Now Chick-fil-A is trying to indoctrinate my children.

[wildeyed]

We ate there the other day. An activities CD rom came with the kid meal. Of course I examined it before I turned it over to the children. And what do you think I found? Focus on the Family sponsored the CD, and it includes links to the FOF website. I was beyond furious. How dare they try to indoctrinate my children with their politics and hate! Needless to say, I am done with Chick-fil-A.

I let them know what I think of their little hate filled "meal prize". You can, too.

http://www.chickfila.com/Feedback.asp

It seems like FOF is everywhere I turn these days. I have been sparring with my local YMCA because they have been distributing FOF magazine to members. Now this. I guess it is my destiny to fight these people. God give me strength.....

[MemphisTiger]

1. Have you heard of Chick-fil-a before?

They make no excused for being a Christian owned business. I'm not sure why you are so surprised.

[wildeyed]

3. Christinan owned doesn't necessarily mean they are FOF promoters.

I assumed that their personal political beliefs would be fairly conservative, but I didn't think they would stoop to indoctrinating children.

[joe_sixpack]

4. I've always been a firm believer

In the separation of Church and Chicken. This seems most fowl.

[wildeyed]

11. ....

:rofl:

[Sabriel]

32. You'd better duck, turkey.

That was a horrible pun.

[bumblebee1]

34. great pun for this week, Sabriel. n/t

[meow2u3]

46. Good idea for a billboard parody

SEPARASHIN OF CHURCH AND CHIKIN :rofl:

[MADem]

66. Heh, heh!!! n/t

[JVS]

71. I declare that joke to be an abomination!

[wtmusic]

8. Or for that matter, the "Young Men's Christian Association"

might be expected to hand out Christian materials

[wildeyed]

19. FOF is not run of the mill "Christian materials".

It is anti-gay and very political. It is an appalling thing to hand out in a community center.

Besides, the Y's mission statement says they should 'demonstrate christina values', not shove them down other people's throats.

[wtmusic]

24. Why you can't consider the YMCA a "community center"

It's a Christian community center.

It's probably time to cancel your membership and start working out at your town's Dept. of Parks/Rec weight room.

[wildeyed]

27. Did it.

I am now a member of then Jewish Community Center. Haven't met and evangelical Jew yet :)

I also convinced about 10 friends to either quit or transfer their membership to other branches. We got press in a local newspaper. I organized an email campaign.

I am sorry, but I just don't think we can write stuff like this off as, "oh they are christian, what did you expect". We have to make a fuss, let them know that the majority does not think this way, that we find bigotry offensive and damaging to our children and communities.

What you have to understand about the Y in Charlotte is that it is a monolithic presence in the community. The Y is HUGE here. And the Y belongs to me as much as anyone else in this community. I have a right to make my voice heard and have my values respected. And the sad fact is, the fundies are dictating policy there because they put the time and money into the organization, while we sat back and got cynical.

[wtmusic]

29. WADR the "Y" doesn't belong to you at all

although you certainly have the right to make your voice heard (and should).

What's most frightening is the general trend of Christians becoming less Christian.

[wildeyed]

31. What is WADR?

The Y belongs to me as much as any member. There motto, laughably is "I belong at the Y". They should add to that, except if you are gay, liberal, a non-christian or even just an average Democrat.

I think most of the Harris Y members do not realize that that the Y is distributing such hateful and overtly political material. If they did they would object. The membership and even the bulk of the employees are fairly liberal, if bumper stickers during the last election are any guide.

[wtmusic]

37. "with all due respect"

and you bring up a good point. If you get other members to point out the anti-Christian aspects of FOF you may get some change happenin'.

:thumbsup:

[wildeyed]

41. Thanks!

:hi:

[Bill McBlueState]

55. exactly

Dobson got to where he is today by propagating the myth that he's just a plain-folks Christian. This hides the reality, that he's actually one of the most viscious opponents of the wall between church and state.

[tsuki]

75. Dobson is a psychologist, not a theologian. He is into manipulation

of people. And he advocates beating babies to "break them." That is hardly Christian.

[Gato Moteado]

23. i think they're hindus in disguise......

...trying to capitalize on the fundies here in the states. their billboards all have cows raised high up above the street writing things on the bill boards like "eat chikin".

i think they are very shrewd hindu business people trying to indoctrinate our children into learning how to worship the cow. the FOF stuff is all just a cover.

everyone knows that you can't be a good christian unless you eat a lot of beef. how else do you think jerry falwell has been able to retain that fatass...he's eating a lot of cow.

