myself as 'married' as anyone who did the whole Bridezilla plus lavish reception schtick in a church. The only difference between me and 'Adam and Steve' is that because I was marrying someone of the opposite sex, the State of Wisconsin issued us a marriage license. Does my non-religious marriage threaten the sanctity of Donald Trump's fourth?
I realized that all long. Hoffa knows you're a good guy. Sometimes tonality and intent are lost in the mere written word, whereas they would be properly conveyed in the spoken word. It may have been better to explain your true intent to Mr. Sanders instead of responding in kind. Just a suggestion! For the record though, Hoffa did get a good laugh from the back and forth ;-)
Why is so much importance placed on a marriage license? Does a marriage license allow people to love one another more than they'd otherwise be able to without one? Isn't it just a silly little piece of paper?
I'm merely insisting that even without a religious ceremony to bless it, my union is a marriage and deserves the term.
Couldn't the LGBT couple enter into a private contract between themselves agreeing to settle their financial affairs according to state community property laws, or whatever standard they prefer, in the event of a termination of their relationship? Or private power of attorneys in the event of an unforeseen situation? Not to mention a child placement agreement in the event that they adopt or conceive a child while together and then later terminate their relationship? In fact, they could do all of these things and more. They would just have to do it BEFORE co-mingling their funds, taking a joint ownership in property, or adopting/conceiving a child together. So I'm not really seeing where you're going with this. Again, the marriage license is just a piece of paper that locks you into a general set of rules and benefits granted/recognized by the state in the event the relationship is ever terminated. Parties are free to deviate from these rules via private contract law before entering into the committed relationship. Ever hear of prenuptial agreements? The same is very easily applied to an LGBT couple. Not really a very important piece of paper after all, is it? The only thing an LGBT couple couldn't freely do on their own accord is file their taxes jointly and/or be qualified to receive the other's SS benefits. What's the significance of tax treatment and SS benefits in the context of true love?
To answer your question, everyone can see a lawyer and do almost all of those things the marriage license grants automatically. But I'm happy to live under those rules without having to pay a lawyer.
Doesn't represent Chicago values? Are you serious Mayor? Well, quite frankly, "YES"! Chicago values are Murder, Political corruption and Crime.
Liberals are aware the America imports large quantities of crude oil from OPEC? Right? Click on the link below to find America's crude oil imports by country. http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_move_impcus_a2_nus_ep00_im0_mbbl_m.htm Here is what the OWNERS OF OPEC think about homosexuality: "Sodomy is a crime, for which both partners are punished. The punishment is death if the participants are adults, of sound mind and consenting; the method of execution is for the Shari'a judge to decide." SO Liberals - You ARE going to stop purchasing POL based products - RIGHT?
"Leviticus18:22, leviticus 20:13, genesis18:20-21, 1timothy1:8-10, 1corintheans 6:9." Three Old Testaments and two Pauline Letters.
Christ never condemned calling ones mother a B*; however, we know it to be wrong because he said we are to respect our parents. Christ never said that doing massive amounts of heroin was wrong; however, he told us to respect our bodies. The same goes for homosexuality, he never said it was wrong; however, in Matt. 19:4-6 he establishes that the marriage union as established by God in Genesis, "For this reason a man will leaves his father and mother and be united to his wife." This passage refers back to Genesis 2:24. Please take note the specificity of genders in his description. There is no reference to a 'partner'; rather man and wife. In Matt 19:4, Christ again quotes Genesis 1:27 where it indicates that God created male and female; thus designating them for different roles on this planet and for all time providing an example of how marriage is to be structured.
This state is led by a Koch puppet.
I have been working out and thinking about getting married. Don't forget to include a Diet Coke!
You know that was not all of Cathy's comments, correct? "I think we are inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at Him and say, 'We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage,'" Cathy said. "I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about." http://www.christianpost.com/news/chick-fil-a-president-says-gods-judgment-coming-because-of-same-sex-marriage-78485/#2Ocef2klTpeu6SMQ.99 While I agree that the backlash against Obama for his stance on same-sex marriage was muted in comparison, surely you'll agree that Cathy's full statement is rather more inflammatory than you're making it out to be. I believe that undermines your argument that Obama demonstrated "a MUCH more of [sic] anti-gay stance", at least when Cathy is talking about how redefining marriage is going to bring down God's judgment.
Can I have an Amen? Chuck D