What is it about Chick-fil-A that drives so many Leftists to try and destroy the company through periodic boycotts that usually fail or by imposing abusive regulations from the government, like those proposed by New York State Assemblyman Tony Simone?
Simone, a new member of the Empire State Legislature, represents a district that includes Chelsea, Hell’s Kitchen, and Midtown in Manhattan, according to his website.
Simone was deeply concerned that Sunday travelers traveling on the New York State Thruway might not be able to get their meals at the Chick-fil-As located Monday through Saturday in six state-managed Rest Stops.
“It is Sunday, Christmas Eve… thousands of New Yorkers travel to their families in search of restaurants at rest stops across the state. The Thruways were built to put New Yorkers first. Simone, a New York-based media outlet, said: “I think it’s absurd that you can close on Sundays — one of the busiest days for travel.”
We get hungry while traveling. “We may not enjoy the cooking of our sister-in-law or brother-in-law and want to grab a snack for Christmas Eve,” noted the Democrat Assemblyman. It is not good for the public to find a restaurant closed on the Thruway.
Simone’s bill requires Chick-fil-A, in violation of its well-known policy, to open its stores on Sundays, so employees can worship as they please, spend time with family, and rest.
There are 27 service stations on the NYTW, and hot meals are available at multiple outlets on Sundays. These include Burger King, Panera Bread, and Dunkin’ Donuts. Suffocating Chick-fil-A employees’ First Amendment rights would not create a service that was not already available.
And let’s not forget that the Sunday closing is immensely respected by the millions of loyal customers, who worship in church on Sundays and keep coming back and coming back the rest of the week to their local Chick-fil-A locations. The fact their favorite fast food joint is closed on the Lord’s Day is not a problem demanding government action for these people.
It is the efforts of people like Simone to force government into every corner of American private and public lives that are problematic. Simone belongs to the Lefty crowd that is in the government, politics, and corporate boardrooms.
They tell us constantly that we need to buy an electric vehicle (which we cannot afford and which we are unable to charge at any time), that fossil fuels can no longer be used for heating and cooling our homes in winter and summer, that gas-powered lawnmowers and weed whackers must never again be used, and that… I could continue to go on.
It seems to me that Simone’s proposal will inevitably be challenged in court if it is passed. Daniel Schmid of Liberty Counsel says that New York’s history of religious intolerance is long.
It is not a new thing for New York legislators to target Chick-fil-A because of its religious beliefs. Bill De’Blasio, the former New York City mayor, called on New Yorkers in 2016 to boycott Chick-fil-A for its religious beliefs about traditional marriage. Schmid, the Associate Vice President of Legal Affairs at the Florida-based LC, said that this was his sole reason for doing so.
The City of Buffalo placed roadblocks in the way of Chick-fil-A’s plans to open there. They ultimately stopped them from doing so. The latest manifestation of New York’s hostility towards religion is the coerced submission to two legislators’ opinions on whether a business should be open Sunday,” Schmid added.
The irony of DeBlasio saying that he wouldn’t patronize Chick-fil-A because of their religious beliefs, and then-Assemblyman Tony Simone saying that more people should have the opportunity to patronize Chick-fil-A on Sundays is amazing. He said that the only thing in common between these two positions was an overt hostility to Chick-fil-A’s religion.
Chick-fil-A’s Sunday opening is not justified by the NYTW list of fast food restaurants. It must be motivated by something else. Schmid mentioned “overt hostility”.
Schmid points out that hostility in New York is not new.
For years, New York’s unconstitutional and systematic attempts to remove religion from public space have been ongoing. During COVID-19 Governor. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat from New York, ordered that churches close their doors but allowed strip clubs and liquor stores to remain open. The administration of the governor also revoked any religious accommodation to mandatory vaccinations for New York healthcare workers.
Tony Simone had a simple rationale: “If you’re traveling during the holidays and want to eat some fried chicken, Chick-fil-A should be open on Sundays.” Simone believes that a traveler’s desire for a certain flavor of physical nutrition is more important than Chick-fil-A’s right to spiritual food on Sundays. The First Amendment has a different priority for Simone.
If Simone’s plan becomes law, then it will set a precedent. Why not force all other Chick-fil-A locations to remain open on Sundays if New York can do so for six locations in the state?
And one more thing: As Patrick Henry (of “Give me liberty or give me death!” fame) warned: “Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel.”