:sarcasm:

when i lived in the states i actually did drive thru chik-fil-a when i was hungry and in a hurry (common among software industry people). and i love their waffle fries. i was always pissed when i had a taste for those fries on a sunday but the bitches were closed.

if i went inside the restaurant to order i always got a kick out of looking at the photos of the managers and employees that were usually displayed by the door. they were all perfect blond haired, blue eyed aryans. the best photos were the ones where the store owner or manager was photographed next to the founder of the company, who, for some reason, reminded me of the old grandpa in the texas chainsaw massacre movies.

anyway, if they ever tried to pass any religious propoganda to me (which they never did) i would have surely frisbeed it back in through the drive trhru window before driving away.

anyways, if you're fed up with their prosletizing, head over to a culver's instead...their butter burgers will probably shorten your life by about 20 years but their fries are way better than chik-fil-a. and they're open on sundays.

[wildeyed]

39. ahhhhhhhh, hindu fundamentalist promoting cow worship.

I guess I never saw it that way. :rofl:

I don't actually like the food there much. Only go occasionally because they are close and have an indoor playground for the kids.

[prescole]

60. You are one FUNNY cat nt

[Gato Moteado]

77. funny looking, you mean

i'm one funny looking cat.

[Loonman]

2. Privately owned company

So they can pretty much do what they want.

[wildeyed]

6. Yep.

And I can pretty much eat where I choose, as can my friends, so we are even.

These conservative businesses love to spout their beliefs, but they love our sweet blue state dollars, too.

[Loonman]

10. There you go, then

Problem solved.

[LisaLynne]

7. That's true but ...

FOF is pretty hateful and as consumers, we have the right not to buy their product if they're going to align themselves with such groups.

[LizW]

15. True, no one is forced to eat there or to buy the kids' meal

However, Chick-fil-a also provides materials to public schools to distribute to their students. I have watched these carefully over the years as my children have brought them home. Usually it is a card or bookmark once a month that promotes some aspect of character - honesty, loyalty, responsibility, etc. So far, they have been fine, just solid character messages that do not bear any religious slant and probably wouldn't offend anyone. But I still read them carefully every time to see if any religious proselytizing is creeping in.

[NashVegas]

49. Try to Imagine the Howls

If the Girl Scouts started handing out Planned Parenthood brochures along with the cookies.

[kick-ass-bob]

5. Chick-fil-a has been this like its inception.

They don't hide it, and they never have.
Hell, they're even closed on Sundays.

[wildeyed]

13. Just 'cause you are closed on Sundays doesn't mean

you support FOF. Most christians I know don't support FOF or their views. I don't think that Christian = FOF necessarily.

[kurth]

9. Big clue: Closed on Sundays

[Silent3]

22. That's only a clue that their Christian...

...not that they're extremist about it. It's pretty likely that a guy running a falafel stand is Muslim, but that doesn't mean you should expect that he'll be selling Hummus Happy Meals that contain membership kits for the Little Martyr's Club with web links to Hezbollah.

I've eaten at Chick-fil-A before too, but no more after learning about this connection to Focus on Family and that asshole Dobson.

[AllegroRondo]

40. They also require employees to have a group prayer before a shift starts

[TallahasseeGrannie]

12. We've had similar thread on here about this

in the past. Evidently they are quite an evangelizing organization.

I wouldn't be suprised about the Y distributing FoF literature because they are a Christian organization, too.

[wildeyed]

16. Actually, everyone I know who is involved with the Y in other cities is

absolutely appalled that one of Charlotte's largest branches chooses to distribute FOF crap. Charlotte is not even all the conservative in the larger scheme of all things southern, so it is not even a reflection of local values.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

18. Our Y here is rather conservative Christian

[wildeyed]

21. Coming from the NE, I never thought of the Y as being conservative

or particularly christian. I had Jewish friends who were members. I have a gay friend who is very active with the DC organization. My dad, solid liberal and not a christian, almost choose a career with the Y based on work he did with them while in high school and college.

I think the organizations are fairly autonomous. Even the individual branches are funded separately in my city.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

25. Yeah, down here the Y is kinda hand in hand

with the Baptists, is my impression. I mean not officially. Good folks with good programs, though. Nothing overtly political.

Up north where I was from we have Jewish Y's, too.

