Rahm Emanuel’s dangerous free speech attack

[Dan82]

http://www.salon.com/2012/07/26/rahm...speech_attack/

Should government officials be able to block businesses from opening or expanding due to disagreement with the political views of the business’ executives? Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel evidently believes he should have this power:

The anti-gay views openly espoused by the president of a fast food chain specializing in chicken sandwiches have run afoul of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and a local alderman, who are determined to block Chick-fil-A from expanding in Chicago.

“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.”

Obviously, it’s perfectly legitimate for private citizens to decide not to patronize a business with executives who have such views (I’d likely refrain from doing so in this case). Beyond that, if a business is engaging in discriminatory hiring or service practices in violation of the law — refusing to hire gay employees or serve gay patrons in cities which have made sexual orientation discrimination illegal — then it is perfectly legitimate to take action against them...



http://www.salon.com/2012/07/26/rahm...speech_attack/

[Dan82]

here's more: In Defense of Chick-Fil-A | Mother Jones

Dan Cathy, the president of the fast-food franchise Chick-fil-A, doesn't like same-sex marriage. He believes that "we're inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage." The company has put its money where its mouth is, lavishing anti-gay rights groups with millions of dollars in donations.

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that a Chicago Alderman named Joe Moreno has pledged to block construction of a Chick-fil-A restaurant in his ward over Cathy's anti-gay views. Boston Democratic Mayor Thomas Menino is also trying to block construction of a Chick-fil-a restaurant over its president's anti-gay views...



In Defense of Chick-Fil-A | Mother Jones

[sguyc]

Nope, Mayor's should not use their powers this way. But right now all they are doing is being very public about their dislike for a certain businesses, which is fine an I applaud them for it. It's pretty facist for the government to ban businesses based on their leadership's opinions (yes, choosing how to spend your money is protected under free speech in the US.)

[Bradley]

"Menino clarified his view, saying that it would not be within his power to take any steps to prevent the business from establishing a franchise in the city and he could not deny permits to the company. His only recourse, he said, is expressing his disapproval."
Menino maintains his opposition to Chick-file-A but admits he can’t stop the chain from coming to Boston - Metro Desk - Local news updates from The Boston Globe

The mayor did nothing wrong, he simply expressed his opinion in an attempt to garner public support. He never once said in his letter that he would prevent the company from operating in Boston, he didn't even imply it. He simply said that he urged them not to open a location there, as it would be an insult to a diverse and accepting city.

This was brilliant politics on his part. Not only did he make Chick-fil-A look bad, but he showed the people of Boston that he is willing to stand up for them, and got international attention doing so. Personally, I think he just guaranteed his reelection.

[KickServe]

Originally Posted by Bradley

The mayor did nothing wrong, he simply expressed his opinion in an attempt to garner public support. He never once said in his letter that he would prevent the company from operating in Boston, he didn't even imply it. He simply said that he urged them not to open a location there, as it would be an insult to a diverse and accepting city.

This was brilliant politics on his part. Not only did he make Chick-fil-A look bad, but he showed the people of Boston that he is willing to stand up for them, and got international attention doing so. Personally, I think he just guaranteed his reelection.

Actually, I think Menino made a huge mess out of this as much as I appreciate his sentiments. The letter was ok yes, but before that Menino gave some damaging quotes to the press.

Mayor Menino on Chick-fil-A: Stuff it - BostonHerald.com

This is the first report on any of this that I know of. In here Menino is quoted saying “If they need licenses in the city, it will be very difficult — unless they open up their policies.” To me that basically means he's threatening to use the licensing process to arbitrarily ban businesses with views he doesn't condone. Talk about abuse of power! As the gay community, we don't want to go up against free speech. It's a terrible and unnecessary position to make our case from and we'll lose. Here in Boston this has given all the homophobes a chance to come out of the woodwork and clobber us on opposing freedom of expression, and it's been driving me crazy. I just want this story to go away.

Also, Menino will be reelected indefinitely until he decides to quit. Somehow he's a fixture here even though I don't think he's the smartest guy