How could they have forgotten the constitution when we are guaranteed under the constitution to have freedom of speech. This man did nothing but answer a question asked of him about the sanctity of marriage and his opinion was the same as Obama's back about 6 months ago. He believes a Marriage is a union between a man and a woman as the Bible says. How, when other liberals make fun of Christians and their religion, no liberal press has anything to say about that issue. Just when it happens to be about gays and marriage of same sexes. It's your right not to eat at Chick=Fil-A if you feel slighted by this statement, but Mr. Cathey is entitled to his opinion. How the liberals have slighted the constitution is not allowing Mr. Cathey his ability to speak his position on gay marriage. Not one time has any one used the word hate from Chick-Fil-A, but you liberals want to put words into his mouth. Either way, Chick-Fil-A sales will go through the roof with all the crying and nashing of teeth from the like of Roseanne Barr. She is such a wonderful role model for you
liberals and I think she fits in with folks of your ilk. Thank God that piece of garbage won't be at any Chick-Fil-A to smell up their restaurants.

You have been so brain washed by the left that you haven't a clue about what is fair & balanced, only what your side wants, & then those & others of your ilk kick & scream when you don't get your way! Listen to what the constitution says & intends for EVERYONE & not just those on the left. What Mr. Cathy said was his right to say & he was correct in wanting to protect the institution of marriage as between 1 man & 1 woman. He made no derogatory remarks about anyone as liberals do when they disagree with someone. No religious belief is put above what is right as you contend. "Right" is your label for a bigoted & self-centered mentality about perverted causes! One's religious beiefs, especially from a Christian perspective, constitute what they are committed to that is decent & respectable. By the way, what would someone like you say to a Muslim whose scriptures recommend 'kill the infidel' & sharia law which some men in this country have used as a basis to kill their own dauthters. It's in the news if you look at a reliable source, which I doubt or you would have more of the facts rather than pseudo-news full of biased bigotry such as is found often in the lame stream media!

How is it Paul Scott and David, that you took what Ken wrote and thought for a second it was about the Chick-Fil-A owners free speech? It's quite clearly about the GOP elected officials of this state celebrating the promotion of bigoted ideals.

It may surprise you that the constitution does more than protect your sect, your hate speech and your guns. It also says that no state shall deny ANY person equal protection of the law. Your marriage certificate doesn't come from a church.

David, your ability to cry about the poor victims of the Christian right being unfairly attacked and labeled by the vicious liberals while you basely attack the left and prove your own bigotry is almost unparalleled. I can't imagine how hard you work at being a hypocrite, avoiding the truth, and studying misinformation to regurgitate. Truly amazing.

Dear Ken,
It is this very right that gives even you the right to speak, even ignorantly at that, but even so it gives you that right. Check out the Constitution, see who signed it, not many were gay, most were Christians, so was the purpose of starting this great country. Only lately whiners try to raise opposition such as yours to ruin the very freedom give you. You have the right, just do not ruin it for others, nor whine when you can't play. There are always rule, just learn to play!

Really? All of those fine "christians" were there for one reason only, to show support of that man because he disapproves of the same thing that they disapprove of, IOW, they are there to support bigotry, ignorance and intolerance.
What is right is allowing two consenting adults the right to marry the person that they love, denying them that right is nothing but outright bigotry because there is no logical or valid reason to do so. The reality is that no religious affiliation or ceremony are required for a marriage to be legal so the religious should have no say in who can and cannot legally marry.
Calling me a bigot is like calling the people who stood up against the racist bigots during the civil rights movement bigots. The christian reich in this nation have targeted a specific minority for oppression, denying them rights that everyone else enjoys. That is classic bigotry, no matter what the religious kooks think "god says".
If calling intolerant bigots what they are also makes me a bigot, then I will gladly and proudly embrace that title. As long as the religious reich fight against gay rights, I will voice my opinion of their ignorance.

@Mark: '...Today's show of support was about freedom of speech, not antipathy toward any group.'

opine: freedom of speech is a distraction...is there really anyone who does not believe:

"chick and supporters have right (free speech) to express their homophobia views and protesters have right (free speech) to protest..."

there is NO free speech issue...free speech is a distraction the issue is: homophobia...specifically same sex marriage...and

just as interracial marriage is now legal and accepted...so same sex marriage will be legal and accepted...

homophobes: get over it. you are on the wrong side of history...just as were the segregationists of days gone by...

in the long run (big pic), your chick support, etc, is 'sound and fury signifying nothing' except society's baser (human?) nature.

How is supporting a minority group of Americans exercising of their rights "bigotry" Mark? I see you know the definition, I'm just curious how it applies to your stance.

Really? You're calling him intolerant? Because he doesn't believe that we should be able to deny a group of people the right to marry?
Also, it's not an "opinion" that the First Amendment does not allow religious laws to be passed, nor is it an opinion that any law banning gay marriage is a religious law, it is a fact. If you could think of a single, credible, logical reason why gay marriage is not a religious issue, I'll shut up, but since there isn't one, I'll continue.
The GOP is claiming that they support Dan Cathy's remarks because they won't deny his freedom of speech, but in reality, it is because their constituents believe that they should be able to deny a group of people their right to marry. Their constituents, of course, are the same people whose parents and grandparents did not want interracial couples to be allowed to marry, and they are continuing their rich tradition of bigotry. The right is trying to distract the public from the issue of gay rights by using freedom of speech as a shield. Whenever somebody says anything the Republican party doesn't agree with, do they commend the person for exercising free speech? No, they denounce them just as the left has denounced Dan Cathy.
And sure, Cathy has the right to say that he doesn't support gay marriage, but we also have the right to say that he is a complete jerkoff for saying that, and we also have the right to boycott Chick-Fil-A, which I plan on doing indefinitely.