[Dorian Gray]

47. That's true here

and in New Jersey, too. None of the "YMCA's" that I frequent are particularly Christian focused. They provide swimming lessons, crafts lessons, and all that other fun stuff, too.

In NYC, there is a YMHA (H for Hebrew), which is pretty famous. The 92nd Street Y. They offer so many wonderful programs. They also provide some Hebrew programs, but they aren't exclusively for the Jewish. I've taken many classes there, attended many concerts and discussions, and enjoyed the building as much as any other New Yorker is allowed to.

So, it's weird to me when I hear that the Y (in any locations) is exclusively Christian. I guess in the Northeast, it's not something that comes up, as there are so many people from various relgious backgrounds here.

[wildeyed]

53. Most of the Y's here are the same.

They provide an exercise facility, pool, b-ball courts and many different recreational programs for kids. You pay a fair amount for membership, but if you are at a financial disadvantage, they will give you a free or reduced membership.

But somehow, the Y in my neighborhood got off track. I used to have a few Jewish and Muslim friends who were members, but they all quit. They felt their children were being evangelized to and no longer felt welcome or comfortable in the environment. None of my gay friends are members because they won't allow them to have a family membership with their partner and children, even though many Y's in the Carolinas provide a domestic partner family membership. The FOF thing was just the last straw.

Another problem, the Y is a huge presence in my city, Charlotte. They are one of the largest in the country. Very few other recreational facilities have a chance against them. So we don't have many county facilities or J's or anything else to speak of. Very few other choices if you are not in lock step with the Y. Sad.

[Dorian Gray]

72. That's a shame.

The YMCA's in my neck of the woods actually provide some services for the less fortunate in our community. It's a shame when others don't feel comfortable partaking in their services because of the religious aspect. :(

[Kickin_Donkey]

70. When I was a kid ...

the YMCA people were inclusive and progressive. They said "YMCA" was a misnomer because it wasn't just for the Young, Men or Christians.

But this was California in the 1970s.

[wildeyed]

74. My father was involved with the YMCA in CA in the 70's.

He loved it. Almost made his career there.

[MaineDem]

14. I've never even heard of Chick-fil-A

I think I'm thankful of that!

[LizW]

17. It's based in Atlanta

and is mainly in the south.

[trogdor]

42. You want Church's

Black owned, and the chicken r0x0rz. Bojangles ain't bad, either.

[wildeyed]

54. Popeye's

Don't know who owns them, but I sometimes crave their red beans and rice and spicy fried chicken. One of those guilty pleasure things.

[JHB]

20. Never encountered it myself, either...

Took me a while to figure out the name. I kept (mentally) pronouncing it as if it rhymed with "Godzilla".

But that probably just shows where my mind is at...
"Run for your lives! It's Chickfilla!"
"BWAAAAAAAAAAK!

:popcorn:

[lonestarnot]

26. Have them innoculated.

[abluelady]

28. They Do Give Free Chicken Sandwiches

out on election day if you are wearing an "I voted" sticker! And you can vote for the Democrat and still get one. :-)

eta: We have Christian store owners here who close on Sundays, too, but they support the Dems. They are not all RW.

[wildeyed]

35. Yeah, but they spit on the democratic ones.

:)

[newportdadde]

30. Private business and sounds like they had that rap already.

Not much you can say if its a private business besides not eating there and letting your friends and others know. Personally if the place is really good I would just throw the CD in the trash and eat up but I've never seen a Chickfila.

[wildeyed]

33. lol, I will not give my money to an organization that supports Dobson.

Ever. No chicken sandwich is that good.

[callous taoboy]

36. Used to work there- Had to dress up as the chicken:

This was in high school. I used to drop acid and wander around the mall waving to kiddies from within the safe confines of my chicken suit.

Got busted smoking hash in the bathroom after closing time. Boss made me listen to Zig Zigler tapes as a penance. He was actually a pretty nice guy, was concerned about me. I was totally out of control back then. He was a raging fundie, though.

[Gato Moteado]

82. i wanna party with you, man

nt

[callous taoboy]

89. Dude-

Not even sure who the hell I am anymore, but I could probably be down with that!

:smoke:

[titoresque]

38. I thought they were Mormon owned eom

[Balbus]

50. That was my impression also.

Or the word that was going around in AZ about them.

[Leopolds Ghost]

43. Buy Local! Don't support the chains n/t

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

44. I never eat there

I've known about their "Christian" company for years, but that's not why I don't eat there...their food is gross! Tasteless, bland and just plain nasty! But, I do proudly drive a car around town (I'm in Colorado Springs folks) with my "Focus on your own damn family" bumper sticker.

