The American Spectator

Quin tells us that he ate mor chikn at Chick-fil-A in response to Boston Mayor Tom Menino refusing to let the Georgia based restaurant chain do business in the Hub. Menino won’t let Chick-fil-A open its doors because of its opposition to gay marriage.

Well, I wish I could say the same. Yeah, I live in Boston.

Now I support gay marriage but I think Menino ought to pluck off.

Menino said, “Chick-fil-A doesn’t belong in Boston. You can’t have a business in the city of Boston that discriminates against a population.”

First, it isn’t for Menino to say who does and doesn’t belong in Boston. If Chick-fil-A has the money to pay the high rents near Fanueil Hall then who is Menino to say otherwise? The location is currently occupied by The Purple Shamrock but it is moving out in mid-September because of a 60% increase in the rent. Does Mayor Menino really want that prime piece of real estate to sit empty for months on end?

Second, who says Chick-fil-A is discriminating against anyone? There’s no evidence to suggest Chick-fil-A has refused to served lesbians, gay and transgendered people. None. It simply disagrees with gay marriage and uses its money to campaign against it. Last time I checked that was protected by the First Amendment.

Third, Menino has been Mayor for nearly twenty years. He thinks he runs the place and certainly acts like he does. Menino is so used to having things his way that he doesn’t think he can be unreasonable.

Finally, whether Chick-fil-A does business in Boston should be up to the people of Boston, not Mayor Menino nor anyone else in the city government. People ought to be free to choose whether or not they spend their money at Chick-fil-A. If it turns out that Bostonians like eating chicken on Sunday then Chick-fil-A might have a problem. No one is forcing anyone to eat at Chick-fil-A. If people don’t agree with their stance on gay marriage then they can eat at Boston Market instead. It’s called free enterprise.