Posted on 08/02/2012 7:04:05 AM PDT by moneyrunner
They had to cover the story. It was a national phenomenon. But notice how they tried to frame the issue. Writer Carolyn Shapiro puts it this way: Mike Huckabee, the ex-governor of Arkansas and former Republican presidential candidate, had called for a national Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day to respond to public backlash against its president's recent remarks opposing gay marriage.
See what Shapiro did here? “Public backlash?” That’s like reporting on Hitler invading Poland and saying that “people were affected.” The truth is that there was no backlash by the public to Dan Cathy’s comments. Few people even read them when he made them, and the vast majority of those who heard about them agreed with him.
The truth is that elements of the militant homosexual movement have been gunning for Chick-fil-A because the family that runs it are avowed Christians who believe in traditional Christianity. The militant homosexuals were the ones who decided to make the case that traditional Christians were evil homophobes worshipping, in the immortal worlds of Daryl Lease (editorial writer for the Virginian Pilot) a God that’s “mean and nasty.”
But in a country where traditional marriage is the norm, where heterosexuality is the norm, the militant homosexuals over-reached because a few politicians read the newspaper reports, were misled into thinking that this was a mass movement and decided that the way to gain votes was to ban Chick-fil-A. That’s the problem when you live in the MSM echo chamber. You lose track of reality. Bob Owens said it well, “The greatest trick that Hollywood, the lying liberal media and the Democrat Party was able to conjure was the illusion of their power and our isolation.” But today there are literally millions of ways that people share their views, and we are not isolated as we were in the era of 3 TV networks and one dominant paper. Owens again. Clearly, this is more than a “buycott” over gay marriage. If the smattered of people I’ve talked to are representative, homosexuality is a side issue.
This strikes a much deeper, more foundational chord.
The massive crowd reaction locally and nationwide are driven by a loathing of arrogant politicians like those in Boston, New York, Chicago and San Francisco who feel they have the power and the authority to tell a businessman like Dan Cathy what personal opinions he can and cannot hold if he wants to do business in “their” towns.
They trampled on his religious beliefs. They trampled on his freedom of speech. They attempted to deny him and his franchisees the rights to start small businesses, merely because a free American dared to share what he believed….
We have over the past decades been slouching towards a crisis point in this nation. I’ll leave it for future historians to find fault and place the blame, but the momentum towards disintegration has been apparent and accelerating for some time.
I smirk, thinking about those that are reading this incredulously, thinking, “is this rube trying to tell us that we’re going to launch a civil war over chicken?!?! What a dunce!”
They are capable of only seeing isolated events and individual threads, not the tapestry of tyranny that has turned a simple protest buying of chicken sandwiches and waffle fries into a fed-up Republic’s sudden self-awareness.
The greatest trick that Hollywood, the lying liberal media and the Democrat Party was able to conjure was the illusion of their power and our isolation. As tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of Americans are realizing in a simple act of conscious commerce today and this evening, we are legion. There are far more of us than there are of them, and in that realization, our power grows, and our desire to give up even a fraction more of our rights, shrinks. I can see the reaction in the Pilot’s editorial offices now. “Didn’t we denounce the mayors for their violation of the first amendment?” Yeah, Homer, you did. But you first stoked the fires of bigotry and hate for people who are Christians and believe in traditional values. You first decided that thousands of years of history and tradition were going to be consigned to the “dustbin of history” – as another Soviet dictator famously said of the US. You first called us names and derided our faith. You demanded that we think like you, believe like you, agree with you or ... SHUT UP!
You want a culture war? We’ll give you a culture war. And wars start in the unlikeliest places.
Outstanding commentary. Succinct, cogent and downright inspiring. This kind of clear, concise thinking is why I visit FR every day. Well done.
Seriously, I have seen a groundswell of conservatism growing the last year. I hope the enthusiasm continues and translates to record voter turnout.
It pleases me greatly to see that the quality of writing and analysis on the typical conservative blog site greatly exceeds that of the typical MSM hack.
Love it!
It was great to see the reaction, and to see the groundswell of support for Chick Fill A.
I would like to make a point. The liberals picked this fight with Chick Fill A.
To listen to media reports, you would swear that Chick Fill A is an anti-homosexual organization, dedicated to the persecution of homosexuals. You would swear that the poor persecuted gay community was fighting back against a behemoth of sorts.
In reality, the liberals picked up this obscure interview from an obscure Baptist publication, and decided to push it into the MSM. They decided to pick this fight. They decided to try the tactic of threatening to ban businesses which do not support the homosexual agenda.
So, the liberals picked this fight, but it didn’t go well for them.