Do you know they also give the schools "free kids meal" cards for their students? My kids get them all the time for rewards. My kids get a hearty congrats when they get them, but I take them somewhere else for their prize. My kids say the food sucks there, but the commercials are cute. LOL

[Initech]

45. The Chik-fil-a's in Cali are all owned by fundies

I refuse to eat there on general principal.

[kurth]

57. Is In-N-Out Burgers another one?

Last time I patronized the place, the employees were all clean and perky. They looked like they were ready to go to church.

Their bumpersticker was good for defacing ("In-N-Out Urge").

[Initech]

58. The jury's still out on that one

If you look underneath their cups they have Bible verses printed on them. And no one, not even the employees knows why.

[kurth]

61. I believe here is the answer:

"The Snyders are a religious Christian family..."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-N-Out_Burger

Burger and cheeseburger wrappers
Revelation 3:20—"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."

Beverage cups and antenna toppers
John 3:16—"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life."

Milkshake cups
Proverbs 3:5—"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding."

Double-Double wrapper
Nahum 1:7—"The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him."

Water cups
John 14:6 —"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'"

[truebrit71]

62. Wow. I guess I've had my last In-N-Out burger then....

..oh well....

[Shakespeare]

63. Are you serious?

They also treat their employees extremely well and pay them better (and provide better benefits) than any of the other fast food companies. Their food handling practices--and the quality of the food itself--is far superior to other burger joints.

Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, said it's the only fast food place he'll patronize, for all those reasons I just listed.

The family that owns In-N-Out actually behave as professed Christians are supposed to--and I find that admirable. Why on earth would you boycott them?

[truebrit71]

65. 'Cos I live in Illinois and there aren't any In-N-Out's around maybe???

And btw, when I lived in So Cal I absolutely LOVED their food....

[Shakespeare]

69. Perhaps I missed this:

:sarcasm:

I thought you were suggesting you'd boycott them because of the silly bible-verse-on-the-coke-cup thing! :-)

[Gato Moteado]

80. no, but there is "eat it and beat it" on forest preserve drive

just west of the chicago.

[No Exit]

48. In an indirect way, I guess that makes them "Chickenhawk-fil-A"

Next thing you know, they'll be handing the kiddies recruitment pamphlets, military keychains, and other favors.

[LiberalPersona]

51. There used to be

a Chick-fil-a in the mall here but they closed down over 10 years ago and they're no longer in this city AFAIK. I went there often because I liked the food so much better than that rank bile that KFC sells.

I had no clue they were associated with this trash.

[Ganja Ninja]

52. The last time I had a Chick-Fil-A sandwich it tasted like ..

a hotdog. YUK!

[Gato Moteado]

85. well, a lot of hotdogs are made from chicken

i'm willing to bet that chick-fil-a sandwich did NOT taste like a vienna redhot or a sinai 48 or a david berg pure beef hotdog.

they don't use shitty chicken dogs in chicago, only 100% pure beef dogs....in fact, i think it's a punishable offense, as it should be!

[DrunkenMaster]

56. Their Food is Garbage

is it really any surprise they promote intellectual garbage as well?

Simple solution: spend your hardearned $$$ somewhere else....perhaps someplace locally owned?

[Gato Moteado]

79. let's be honest......

...all fast food is garbage. i could never figure out which was more nutritious: a big mac or the styrofoam container it came in.

[prescole]

59. The owner of a business has every right to do what Mr. Cathy did

The man is a good Christian, regardless of what you think about his religion or politics.
This is why DU sometimes makes me wonder who the truly "liberal" Americans are.
And hey, while I'm at it:

New Englanders remain among the most tightfisted in the country when it comes to charitable giving while Bible Belt residents are among the most generous, according to an annual index.

For the fourth year running, New Hampshire was the most miserly state, according to the Catalogue of Philanthropy's Generosity Index. Mississippi remained at the top for generosity.

The index, which takes into account both "having" and "giving," is based on average adjusted gross incomes and the value of itemized charitable donations reported to the Internal Revenue Service on 2003 tax returns, the latest available.

[wildeyed]

64. What are you talking about and who is Mr. Cathy?

I care not a whit about their personal politics, but they certainly do not have the right to put hateful propaganda into the hands of my children and expect to keep my business.

