Controversialist Ann Coulter was asked to comment on Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day and what it says about gay marriage heading into the November election:
Ann Coulter on Sunday argued that comments made by Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy "wasn't an anti-gay thing."
"He said, look, all the founders of this company are married to our first wives," she said on a political roundtable during ABC's 'This Week'. "It's genuinely a pro-marriage position to oppose gay marriage."
... "When you see crowds like that coming out [to support Chick-fil-A], no, I'm sorry, I don't believe the polls on gay marriage. Let us vote. Those polls I believe, and it makes me suspicious at the polls on the presidential election." -- The Huffington Post
Support for same-sex marriage is now in the Democratic Party preliminary platform. Once approved by the full platform committee and voted on at the convention, same-sex marriage will have the party's formal support.
But as Democrats institutionalize their support for same sex-marriage, their relationship with the party's most loyal constituency, black Americans, becomes increasingly uneasy.
A new survey just released by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life shows 65 percent of Democrats support same-sex marriage compared to just 40 percent of blacks.
A group of 3,700-plus black pastors, the Coalition of African-American Pastors, under the leadership of the Rev. William Owens, has moved to formally oppose the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama on this issue.
The group is spearheading a "Mandate for Marriage" campaign to gather 100,000 signatures on a petition declaring support for traditional marriage. The petition also calls for Obama "to repudiate his assertion that gay marriage is a civil right."
"A federal court Wednesday upheld Hawaii’s definition of marriage as one man and one woman. The court rejected a lawsuit that sought to tear down the state’s law defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman and Hawaii’s constitutional amendment that gives the legislature the power to maintain the timeless definition.
...In its order in Jackson v. Abercrombie, the U.S. District Court for the District of Hawaii concluded, “Throughout history and societies, marriage has been connected with procreation and childrearing…. It follows that it is not beyond rational speculation to conclude that fundamentally altering the definition of marriage to include same-sex unions might result in undermining the societal understanding of the link between marriage, procreation, and family structure.”
“In this situation,” the court continued, “to suddenly constitutionalize the issue of same-sex marriage ‘would short-circuit’ the legislative actions that have been taking place in Hawaii…. Accordingly, because Hawaii’s marriage laws are rationally related to legitimate government interests, they do not violate the federal Constitution.”
"...Moreno has called Cathy's comments "bigoted." Emanuel asserted, "Chick-fil-A's values are not Chicago values."
Mayor, many of your constituents do not support same-sex marriage. They have a heartfelt view on this. They are not bigots. But you are telling them they don't belong in their city.
...Emanuel and Moreno talk as though the issue of same-sex marriage is settled. To oppose same-sex marriage is "bigotry," Moreno has said. But that's still the law of this state. This page has urged the Illinois Legislature to recognize same-sex marriage, but the Legislature has not done that.
One more time: The 1st Amendment to the Constitution says the government may not take action "abridging the freedom of speech." The alderman is using his power as an elected official to punish a company for the political views of its top executive, and the mayor has abetted him.
More than 60 leaders of Christian and pro-family organizations signed a letter extending their support for Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy and his biblical position on family.
"We represent some of the largest policy and faith-based organizations in the country, and we are encouraging our members to 'eat mor chikin,'" the joint letter dated Aug. 6 states.
...In a note of encouragement to Cathy, Christian leaders including Mathew Staver of Liberty Counsel, Tom McClusky of Family Research Council Action, the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the Hispanic Evangelical Association, and Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission commended the Chick-fil-A president for his faithfulness to biblical values.
"As you are likely aware, biblical values and companies that support them are under attack. It is incredibly important for successful men like you, representing a national brand, to unapologetically stand for God's truth as revealed in the Scriptures," they wrote in their letter. "The example of Chick-fil-A and your leadership has encouraged many.
"We hope and pray that you receive the blessings of the Lord for your faithfulness. You and Chick-Fil-A are in our thoughts and prayers."
Americans remain just as divided on gay marriage as they were before President Obama’s announcement in early May he now publicly supported it.
The Pew Research Center poll shows views of gay marriage remain basically unchanged since April, right before Obama announced his support for gay marriage — a reversal from his past public opposition. Support has gone from 47 percent to 48 percent since April, while opposition ticked up from 43 percent to 44 percent. Neither is even close to statistically significant.
And despite the Democrats’ move to add gay marriage to their party platform at the upcoming Democratic National Convention, many in the party remain opposed to such a move.
... For now, though, it remains a very divisive issue and a potentially contentious one at the Democratic National Convention — if, that is, the one-third of Democrats who oppose gay marriage elects to take a stand. Fully 14 percent of Democrats say they are “strongly opposed” to gay marriage, which suggests there is a significant group that could raise a ruckus.
