54 days and counting...supporting Chick-fil-A

Hi, Virginia in Virginia:  Thank you for stopping by, and for your comment and update.  It was big around here in that drive-thru lines were long right up to closing times in all parts of Central Florida.  It was a great showing, indeed- and surely a positive sign when we could all use one.  Big day coming up here...our great senator, Marco Rubio, will be in town for a rally in a few hours.  He'll be followed by our current president- who arrives in town around 2 or so to speak at Rollins College to make up for an event he cancelled due to the Aurora massacre.  It'll be interesting to hear how- or if- each of them addresses the Chick-fil-A debate.  My guess?  One will talk about it and one won't.  You guess which would be which!  Also, Virginia, thanks for mentioning the Fair Oaks Mall.  When I left the Naval Research Lab and went to work for what's now Convergys, I spent a bit more than 3 years in our building right off I-66 in Fair Lakes- and that Fair Oaks Mall food court was a frequent lunch destination!

Hi, Jay:  I did check out your entry- and your daughter has to be considered a bit of a patriot- and she surely saw a number of them!

Hi, Leslie:  Thank you for stopping by again, and for your continued contribution to the conversation.  With regard to your latest comment, you'll surely not be surprised that my thoughts differ.  That said, I could read Dan Cathy's comments to  the Baptist Press 1,000 times- and still not find a word of hate among them.  A family man running his family-owned business should get to run it the way he sees fit- and that applies to this subject or any other.  As I've said before, those who don't agree with his business are free to eat elsewhere and open up a table or two for those of us who enjoy the place.

Hatred...The Occupy Wall Street crowd loves railing against folks that earn a living and work hard- and against all of "those rascally CEO's full of greed", but where's the love for Dan Cathy?  One who stands by his beliefs and closes his doors on 1 of 2 weekend days- missing out on untold millions of dollars should be honored for lack of greed, right?  Guess not.

"the majority who cheerfully oppresses the minority"  I've never oppressed anyone- can't ever see that happening, and object to the insinuation.  You also speak of "our" smugness and of our "numbers".  My, my, my....could a statement be more hypocritical?  Doubtful.

Disney World can have "Gay Days", hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens and their supporters can march through America demanding "rights" they've never deserved and some of Islam's followers demand death to Christians at every turn...but "Whoa!  Stop it!  Bigot!  Intolerant!" is the cry when Christians show their support for something?  That's rich.

"Discriminated against" for not being able to marry another gay?  Hardly.  For the most part, the laws of our land with regard to this issue mirror the laws of our Almighty God.  Despite others' looking to pervert His Word, it remains consistent, infallible and inerrant in it's instruction that marriage is to be between a man and a woman- period.  Marriage other than that is wrong, and the homosexual lifestyle is an abomination- period.

Genesis 2:24:  Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Ephesians 5:31 (for those who may wrongly assert that "things changed in the New Testament"): For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Speaking for myself and not others, I've never known anyone to "use passages out of the bible to make life miserable" for anyone, as you've claimed some have done.  Anyone who uses the Word of God in an attempt to make others feel poorly is wrong- any claims they may assert to the contrary notwithstanding.  I know nothing but love from the Word of God, and my hope is always that some minor thing I might do can help to bring others to God and have them experience life everlasting through His Son, Jesus Christ.

I'd offer that those feeling miserable do so out of their knowledge that their ways run contrary to God's wishes and instruction.

Lest you think I'm altogether pleased with everyone else on "our side", Leslie, think otherwise.  I have a major problem with folks who compromise their principles and act contrary to their stated beliefs in any way- and that includes folks who might even share a pew with me this Sunday morning.

Wake up, Christian Conservatives.  Let's not hide our beliefs, let's not shrink, let's not cower.  It's time to stand up for what we believe- and more importantly, Who we believe in.

Hi, Yolanda:  Thank you for dropping by, and for your comment.  Great to see the turnout was big in your area as well.  I'm glad you're going to patronize the new place as well.  You'll have to be careful, though- there'll surely be enough folks looking to disparage you for it.

Hi, Mike:  Thank you for stopping by, and for leaving your comment.  We can only hope...hope for a change, that is....

Hi again, Jay:  Amen.

Hi, Sussie:  Thank you for stopping by, and for your comment.  Can't hate you for feeling that way!

Hi,Tom:  Thank you for dropping by, and for your comment question.  With regard to your "tempest in a teapot" assertion, that's not really germaine.  I'm not stirring up anything, but the issue has been mad emuch bigger than your proverbial teapot only because folks residing on the aisle's Liberal Left side have made it so.

As for my use of McDonald's, Taco Bell and KFC signs in this blog, please refer to Title 17, United States Code, specifically Chapter 1, para 107 U.S. Copyright Law, here in its entirety:

§ 107 . Limitations on exclusive rights: Fair use⁴⁰

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include— 

(1) the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;

(2) the nature of the copyrighted work;

(3) the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and

(4) the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.

Not an attorney here and never played one on TV, but the inclusion of the photos here are along the lines of new-type reporting and commentary versus  any attempt on my part to gain profit.  Effect of my use on any of these companies' value in the market?  Ridiculously miniscule.

All of the aforementioned said, I stand pretty firm in my belief that my use of the photos of the sign is allowed.

Thank you for your concern, though.

Hi, Karen Anne:  Thank you for your comment and kind words.  I hope to have my Localism post on the photographer out in the next day or so.  I can see how the "54 days..." might be confusing.  That's actually a post that came from my electdennisburgess.wordpress.com site.  The days are how many remain before voting here- September 24th-28th, as I go for a spot on our association's Board of Directors.  I'm writing a blog post every day as the campaign rolls along.  With regard to the Chick-fil-A issues...I don't see the "hateful things" that the FRC has done- just don't see it.  But just as I'll never eat Ben&Jerry's ice cream OR Paul Newman's salad dressing because THEY donate millions to baby killers at Planned Parenthood and elsewhere, folks are welcome not to eat Chick-fil-A.

Hi, Karen Anne:  Thank you again for stopping by.  This is a great example of how folks can agree to disagree.  I'd venture to say that I'd have no better chance of changing your mind with regard to the pro-life/pro-choice debate than you'd have of changing mine- so we'll have to leave that one alone.  Thank you for your best wishes- it'll be a bit of an uphill battle, but a great thing if I'm able to win and even a good learning experience in the worst of scenarios.