[MADem]

73. Tight fisted New Englanders? I believe you are mistaken

Giving at CHURCH doesn't count, especially when that giving is used to support televangelism and pricy suits for the pastor...and when you account for DISPOSABLE income, it turns out that that assertion is a right-wing fostered falsehood.

Check this out:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-11/bc-nro111405.php

For example, the 2004 Generosity Index, based on 2002 data, ranked Massachusetts as the second stingiest state in the nation, and the 2002 Index, based on 2000 data, ranked it the seventh stingiest state. But that charge is revealed as a "myth" in the new report, which for the first time subjects the Index to rigorous scrutiny. When cost of living and tax burden in the area are taken into account, Massachusetts moves from 49th to 11th in terms of charitable giving based on 2002 data and from 44th to 6th based on 2000 data.

...Geography and Generosity includes an analysis of the Generosity Index--which is based on income tax returns--and determined that it is inaccurate in part because of a built-in bias against high-income states, such as Massachusetts, and for low-income states such as Mississippi, which has frequently come out as the most generous state in the nation on the Index. When Schervish and his team used the same formula that was used by Dr. George McCully, publisher of the Catalogue for Philanthropy and the creator of the Generosity Index, they determined that even if Massachusetts residents had given 100 or 1,000 times the amount of money that was in fact donated to charity in 2004, and held giving by all other states constant, Massachusetts could not rise above number 23 on the Index. At the same time, the calculation suggested that the state of Mississippi would not fall below 26th place out of 50 even if residents of that state had given zero to charity in 2004.

...Below is a snapshot of the way in which a ranking of the top ten "most generous" states would change based on the reevaluation conducted by the BC researchers.

Catalogue for Philanthropy Generosity Index (2002 data)

1. Mississippi
2. Arkansas
3. Oklahoma
4. Louisiana
5. Alabama
6. Tennessee
7. South Dakota
8. Utah
9. South Carolina
10. Idaho

Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Recalculated Index (2002 data)

1. Utah
2/3. Maryland/New York (tie)
4. Connecticut
5. California
6. Hawaii
7. New Jersey
8. Georgia
9. South Carolina
10. North Carolina

(Maryland and New York are actually tied for position 2 and 3 on the new scale)

Ya just can't believe everything ya read, nowadays!!! Especially if Michelle Malkin touts it as fact.....

[Lannes]

67. Why do you hate Jesus?

:P

[wildeyed]

76. Because I hate America!

:crazy:

[LittleClarkie]

68. At least the YMCA makes sense

being a Christian org and all. But a fast food place?

[Gato Moteado]

81. it's fun to play at the YMCA

nt

[Raffi Ella]

78. wow.

I go to Chik fil A all the time.I had no idea.

I will miss those sandwhiches.


Is there a list of franchises/stores that are fundie supported somewhere?I would love to know who I'm giving my money to(or not).

[wildeyed]

83. BuyBlue.org has a list of companies that contribute heavily to GOP.

If they are just pushing a fundamentalist agenda, but not actually giving money, I don't think they would show up on the lists.

http://www.buyblue.org/

I am boycotting so many businesses now, I can hardly shop. At least I am saving money, sigh. Giving up Target was the only on that really hurt. But hey, I gained Costco, so that is good.

[Gato Moteado]

84. the dumbest thing about chick-fil-a is their name

for the first several years after i saw my first chick-fil-a i didn't know it was pronounced "chick fillet". i read it as "chick file ah" and thought to myself "what the hell does that mean?". then i heard someone refer to it as "chick fillet" and i felt like a dork.

but still....the name is dumb looking and confusing and the marketer who thought up that one should be slapped across the face with a chicken.

[nookiemonster]

88. "what the hell does that mean?".

BWAHAHA!

It always bothered me too. I mean, how the hell are we supposed to know if "chick-fil-a" is a long "A"? They're just trying to be smart asses.

:rofl:

[0007]

86. 'Tis funny that you mentioned this place. There is such a place

in the Midland Texas Mall. I've been in the place seven times in the last two weeks to buy a cup of coffee to go. They've charged me a different price every time. From $1.29 to $0.24. I was gonna complain but decided to see how far they'd go. Some of the help have problems making change from a one dollar bill.

[Realityhack]

87. Who is a Chick-fil-A?

vaguely recall the name...

Just don't go there any more. Its their choice to be a bunch of smaktards and its your choice to never go there again and vote against any overrides or whatever to let them expand in your town.