Chick-fil-A has been headlining the news lately. Actually, it would be more accurate to say that random political figures have been using Chick-fil-A to get their names in headlines. The “controversy” is reported to be Chick-fil-A being denied building permits in cities like Boston and Chicago because the owner of the franchise system spoke out against same-sex marriages. I could write volumes on how that is a clear violation of the 1st amendment but that has already done by many people with more constitutional law knowledge than me.
What I wanted to be clear about was that this “controversy” was never about same-sex marriage or supporting the rights of homosexuals. It was about making press. It was about creating a catalyst to stir up enthusiasm in particular voting blocks. It was about finding another reason to hate on Christians.
Now, as it turns out I’m not Christian and furthermore my libertarian-like mindset makes me not care much at all about the whole definition of marriage issue. In general I think people should be allowed to do whatever they want to do so long as they aren’t hurting other people. But it is more accurate to say I don’t care much about the issue at all. Meaning if I were to rank the top 100 issues facing America today, gay marriage wouldn’t make the cut. Or come close.
That said, I can’t stand hypocrisy and feel compelled to call it out when I see it. So it turns out that Boston Mayor Rom Menino, who started this dog and pony show, is a blatant hypocrite. Previous to his announcement that Chick-fil-A wasn’t welcome in the city of Boston because of the backwards values of its owner, he attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new mosque in Boston built by the Islamic Society of Boston. He was there because he made it possible for the mosque to be built on city land (worth nearly two million dollars). The Boston Herald writes (h/t Instapundit) about some of the statements from the leader of this group (Qaradawi):
“[A homosexual should be given] the same punishment as any sexual pervert . . . Some say we should throw them from a high place, like God did with the people of Sodom. Some say we should burn them.”
“In 2003 Qaradawi stated on IslamOnline that the punishment of homosexuality is the death penalty.”
Apparently if you exercise your first amendment rights and make statement in support of traditional marriage, you are heathen and not welcome. But if you call for the death (presumably via burning at the stake) of any and all homosexuals–not just ones that have the audacity to want to get married–then you should be given special city benefits and ceremonies.
There are lots of ways to be a hypocrite. Claiming to denounce someone for being hateful when you yourself are driven by hate is a particularly offensive and pathetic way to do it.
(Credit front page image here.)
