More Chik-fil-A shenanigans

Last week we reported out on negotiations between Chik-fil-A and Chicago Alderman, Joe Moreno in what appeared to be a squeeze in getting the company to drop its financial support of pro-traditional marriage groups in return for being able to open a business in Moreno’s district.

From the comment section of the linked article, many people were not convinced at all that Chik-fil-A was making any such concessions whatsoever and, indeed were continuing their support of these groups. Chik-fil-A statements afterwards tended to support that contention but it still was not entirely clear to us what exactly Chik-fil-A had agreed to.

We tended to think that the mere fact that Chik-fil-A was even talking to this thug represented a victory for PC intimidation over free speech.
‘But back to Alderman Moreno because even he is now confused as to what, if anything, he was able to muscle Chik-fil-A into.

A Chicago alderman says Chick-fil-A's president is publicly contradicting what company executives personally assured him for months -- that the fast-food chain is changing its stance on gay marriage -- and he asked the company Sunday to clarify.

Alderman Joe Moreno made news last week when he announced Chick-fil-A has ceased making donations to anti-gay groups and has enacted workplace protections for its employees against discrimination.

Moreno said the two concessions were the result of 10 months of negotiations he had with Chick-fil-A executives as he weighed whether to support a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in his Chicago ward. He said the executives gave him documents backing up the new positions.

Chick-fil-A, in a statement Thursday, affirmed the workplace protections. Friday, however, company President Dan Cathy denied the company has ceased making donations to groups that oppose gay marriage and said Chick-fil-A "made no such concessions."

"There continues to be erroneous implications in the media that Chick-fil-A changed our practices and priorities in order to obtain permission for a new restaurant in Chicago," Cathy said in a statement to Mike Huckabee, the former Republican presidential candidate who now runs a conservative website. "That is incorrect."

Moreno said Sunday that Cathy's statement "at the least, muddied the progress we had made with Chick-fil-A and, at the worst, contradicted the documents and promises Chick-fil-A made to me and the community earlier this month."

Moreno said Chick-fil-A executives gave him a letter earlier this year saying the company's non-profit arm, the WinShape Foundation, will not support organizations with political agendas. "We were told that these organizations included groups that politically work against the rights of gay and lesbian people," Moreno said.

He said the executives confirmed to him that both the foundation and the company in 2012 has not given money and will not give money to those groups.

Cathy's conflicting statement, Moreno said Sunday, is "disturbing."

Moreno said Sunday he has yet to introduce legislation for the new Chick-fil-A restaurant in his ward and will wait for Cathy's response before moving forward.

No. What is disturbing is this continual thuggery displayed by Moreno in getting Chik-fil-A to bend to his will and his opinion of correct thinking in return for opening a restaurant there in Chicago.

We don’t understand Chik-fil-A’s thinking here. Why are they even speaking to this man? They have ample evidence that he is blocking them from opening a business there in his district based upon no acceptable legal reason. If they sued, we don’t see how they would lose. Yet, here they are playing this charade with this Windy City punk. We don’t get it. What are we missing?

And as for Moreno, you would think that someone running things in a town that has over 350 murders so far this year would prioritize bullying a private enterprise a little lower on this "to-do" list.

As always, your comments on the matter are welcome.

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