Wednesday, August 1, 2012

The Power of Positive Protest

Dr. Ileana Johnson Paugh


 Today I decided to put my money where my mouth is – literally. I went to Chick-fil-A for lunch in my neighborhood. I try not to eat fast food too often but this is a good cause – supporting the owners of a franchise that has come under attack for its Christian principles. Last time I had a Chick-fil-A, my kids were in college.

It was hot and muggy, and, as we approached the restaurant, the traffic became congested on all six lanes, coming and going. The line of cars to the drive through was winding around two blocks. The adjacent strip mall parking lot, which is normally empty, was filled to capacity; people were walking towards the restaurant from all directions, converging like bees on a hive. The line of people was winding outside, spilling into the parking lot and the access road.

Last time I stood in such a long line, I was in communist Romania in the late seventies, waiting for food to be delivered or parceled out. People were unhappy, holding onto their rationing coupons, and shoving each other in order to gain a better position closer to the front door of the store before whatever they stood in line for ran out.

The line at Chick-fil-A was composed of happy faces, polite and friendly, eager to be there, many taking photographs of the crowd just like I was, wondering where the MSM was. Why were they not there covering the mass of humanity that came out at one restaurant alone to show their positive support of our Judeo-Christian principles that America was founded upon? After all, we are a stone’s throw from Washington, D.C., practically in the back yard of the main stream media.

The crowd was a prime example of a mixture of, as we say in the south, spontaneous and deliberate “pandelirum.” I scanned the mass of people of all races, young and old, with babies and toddlers. The help was working overtime, with sweat on their brows, waiting on thousands more than they usually wait on during regular days, yet everything went smoothly. The air conditioning was working full blast, cooling all patrons, meals were served quickly and expediently, and the restaurant was spotless in spite of the huge crowd.

“As an American citizen I strongly object to the unlawful efforts of elected officials who are calling for censorship and government blockades to keep Chick-Fil-A from doing business in their respective cities. Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy’s comments are protected under the authority of our Constitution, and as such must be respected - not threatened, and censored by government officials.” (The Liberty News Report)

My husband and I had just visited a large chain store nearby – people were sweltering inside because their air conditioning had been cut off remotely from New Jersey in order to save electricity and money – a prime example of the madness of Smart Meters and UN Agenda 21. I was glad Chick-fil-A did not have Smart Meters and the A/C was running full blast.

I was thinking of the 650 million Indians who are without power at the moment because their government bought into the green environmentalist agenda that coal is bad and had reduced so much their coal production that they are unable to produce and store enough electricity for the increased demand.

As I left the restaurant, I was satisfied that, from my vantage point, the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day was a great success. I stood up for freedom of speech in America and ate a delicious chicken sandwich with waffle fries with thousands of other people in my neighborhood that came out to support free speech and their fellow Americans.

Canada Free Press