Chuck Baldwin -- Thank You, Denny's And Dan Cathy

THANK YOU, DENNY'S AND DAN CATHY

By Chuck Baldwin
August 2, 2012
NewsWithViews.com

While most big-box chain stores and restaurants love to pander to leftist causes, two national restaurant chains recently dived into the public fray on the side of political incorrectness. Denny's restaurant made a commercial extolling the right to keep and bear arms as part of America's greatness, and the Chick-fil-A president made a statement that his company supports "the biblical definition of the family unit." Predictably, the left has gone ballistic--especially in their paranoid reaction to Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy's comment.

Let's try to be reasonable. Most people shop or eat at a store or restaurant because they like the products or food, not because of the political or religious bents of the company's owners or management.

Personally, I am happy that I live in an area that is not innately enamored with big box stores. For example, my town has only had a Wal-Mart Super Center for a little over a year--by the way, not a single local store has been put out of business by the introduction of the giant retailer into the community. Plus, go into our local Wal-Mart and one will be surprised at the lack of customers in the store (except during the tourist season when all the out-of-towners show up). In fact, on any given day, the local-based stores will have as many, or more, customers in them as Wal-Mart. And that's true for virtually every national chain store or restaurant here. Montana is proudly independent, and Montanans are predisposed to shopping at local stores and restaurants. I LOVE THAT! In fact, we don't even have a Denny's or Chick-fil-A in my town--or a Cracker Barrel or a Waffle House or many other national chain stores you could name. And that doesn't cramp my style one bit!

But if we did have a Denny's or a Chick-fil-A, I would like to go in and have a Denny's Grand Slam breakfast and a Chick-fil-A grilled chicken sandwich. Why? First, because I LIKE THE FOOD, and, second, because I love it when a national personality or company isn't afraid to be politically
incorrect--even if I don't agree with them (which isn't the case with Denny's and Dan Cathy, of course).

And what I'm going to say next will make some conservative Christians upset (what's new?), but, between the two, Denny's has taken the bolder stand. All the brouhaha over Chick-fil-A is simply due to company president Dan Cathy's personal comments. What? We don't have freedom of speech anymore? Get a life! People on the "right" have been putting up with all kinds of "liberal" opinions from just about every nationally renowned celebrity or company chief for decades.

Bill Gates' personal politics turn my stomach, but I keep buying his products. (I know, I should be using a Mac.) Wal-Mart and Target are among the most egregious contributors to the globalist agenda as any two companies I can think of. But I still shop at both places (albeit, I confess to steering clear of Wal-Mart as much as possible). On the whole, most national brands are intertwined with all sorts of things that many people would consider repulsive. But they shop at those places for the products or services rendered, not because of the politics of the company's management.

Granted, boycotts have sometimes been mildly effective in registering protest over some corporate decision. People such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have made careers out of rallying people to some sort of boycott. Sometimes, however, boycotts have had the opposite effect. Such will be the case for those who have their panties in a wad over what Dan Cathy said. I expect that Chick-fil-A profits will soar during the next quarter or two. I hope the same is also true for Denny's.

Anyone who knows anything about the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain knows that company founder S. Truett Cathy was always unashamedly Christian. His restaurants have never been open on Sunday so his employees can go to church, if they choose to do so. He has spoken at Christian conferences and gatherings all over America. He has donated millions of dollars to Christian causes. Why would it surprise anyone that his son, Dan Cathy, would make a statement that he supports "the biblical definition of the family unit"? That's about as shocking as Charlie Sheen saying he likes prostitutes.

But all the brouhaha over Chick-fil-A is over what Mr. Cathy said. Chick-fil-A, as a company, has not run ads against gay marriage or anything of the sort. All the fuss is over the comments of the company president that he supports "the biblical definition of the family unit," which shows the paranoia of the promoters of the militant homosexual agenda.

Denny's, on the other hand, produced a commercial supporting the right of the people to keep and bear arms. This was not simply the comment of the company president; this was a paid commercial on behalf of Denny's restaurants. Denny's, the company, took a bold and unmistakable position on a politically incorrect issue. That took guts! I also like the commercial because the main character co-starred in the CBS TV show JERICHO, which I like so much.

The Denny's ad can be seen on numerous web sites. Here is how Business Insider covered the story.

I would even suggest that Denny's just might be one of the safest public places one could be in over the next few months. Why? Because thousands of people who have a CWP (Concealed Weapon Permit) will be showing their support for Denny's by dining at their restaurants. This means, it is likely that any Denver-style shootist would be walking into a hornet's nest if he tried to duplicate the Denver theater killings in a Denny's restaurant.

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Here in Montana, open carry is legal statewide. Of course, in certain places, such as government buildings, schools, etc., it is illegal to carry open or concealed. Obviously, some businesses have corporate policies against people carrying firearms in their establishments and would ask people to leave if they saw them carrying openly. However, when it comes to concealed carry, my policy is: what they don't know won't hurt them! I, frankly, admit to ALWAYS being armed when I go to a movie theater--corporate policy notwithstanding. And I'm quite confident that here in Montana, at least, I am not alone.

So, thank you Denny's for your company's courageous stand in support of the right of the people to keep and bear arms. And, thank you Dan Cathy for your endorsement of "the biblical definition of the family unit."

And what's more, don't be surprised if many gun control advocates keep eating at Denny's and many gay marriage advocates keep eating at Chick-fil-A. Why? BECAUSE THEY LIKE THE FOOD!

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Chuck Baldwin is a syndicated columnist, radio broadcaster, author, and pastor dedicated to preserving the historic principles upon which America was founded. He was the 2008 Presidential candidate for the Constitution Party. He and his wife, Connie, have 3 children and 8 grandchildren. Chuck and his family reside in the Flathead Valley of Montana. See Chuck's complete bio here.

E-mail:�chuck@chuckbaldwinlive.com