Posted on 07/26/2012 8:12:05 AM PDT by upchuck
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“Chick-fil-A’s values are not Chicago values. They’re not respectful of our residents, our neighbors and our family members. And if you’re gonna be part of the Chicago community, you should reflect Chicago values,” Emanuel said Wednesday.
“What the CEO has said as it relates to gay marriage and gay couples is not what I believe, but more importantly, it’s not what the people of Chicago believe. We just passed legislation as it relates to civil union and my goal and my hope … is that we now move on recognizing gay marriage. I do not believe that the CEO’s comments … reflects who we are as a city.”
Ald. Joe Moreno (1st) is using the same argument to block Chick-fil-A from opening its first free-standing restaurant in Chicago’s Logan Square neighborhood.
Chick-fil-A already has one Chicago store — at 30 E. Chicago near Loyola University’s downtown campus.
“Same sex marriage, same-sex couples — that’s the civil rights fight of our time. To have those discriminatory policies from the top down is just not something that we’re open to. …We want responsible businesses,” Moreno said.
“If he’s in the business of selling chicken in Chicago, he should be in the business of having equal rights for everyone. Period …. If it looks like a chicken, talks like a chicken, walks like a chicken, it’s a chicken. If you’re saying you don’t respect the values and rights of same-sex couples, that trickles down through the organization. … That’s paramount to the way the company behaves.”
Don Perry, vice president of corporate public relations for Chick-fil-A, and senior manager Jerry Johnston could not be reached for comment on the opposition from the mayor and Moreno.
Chick-fil-A has already obtained zoning approval to build a restaurant in the 2500 block of North Elston. But, the company still needs City Council approval to divide the land and purchase a lot near Home Depot.
Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy was quoted last week as saying he was “guilty as charged” for supporting, what he called the “biblical definition” of marriage as between a man and a woman.
“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,” Cathy was quoted as saying.
Appearing on the Ken Coleman Show, Cathy was further quoted as saying, “I think we’re inviting God’s judgment when we shake our fist at him, you know, [saying], ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage.’ And I pray on God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we would have the audacity to try and redefine what marriage is all about.”
Cathy’s comments have infuriated gay rights activists across the nation, prompting their political allies to take a stand against the company.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino has said Chick-fil-A “doesn’t belong in Boston” because of Cathy’s discriminatory stance.
On Wednesday, the tag team of Emanuel and Moreno joined the chorus, citing Cathy’s anti-gay views. The only question is whether they have a legal leg to stand on.
“Absolutely not,” said former Ald. William Banks (36th), the longtime chairman of the City Council’s Zoning Committee who presided over a massive re-write of the city’s 1957 zoning ordinance.
“Any alderman can hold a development issue for virtually any purpose. But if he’s doing it for the wrong reasons — if he’s citing a gay rights issue — there’s nothing illegal about that.”
Moreno said he has an ace in his back pocket if he runs into legal trouble: traffic and congestion issues caused by the store that have been the subject of behind-the-scenes negotiations for the last nine months.
Hey Rahm, I double dog dare you to find any Chik-Fil-A in the country that is not respectful.
In other words, your words mean sh!t.
The true Nazis are coming out of the closet.
What are Chicago values? Please define the terms, Rahm.
I don’t want to think about the values of the south side of Chicago. There, all slights, real and imagined, are settled with violence. Go down there and “diss” those gang bangers, and you will get shot. Are those the values we want to have?
Heck, most of the minority gang banger types are anti-gay, from what we hear. Is it okay if they oppose homosexual marriage, as they go about laying waste to big portions of our major cities?
So now, we see that big city mayors are setting a standard that we have to be liberal about a controversial social/political issue. Otherwise, your business is not welcome in their city. Good luck with that guys.
We can debate homosexual marriage until Kingdom Come, but, these guys are trying to say, there can be no debate. You just have to accept homosexual marriage, you just have to be liberal, and that’s it, end of discussion.
This raises an important question:
“Why does Rahm Emanuel hate chicken?”
I suspect it is because Chick-fil-A’s only kosher product is Honey Roasted Sunflower Seeds. Which raises another question:
“Why does Rahm Emanuel hate Honey Roasted Sunflower Seeds?”
America needs to know.
Gee Rahm, weren’t you the Chief-of-Staff of a certain President that was opposed to gay marriage a couple of years ago?
I hope Chick-Fil-A puts up stores all around the Chicago city limits and let the sales tax revenue go to those surrounding communities.
Rahm may have Jewish DNABut he works for haSatan !
Big surprise that a homosexual like Emanuel would have his panties in a twist about this issue.
the devil you say?
This entire episode is just a distraction. They want you looking at anything and everything that has nothing to do with the failed policies of the past 4 years. Don’t let them do it.
Like, “we’ve totally scrod this country up but hey, we luuuuv fudgepackers!”
I doubt that. I suspect Rahm's DNA is Satanic. I have yet to meet any Jews that have anything good to say about Rahm. He seems to be universally disliked among "his kind."
My chicken biscuit this morning was very tasty, BTW.
If chik-fil-a was a publically traded company you could make the “stretch” and say it was a justifiable (barely) that their CEO holding a personal opinion is something to be punished (maybe).
But it is a privately held company and they can go pound sand for eternity.
Oh, blow it out yer stretched a**, Emanuel.
I doubt that. I suspect Rahm's DNA is Satanic. I have yet to meet any Jews that have anything good to say about Rahm. He seems to be universally disliked among "his kind."
I did some research on Rahm,
shalom b'SHEM Yah'shua HaMashiach
his Rabbi has advanced degrees in the Qur'an.
;-)>
Nation of Islam can open a restaurant in Chicago, but not Chick-fil-A?
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