By Ben Earp, APShowing appreciation: Customers at a Chick-fil-A in Shelby, N.C., on Aug. 1.
By Ben Earp, APShowing appreciation: Customers at a Chick-fil-A in Shelby, N.C., on Aug. 1.
While it is clear President Dan Cathy and his company are against gay marriage, we must keep in mind that they have a First Amendment right to hold this position. As foolish as they may be, it is not against the law. Therefore, Chicago or any other city cannot use this to withhold business permits.Additionally, by railing against a group's religious beliefs, Moreno, Emanuel and others are doing a great disservice to the Democratic Party in general and to President Obama at the very time they should be doing just the opposite.The best way to fight bigotry in any form is to point it out to all, thereby ostracizing the intolerant person or group. The last thing we should do is fight bigotry with more bigotry as some Democrats have elected to do.Jeff Clauser; ChicagoTolerance goes both waysIn cases like the Chick-fil-A debate, the offended party often acts as if it's the only one with First Amendment rights. Where are mine? Should everyone agree with me when I don't like something? Equality Illinois, a group that protects and defends the rights of gays and lesbians, has the right to voice its opinion. But that opinion cannot be used in an attempt to suppress everyone else's rights, such as President Dan Cathy's right to oppose same-sex marriage ("Challenge Chick-fil-A's practices, Another view). Our great country is being destroyed from within by all the special interest groups.Ollie B. Emerine; Elizabethtown, Ky.Letters to the editor
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Look at other company policiesMicrosoft founder Bill Gates and CEO Steve Ballmer both donated money to a same-sex marriage advocacy organization this year. It would seem only natural that the folks who strutted to Chick-fil-A and stuffed their faces with chicken and waffle fries in support of President Dan Cathy's views on Aug. 1 would go a step further by unplugging their computers and never using them again.But I don't really see that happening any more than I can foresee any Chick-fil-A followers ditching their sneakers from Nike, which, by the way, expressed support for Washington state's same-sex marriage bill. Proving such devotion to a cause is sometimes superseded by one's inclination to simply chicken out.Vin Morabito; Scranton, Pa.Marketplace will be best indicatorMany agree with Chick-fil-A's stand on same-sex marriage, while others disagree. Some supporters choose to voice their opinion by dining at the chain, while others are choosing to boycott Chick-fil-A.That's what the marketplace is all about: being free to voice your opinion and make choices. Likewise, the marketplace is the proper venue for debating this issue. As for Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and other politicians who think they have the right to tell a business what to think, they should stay out of the issue and let the marketplace be the place where the issue is decided.Stephen V. Gilmore; Charlotte, N.C.For more information about reprints & permissions, visit our FAQ's. To report corrections and clarifications, contact Standards Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.