An Los Angeles Times blog notes that the planned counter-protest to the wildly successful Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day started-off weak:
Gay marriage activists had a vision: Tuesday would be their clarion call for consumers to reject Chick-fil-A and its president’s comments against same-sex unions, instead crowding into Starbucks and other more sympathetic companies.
Though its still early in the day, National Marriage Equality Day – originally known as National Starbucks Appreciation Day before organizers broadened the scope – seems to be getting a mostly mild start.
A Facebook profile created for the event by Equally Wed, a lesbian and gay wedding magazine, shows more than 34,000 people signed up to attend. But a photo page populated by submissions from supportive consumers had fewer than 20 images just before noon on the East Coast.
... Compare that with Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day last week, which was launched by former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. The event, inspired by comments from Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy backing the “biblical definition of the family unit," created traffic jams, out-the-door lines and record sales for the chicken chain. More than 670,000 people signed up on Facebook to attend.
A pro-SSM blogger in NYC had to admit by mid-day that the event wasn't going as planned, writing:
"...Either we've become too complacent about this issue or the event just wasn't organized and promoted with enough vehemence.
And now it seems like we may have lost this particular battle, especially since the haters cagily framed their actions as being pro-freedom-of-speech."
Today it appears the Starbucks Appreciation Day was a complete bust. This marks the second failed attempted to counter-protest the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day last week (the first attempt was the failed Chick-fil-A "kiss-in"):
"The Chick-fil-A controversy has left the gay rights movement with the proverbial egg on its face. First it was the ill-fated national “kiss-in.” Then it was Tuesday’s “Starbucks Appreciation Day” – or rather, “National Marriage Equality Day.” Activists were asked to change the name by Starbucks’ execs who were worried about getting filleted in the Chick-fil-A-related melee.
Both counter protests were met with an unexpectedly tepid response from gay rights supporters in contrast to last Wednesday’s record-setting avalanche at Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day." -- William J. Kelley of the Washington Times
All of which is a good reason to continue keeping the pressure on Starbucks by helping us get to 50,000 pledges at Dump Starbucks!
CALLER: Hi, Rush. It's so good to be on your program today calling from beautiful Lakeville, Minnesota. And I'm calling because I am a conservative Christian stay-at-home mom who believes in liberty and freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Three nights ago I had a gentleman come knocking at my door wanting me to sign a petition that would be against the voter amendment which will appear on Minnesota ballots in November that defines marriage as one man and one woman and then also the voter ID. And when I told him that I could not sign that petition because I, as a Christian, believe in one man and one woman as the definition of marriage, this young man literally went berserk. He flipped out and got so angry to the point where, even his countenance, I felt like I was just looking at a very evil person. And then he started accusing me that I was for the suppression of women and just going way off the wall. It was profound.RUSH: What? What? How in the world is that --
CALLER: And then I came back to him and said, "You know, I do support your right and your liberty to express your viewpoint. And then I also have my viewpoint." And then he really went off the wall and started yelling and screaming and shouting and waving his arms. I started to fear for my safety, and I told him promptly that I was gonna have to end this conversation. And I'll be really honest, Rush. I mean, I'm a former schoolteacher, and I can spot a bully a mile away...
I previously wrote about the frivolous ethics complaint against Mark Regnerus, the author of the recent study on gay parenting. Now, the journal that published the study, Social Science Research, has conducted an internal audit. The audit will be published officially in the journal’s November issue, but it’s already made its way into the hands of numerous journalists, including yours truly. I have also read an accompanying essay by the journal’s editor, James Wright.
The audit is not nearly as critical — or revelatory — as Regnerus’s opponents seem to think. It merely bolsters the basic conclusion that every fair-minded observer came to long ago: Regnerus’s research certainly has its flaws, but so do the other studies on this topic.
The audit’s main purpose is to evaluate the publication process — the auditor was given access to all the correspondence relating to the study. Of course, the underlying issue is whether the Regnerus study is so unsound that it should not have been published.
One of the allegations against the journal is that when it chose scholars to publish responses alongside the study, it picked two people who had been involved in the study itself — a conflict of interest. Ironically, the person chosen for the audit, sociologist Darren E. Sherkat, is also not a neutral observer: He has been hurling scatological references at the study since it was published. One blog post he wrote was titled “The Gold Standard for Right Wing Propaganda” and called the study a “piece of sh[**].” The comments he’s made since the audit are in precisely the same vein.
