What’s The Matter……Chikin?

Perhaps a previous Facebook post didn’t clearly detail my issues with Chick-Fil-A.  I will rectify and clarify things as best I can…but before I explain it all I’ll start with this….

Fuck Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy. 

Now the calmer part of my entry….

Even as much as this Dan Cathy upsets me he is certainly entitled to his opinion.  He is against same sex marriage? That is his right.  He can feel that way and shout it from the rooftops if he wants.  The upsetting part is Cathy has in a way.  He’s been vocal about being pro-family as long as that family consists of a male and female marriage and not a same sex one.  Once again this isn’t my issue because he can say whatever he wants.  The problem is after his opinion is shared with the public he often has to do damage control and release a press statement to soften the blow and alter his stance.  If you feel a certain way and share it with people you have to hope that people will stand with you and those that don’t have that choice too.  That statement not only expresses now Cathy should act but it reflects what countless men and women have to deal with when they share with friends and family that that are gay.  It’s a tough thing to express and once someone announces they are gay they don’t have the luxury of a press release to fall back on if their feelings are not well received.  They often are ignored or shunned by people they once loved. 

I’m getting to the moral of the story before I’m even done with Cathy.  Besides the few times he has doubled back of his opionions there is the money he has donated to anti-gay marriage groups.  On the surface the groups that receive donations obliviously sound very religious but also have friendly or harmless names.  Take the Fellowship Of Christian Athletes as one of many examples I’ve found.  The group seems harmless.  Then you investigate a bit and find that they hold a yearly conference to help “free” people from homosexuality.  Then to became a Ministry Leader within that group you have a to sign an application where you have to agree to condemn gays and their lifestyle.  Another group that received donations is called Exodus International.  This group uses some of the funds they receive to provide homosexuals with therapy that will cure their gay tendencies.  Still I have to back down a bit and say that Cathy can donate his money how he pleases and these groups, sadly, can do with these funds how they please.
Thankfully there are some people and groups out there that are holding Cathy to his original word on this matter.  This is the letter from the Mayor of Boston…



Losing the opportunity to open a few new locations won’t hurt Chick-Fil-A but hopefully this type of exposure will.

Lastly this is the bit that sent me over the edge and had me post my Facebook status.  Recently The Jim Henson company released this statement..




What is Chic-Fil-A’s reason that they no longer have Muppet toys for their kids meals?



Since those pictures speak for themselves I’ll just move on with my final thoughts I eluded to earlier.  I’m all for someone stating what they are for and against.  Hell….I’ve lost friends because I’ve been “too honest” or blunt.  I didn’t once think about changing my opinion or how I feel to win them back.  I have to state how I feel, be true to myself and live with whatever happens.  Cathy needs to be who he is and stop being who he needs to be at that particular moment.

The Knight We Didn’t Expect

Last night I was bummed that I was too tired to venture out to a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Today I woke up and I could not of been happier that I didn’t go. I agree with millions of others that the theatre massacre was a tragedy but honestly I’m amazed that someone crazy enough to do this didn’t travel to Pittsburgh, the backdrop of the film, to live out his twisted act.

No matter where this act took place the only good to come from this is that the shooter was caught. So often these types will end their own lives after taking the lives of so many others. I’m sure that this matters very little to some of the family members of those shot and killed. I have no issues with the death penalty but will that be what he deserves for all this suffering? Why can’t torture be allowed for certain criminals who are this far gone and worthless to society?

I just hope for a few things. I hope that we don’t hear that video game violence or violent films were a trigger for this guy. I’m sure this level of instability can be triggered by something as tiny as a cat sneeze. I’ve always said that even after seeing violent films a little younger than I should I’ve turned out pretty well. Sure I saw The Silence of the Lambs as a kid and it didn’t turn me into a cannibal. It turned me into a bit of a pussy because for YEARS after first seeing that film I had to cover my eyes at certain scenes. And the video game debate can shove off as well. I shoot and kill things in video game as a way to de-stress enough that I don’t get angry and hurt the real people around me.

I also hope that this trial goes as fast and the Cruise and Holmes divorce. They have tons of people who saw this guy. They caught him in all the gear we wore during the shooting. I hope that the witness list contains every person that made it out of the theatre alive.

It’s truly sad that this takes place the very same month that my wife and I have been able to start taking our son to the movies. It’s no secret that my love of movies runs extremely deep and it is certainly something I want to pass along to Xander. Some of the best movie memories I have as from midnight showing where fans showed up in costumes. I’m not sure if midnight screenings will be altered because of this event but AMC has already banned costumes from all of their locations. I

I don’t fear change or progress but I should start because nothing seems to change for the better and progress is slow if not nonexistent. We test people for diseases like Cancer and AIDS but mental illness is something that people turn their back on or just never spot until it is too late. I can only hope that we start to study these people who commit these crimes so we can get a better understanding of why people do these things and find a way to identify unstable individuals a bit better. If the death penalty is too good for this guy let him be a guinea pig for the rest of this life. Let all these deranged folks get probed and tested for the rest of their lives in order to curb these mass killings.

While You Look Ahead…

I’m not hating on anyone but I think it’s nuts to think 2012 will be a drastic change from the previous year.  Minor change? Sure.  Gradual change?  Absolutely.  I’m going to try things that are new but since I feel people for the most part are resistant to change I’ll have a few things I try work and a could will fail.  Real change moves very slowly and can only be noticed when looking back way down the road.

I’d rather be the person who looks back at how things have changed over the years.  The other day I was thinking about all those bullshit awards/titles they give out in yearbooks for the most likely to succeed and that kind of shit.  Who even votes for that shit?  Do they even waste time on that stuff these days?  I just think it is crazy to try and label someone in high school because most of the people there are in for a reality check when tossed out in the real world.  I know a few kids in school who worked at a real job or had a taste of life outside the school’s walls.  Even WITH a taste of the outside world some of those students still weren’t able to hit the ground running after graduation. 

While my class was smart enough to not try and predict the future they still took a female and male student and labeled them with a trait that made them stand out while in school.   Most of these aren’t traits….they are survival skills.  This was how you acted to survive school and get out alive.  I’m not friends with many people I went to school with because I no longer feel the need to fake it and please people.  Thanks to Facebook I have a handful of people that I honestly like keeping in touch with.  It’s shocking how the lives of those few people have changed over the years. I don’t mean just getting married or having kids but total 180 degree turns in personality and characteristics.  I’d hate to call them out and have them think I was mocking them in any way.  The truth of the matter is they are more honest with themselves now and they were just trying to find there way in school.  I’m not going to call anybody out but I was tempted to simply because I’m proud that they found themselves and burst out of the cocoon after school was over.

The scary thing is the people that didn’t change.  I’m more worried about that people that WERE all grown up in school.  I understand being bitter and a little angry about school and life as a teen but you gotta let that shit go once you aren’t forced to go back.  Wipe the slate clean and try starting over.  If I had wasted less time with someone so bitter and nasty maybe I would be better real friends with my high school Facebook friends.