Did you eat at Chick Fil A today?

Today was Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day. It was an event started by Mike Huckabee, and you can see the facebook page for the event HERE. More than 650,000 people responded that they were participating in the event - and you can see the proof of that, by the lines out the door and around the mall at the Woodbridge Center Chick Fill-A!

Here are some photos taken by Cheryl Brennan, when she went this afternoon.

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Brennan

Photo courtesy of Cheryl Brennan

Mike Huckabee's statement about the event, taken from his Facebook event page, is as follows:

"I have been incensed at the vitriolic assaults on the Chick Fil-A company because the CEO, Dan Cathy, made comments recently in which he affirmed his view that the Biblical view of marriage should be upheld. The Cathy family, led by Chick Fil-A founder Truett Cathy, are a wonderful Christian family who are committed to operating the company with Biblical principles and whose story is the true American success story. Starting at age 46 Truett Cathy built Chick Fil-A into a $4 billion a year enterprise with over 1600 stores. At 91, he is still active in the company, but his son Dan runs it day to day as CEO.It's a great American story that is being smeared by vicious hate speech and intolerant bigotry from the left.


The Chick Fil-A company refuses to open on Sundays so that their employees can go to church if they wish. Despite the pressure from malls, airports, and the business world to open on Sundays, they still don't. They treat customers and employees with respect and dignity.


I ask you to join me in speaking out on Wednesday, August 1 "Chick Fil-A Appreciation Day.” No one is being asked to make signs, speeches, or openly demonstrate. The goal is simple: Let's affirm a business that operates on Christian principles and whose executives are willing to take a stand for the Godly values we espouse by simply showing up and eating at Chick Fil-A on Wednesday, August 1. Too often, those on the left make corporate statements to show support for same sex marriage, abortion, or profanity, but if Christians affirm traditional values, we're considered homophobic, fundamentalists, hate-mongers, and intolerant. This effort is not being launched by the Chick Fil-A company and no one from the company or family is involved in proposing or promoting it.


There's no need for anyone to be angry or engage in a verbal battle. Simply affirm appreciation for a company run by Christian principles by showing up on Wednesday, August 1 or by participating online – tweeting your support or sending a message on Facebook.


PLEASE RSVP IF YOU PLAN ON PARTICIPATING AT A CHICK FIL-A OR ONLINE."

 America is a wonderful place.  Free speech is one of our most important rights.  Like a famous quote says, "I (may) disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

(According to Wikipedia, this quote is usually attributed to Voltaire, but really the words "were first used by Evelyn Beatrice Hall, writing under the pseudonym of Stephen G Tallentyre in The Friends of Voltaire (1906), as a summation of Voltaire's beliefs on freedom of thought and expression.")

No matter which side of this issue you fall on - pro or con the "biblical view" of marriage or pro or con "gay" marriage - in America, you are free to give your opinion.   The CEO, Dan Cathy, is free to say what he believes, whether you agree with him or not.  Mike Huckabee is free to make an event to bring people together to support him, and others are free to boycott; and you are free to show up eat at Chick Fil-A, or to choose to never eat at Chick Fil-A again. 

Like I said, I love America!