Prof. Karl Stephan of Texas State University in Crisis Magazine:
"...In the 1930s, many prominent scientists and engineers in Germany lost their reputations, their jobs, and some eventually their lives because of a non-scientific reason: they happened to be Jews, or outspoken Christians, or simply opposed to some political aim of the government. Everyone now agrees that this was a grievous violation of human rights, an early warning sign of the greater wrongs the German government would do in World War II. While that situation differs from the one Regnerus finds himself in by degree, does it differ in kind from what Jewish scientists suffered in Germany in the 1930s?
Regnerus has reached scientific conclusions that oppose the prevailing political winds. Though his punishment has come from activists rather than official government sources, it is no less politically motivated and no less unjust. Smith thinks the integrity of the social-science research process is threatened by the “public smearing and vigilante media attacks” mounted against Regnerus. If such attacks are successful, we have taken a long step away from scientific integrity and a long step toward the encouragement of a political atmosphere that is totalitarian in its effects."
Lloyd Marcus reflects on mainstream media bias on marriage and how it sometimes hinders the ability of pro-marriage grassroots activists to organize:
I jump on every opportunity to respectfully challenge my 84-year-old black dad's loyalty to Obama. Dad has been a Christian pastor over 50 years. He lives in Maryland, and I live in Florida. I called Dad to ask if he participated in Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. He said no, he had not heard about it. Then, he added, "All I know is Chick-fil-A discriminates against gays."
Folks, I was outraged. Struggling to keep my composure, I passionately said, "Dad, that is a lie! You have got to stop getting your news from the mainstream media!"
I went on to explain to my dad what the protest and appreciation day were really about. Dad was shocked. He does not support same-sex marriage, and he was pretty grossed out when I told him that in retaliation homosexuals have planned a "kiss-in" at Chick-fil-A restaurants.
I also took the occasion to inform Dad that black pastors across America have organized to protest Obama's support of same-sex marriage. Again, Dad knew nothing about the black pastors' protest.
The Media Research Center sent out this press release today which includes a statement by our president Brian Brown:
Through the coalition of Citizens Against Religious Bigotry (CARB), more than 20 conservative leaders have joined Media Research Center (MRC) President Brent Bozell in raising their voices in support of religious freedom and our Constitutionally protected right to free speech. The controversy over Chick-fil-A exposed the rampant anti-Christian bias and First Amendment double standard characteristic of liberal media.
What began with Chick-fil-A President and COO Dan Cathy’s unremarkable comments affirming his family’s belief in the traditional definition of marriage swiftly and loudly escalated into a contrived culture war fueled by the liberal media.
...“It’s a double standard as old as the liberal media itself,” stated Media Research Center President Brent Bozell. “If it’s part of the liberal agenda, it’s protected free speech. If it isn’t, it’s bigotry. The media smeared anyone who lined up for a chicken sandwich as an anti-gay bigot instead of a proud Christian or free speech patriot, and when the counter-protest flopped, they were predictably silent. Thanks to Chick-fil-A, the media’s liberal bias was stark naked for all to see.”
Read the entire press release and the individual statements by conservative leaders here.
Our president Brian Brown said:
"When millions of people turned out nationwide this past Wednesday for Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day and the news reports gave greater coverage to the small bands of protesters at a couple of locations, the average Joe was incredulous. What better evidence that the mainstream media cares little for Christians and traditional values do we need?"
Frances Kelly describes herself as a "conservative who lives and writes in the liberal land of Vermont" and published this at Renew America:
"...If we redefine marriage to include same-gender couples, we're saying there is no important difference between the partnership of two men, and the union of one man and one woman. In other words, women are disposable. They can be excluded from marriage and replaced with men. This is gender discrimination. This eliminates femininity and motherhood from the basic family unit. This is anti-gender.
Example: Sex advice columnist and SSM advocate Dan Savage likes to refer to a woman's birth canal as the [click here to see the unedited, graphic quotation]. If a Christian like Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy uttered such a sexist slur, the media would rip into him. But because Savage speaks for the gay community, he gets a media pass and an invite to the White House.
At the same time, allowing unigender couples to marry means that two women can marry each other, eliminating men from the family. Again, this is gender segregation and gender discrimination. This is anti-gender."
The Pew Research Center poll shows views of gay marriage remain basically unchanged since April, right before Obama announced his support for gay marriage — a reversal from his past public opposition. Support has gone from 47 percent to 48 percent since April, while opposition ticked up from 43 percent to 44 percent. Neither is even close to statistically significant.
The audit is not nearly as critical — or revelatory — as Regnerus’s opponents 