Perhaps liberals talk to each other and reinforce talking points so much, that they don’t understand certain things. To listen to liberals, you would swear that only bigots, Neanderthals, born again Christians, and other alleged misfits have any opposition to homosexual marriage and the gay agenda.
I think they were stunned at the results of their actions against Chick Fill A. It’s good to see them suffer some setbacks in their relentless drive to force liberal agendas on America.
I was shocked at this whole thing, when Emmanuel and other mayors and liberal public officials vowed to push Chick Fill A out of their cities. This is thought police and Orwell 1984 territory. This may well have been a trial balloon for what they hope to do to other people, and on other issues besides the gay agenda.
“The greatest trick that Hollywood, the lying liberal media and the Democrat Party was able to conjure was the illusion of their power and our isolation....You want a culture war? We’ll give you a culture war. And wars start in the unlikeliest places.”
BRAVO, and 3 x over.
Stunning critical analysis.
The Rainbow crowd didn’t know what they were getting themselves in for when they went after Chick-Fil-A.
Thanks for posting this supreme treasure of a piece, moneyrunner!
And this passage is so superb it bears repeating:
“But in a country where traditional marriage is the norm, where heterosexuality is the norm, the militant homosexuals over-reached because a few politicians read the newspaper reports, were misled into thinking that this was a mass movement and decided that the way to gain votes was to ban Chick-fil-A. That’s the problem when you live in the MSM echo chamber. You lose track of reality.”
Before these “Chick-Fil-A wars” started, I had actually begun to lose hope. How different things have become now.
The Pilot has changed the story at least 3 times since it first started running Tuesday evening - but they haven’t taken it off the original page and thus comments keep getting added. when I looked this morning there were about 375 comments, there are now 498.....including a number from me :-)
They will not see this for what it really is (because they don't want to), A very strong belief in the First Amendment and freedom of speech. Do conservatives flash mob JC Penney's or Target? Do we stand in front of Levi's HQ with protest signs? No. We believe that these companies can support whoever they want and we can choose to buy from them, or not!
Conservatives are not in-your-face type of people. Seemingly, we believe more in the freedom of speech than do the loudmouths who stand outside a business they disagree with so they can scream in your face. A conservative only thinks, "How rude!".
Yes, the "news" media will miss the whole point of the CFA "debacle", but I'm sure they and their cameras will be at CFA in full force to record the few homos who will be there to protest, and the propaganda will be broadcast everywhere, and the "news" media will look at each other and say, "now that's the real story".
Bravo, Rev Huck. You did good.
For me it is pretty obvious.
A business man DARED to privately support organizations and hold opinions the gay fascists didn’t like and they and their supporters tried to attack him, suppress his freedom of speech, and attack his business. Agents of local governments are actually using their power to try to prevent his company from opening stores, for no other reason than his private opinions.
That is something worth fighting.
Writer Carolyn Shapiro puts it this way: Mike Huckabee, the ex-governor of Arkansas and former Republican presidential candidate, had called for a national Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day to respond to public backlash against its president's recent remarks opposing gay marriage.I don’t get the "Hitler invasion, people affected” analogy. Or I do, but not in the way you put it.See what Shapiro did here? “Public backlash?” That’s like reporting on Hitler invading Poland and saying that “people were affected.” The truth is that there was no backlash by the public to Dan Cathy’s comments. Few people even read them when he made them, and the vast majority of those who heard about them agreed with him.
When Hitler invaded Poland he, predictably, claimed that Poland started it. The Pilot quote you give claims a “public backlash” against Chick-fil-A. Whereas the reality is as you describe it - the aggressiveness is all on the other side of the ledger, and the public backlash is in support of Chick-fil-A.
But of course within the boundaries of your own paper you can create your own artificial reality. See tagline: The idea around which “liberalism" coheres is that NOTHING actually matters except PR.
This is of the quality and caliber that it belongs in the Free Republic Editorial section. Will promote it there, if you don’t want it there, please advise.
Difficulty adding the ‘freepered’ topic. Feel it is of enough quality to stand alone there... can you assist, SM?
Great read - thanks for posting!!!
I understand your comments and this was the part of my essay that I had the most trouble with. I was trying to say that the “reporterette” was implying a broad public backlash against Chick-fil-A when the truth was that this was a coordinated effort by the media and homosexual activists to try to make Christians shut up and sit down. She was trying to mislead her readers by claiming that there was a “public backlash” when there was no such thing. I finally went with the analogy I used because I thought it worked on some level and … I ran out of time. I’ll try to do better next time. I have a new post “Hating on Christians,” on this topic.
Well written and to the point!
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