Dear Marriage Supporter,
What a day! Thanks to all of you who made yesterday's Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day such a resounding success!
Over 665,000 people responded on Governor Mike Huckabee's Facebook event page saying they would visit Chick-fil-A on Wednesday. Media outlets across the nation carried the story. Chick-fil-A locations were swamped with customers.
My inbox was flooded with hundreds of pictures from all across the nation yesterday. Click here to see just a small sampling of the tremendous outpouring of support Americans gave the Cathy family yesterday.
We will be updating these throughout the next several days, so please continue to send in your Chick-fil-A pictures and stories to [email protected].
Let's keep the momentum going! Dan Cathy put his reputation and livelihood on the line when he stood up for marriage. Yesterday, we told him in concrete terms that we support his remarkable courage. Today we must continue to uphold him and his family as they continue to take fire from same-sex marriage supporters.
If you have not already done so, please visit www.ThankChickfilA.com and send the Cathy family a letter of appreciation for their commitment to marriage. If you have a chance to swing by a Chick-fil-A branch over the next couple of weeks, make a point to stop in and purchase even a small snack so that the Cathy family knows that we continue to stand with them. Let the manager know why you're there, and be sure to let us know, too!
Marriage Making National News
Chick-fil-A rules the roost this week in terms of the top news in the battle over marriage.
Rush Limbaugh chimed in recently with his typical passion and candor on the unconstitutional actions of several big city mayors who told Chick-fil-A—and, implicitly, any business that values free speech or stands for traditional values—that there are not welcome in these mayors' cities:
What do we have? We have two mayors who are essentially Stalinist, who have had no problem whatsoever—not one problem at all—with going before the microphones and telling an American business, "You are not welcome here. And if you come here, you will be penalized or whatever the hell will happen." All because the guy who owns the outfit happens to be a publicly professed Christian who believes that "marriage" has a specific definition.... This is a direct assault. That's a direct assault on Christianity. That is a direct assault on Christians. With economic punishment thrown in including threats from government officials that are in clear violation of the Constitution.
Thank you, Rush, for recognizing that these attacks on Chick-fil-A are simply the latest in a series of assaults on freedom of speech for Christians and those of other faiths who believe marriage to be the union of one man and one woman. These attacks on religious freedom will only continue and increase in frequency and boldness, if the pro-gay marriage radicals have their way and impose same-sex marriage on the entire nation.
Another voice heard from lately is Rick Santorum, a longtime ardent supporter of marriage; The Blaze reported Santorum's appearance on CNBC as the former Senator spoke up strongly in support of marriage and against the radical mayors' recent attacks on free speech.
"You just keep seeing this more and more, which is the absolute intolerance of the left in America. There can be no dissent from what their position is," he said on "The Kudlow Report."
The idea that the company would face pressure for its leader's beliefs was antithetical to the idea of the United States.
"This is why the Hugenots came to America," Santorum said, adding the Dutch Reform Church and Catholics to that list.
"They didn't want the government telling them what to believe and that they couldn't say things in public, that they had to keep it to themselves," he said, or be "barred from doing business."
Reverend Billy Graham has ministered to presidents and to peasants. He has shared Truth for decades with everyone who would listen. Earlier this spring he came out strongly in support of the North Carolina marriage amendment because it was in keeping with God's plan for marriage. Last week Rev. Graham shared his own statement in support of the Cathy family and marriage.
I want to express my support for my good friends Truett Cathy and his son Dan Cathy, and for their strong stand for the Christian faith. I've known their family for many years and have watched them grow Chick-fil-A into one of the best businesses in America while never compromising their values. Chick-fil-A serves each of its customers with excellence, and treats everyone like a neighbor. It's easy to see why Chick-fil-A has become so popular across America.
Support for marriage is not about hatred. It is about recognizing that marriage is the union of a man and woman because children have a right to their mother and father. Dan Cathy realizes this truth. Whether a liberal or conservative, anyone can understand why Mr. Cathy ought to have the right to share his personal opinions. The latest attacks on Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A in the name of "tolerance" are constitutionally indefensible, and just the latest egregious example of the extremes to which anti-marriage radicals will go in an effort to silence those who disagree with them.
But the American people won't stand for it!
Supporting Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A has been a wonderful opportunity to engage people in the discussion over how same-sex marriage threatens the religious freedom of Christians and the freedom of speech of all Americans who support marriage. Imagine how this situation would be different if same-sex marriage were the law of the land!
Two Simple Actions to Continue Our Success
There are two favors I have to ask of you today.
First, please keep up your support for the Cathy family and Chick-fil-A as they continue to be targeted by same-sex marriage activists. This Friday around the nation, same-sex marriage activists will be hosting their own protest event at Chick-fil-A restaurants—"Same-Sex Kiss Day."
So, the Cathys need our continued prayers and encouragement—after all, threats to their constitutional freedoms aren't going to disappear because of just one day of great sales. A quick visit to www.thankchickfila.com is all that it takes: do you have thirty seconds to sign the letter to the Cathys and stand in solidarity with them to support marriage?
Second, I would ask you to do is to please pray for our founder and friend Maggie Gallagher. Maggie recently stepped down from the NOM board to care for her mother, who is in hospice. Please pray for her and her family.
Please take a moment and send an email to Maggie letting her know that she and her family are in your prayers. Send the message to us at [email protected] and we'll make sure she receives your letter.
Let's all pray for each other as we continue together to stand on the front lines of this fight for marriage!