Larry Reed of the Foundation for Economic Education, one of the nicest people I know and one of the most consistent advocates for liberty in America, has some hard-hitting thoughts for politicians on the Chick Fil A issue.
He rightly takes politicians to task for their bullying tactics. Notably, the use and abuse of government force is always and everywhere the problem, not individuals or businesses. I have zero problem with people protesting (although the kiss-in may prove problematic due to property rights issues); I have zero problem with people turning out in droves to support the company or staying away if that is their wont.
The problem, of course, arises when politicians use bullying rhetoric to play to their political bases. Even the nation’s number one nanny, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gets this. So, protest or eat mor chikin or whatever you choose, but if you’re a politician, forget about the threats and belligerence.
Let them protest. However, they do not have the right to prevent people from getting in, ordering, sitting down, or leaving.
If the protestors create a nuisance with their stupid kiss-in, the restaurant has a right to order them out and issue criminal trespass notifications in front of the police so they can’t come back.
We don’t have to put up with lawbreaking. Protests are one thing. Crimes are another.
Thanks for showcasing FEE and Larry Reed, I have been a FEE fan for over 40 years and I agree with your fondness for Larry Reed. Hope other readers get hooked on FEE.
As an arch-conservative, it will shock people to know I
have absolutely no problem with gay marriages. It does
not affect ME!! My attitude is, who cares.
HOWEVER , I HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM WITH THE
HYPOCRITICAL OBAMA USING IT AS A TOOL TO GET
VOTES…….AND MAYORS AND OTHER ELECTED
OFFICIALS DISCRIMINATING RADICALLY AGAINST
CHRISTIANS just to be on the bandwagon.
I have 4 Chick-Fil-A’s in my frig plus 3 chicken salad
sandwiches, delicious, and look forward to eating them all.
Elected officials (mayors etc) have many ways to circumvent the first amendment. In this case the mayor could schedule years of road work or new water pipes or fire drills in front of a business that the mayor wants to bankrupt. History shows us that once the government accumulates enough control of our everyday lives through laws, ordinances, mandates etc it’s only a matter of time until fascism rears it’s head. Socialism always has become fascism in this way. Just look at the history of Germany, Austria, Spain, Russia, China, Argentina etc. Will we be on that road with a Dem takeover in November?