The reason the "right" has an issue is because the right to free speech is ok only if someone they agree with is exercising it, the right to freedom of religion only if the religion is theirs. In other words, hypocrisy.

The "left" has an issue with the owner of Chick-Fil-A giving substantial amounts of money to groups (tax exempt charities at that) that's sole purpose is suppressing rights of a minority group of Americans and then bragged about it on at least two occasions to some form of the media.

Please people on the "right", prove either of these statements wrong. Quoting the bible doesn't work because the bible like the koran and all other religious books are not law in the US.

He has the same opinion as this guy.
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-05-31/news/31931439_1_kansas-pastor-senior-pastor-sermon

And these people,
http://news.yahoo.com/westboro-baptist-church-elder-spokesman-talks-gays-god-152200111.html
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/03/politics/military-funerals-protests/index.html
http://www.examiner.com/article/westboro-baptist-church-shows-up-at-colorado-shooting-prayer-vigil

Good company.

Same religious beliefs too. Super.

I assume you're talking to me but not sure what comment you're replying to. When replying, try using the reply button. Thanks.

Ya got me SDR, it's not equal rights and tolerance for all Americans I want, it's that I want you to... break into my house? I'm not sure you understand how coronation ceremonies work. KOT SDR.

@David:

what does david think ad hominem attacks on people (parties)accomplishes...does he believe this present facts that help people understand issues...

BTW the issue here is pro/con same sex marriage...not free speech.
as asked several times, does anyone believe chick does not have the right (free speech) to express his homophobic opinions re same sex marriage...does anyone believe the pro same-sexers have the right (free speech) to protest chick's views...'free speech' is just a homophobe distraction...

re: Liberals are the most intolerant people on earth. They are vicious & discriminatory...

more intolerant than 'true baptist" who deny black marriages in their church???

FYI
liberal definition: favorable to progress or reform, as in political or religious affairs

conservatives: seek to preserve things as they are... and seek a return to "the way things were...[in 2008 and 1929]...

GOP voodoo, trickle up, economic policies did not work in 1929/2008 and will not work in 2012...

ad hominem attacks cannot change the 1929/2008 disasters...nor the fact the issue is pro/con same sex marriage...NOT free speech.

Speaking of raving lunatics. Seriously, nothing you said even makes sense.

Reasonable conservatives, you are allowing these crazy people to speak for you. Is that really what you want?

No one's attempting to deny him the right to free speech. They are criticizing him for using his company's profits to fund organizations that want to take rights away from others. (They even gave money to a group that was seeking to legalize, in an African country, killing people because they're gay.) And they're not going to give their money to add to that company's profits.

Yeah, about that... intolerant is believing that an entire group of people should not be allowed basic human rights (i.e. the right to marry), not calling people intolerant for, well, being intolerant. Please, quit watching Fox News. It turns people into idiots. Or maybe it just attracts them, I'm not sure which.

"Please, quit watching Fox News. It turns people into idiots. Or maybe it just attracts them, I'm not sure which."

/golf clap

You're welcome to believe what your god said about homosexuality. I'm free to believe different.

You DO hinder gays from doing what they want in private, you support organizations that fight to keep them from exercising their right to marry.

You're welcome to teach your kids whatever you want. Some people believe Jesus lived in Utah. Some people believe that snake handling is what Jesus wanted. Mark 16:17-18.

Chick-Fil-A supports an organization, Exodus International, that in the past supported the Uganda law that made being gay illegal and punishable by death.

@Jesse:

apologies i have difficulty following your analogies...but the bottom line is intolance.

re: You are stating that homosexual relationships are to be looked at in the same way as race relationships...[jesse]

the comparison is race and homosexuality intolerance...has nothing to do with color or sexual preference into which one is born...has nothing to do with rights of homosexuals and slaves...

re: almost EVERY Christian I know personally regards the bible as the Word Of God.

so, almost every christian i know believes the bible teaches us the principle of 'love your neighbor' in parables, metaphors and allegory...which seems more likely than a literal interpretation...butbutt;

willing to change opine if one can explain how two of each kind fit into a 4-500 ft boat...or why there is room for only 144,000 in heaven...

doubt if there is any pro/con points/discussion that will change minds...so in the mean time (until judgement day): why not tolerance of our neighbors views/life style...why not love our neighbors as ourselves...

From Jesse: " Ask any Christian you know if they hate you. Ask them if they hate homosexual people. You'll work yourself silly trying to find one who would say that. " well, Jesse, you need to see this link of this same website to see exactly the comments you talk about - http://summerville.patch.com/articles/poll-does-chick-fil-a-deserve-boycott-for-marriage-stance

The bible says that if a married womans husband dies and they don't have kids she should marry his brother. It's

It's not about sex, it's about rights. Using on of the many and variable Christian bibles as your source for law is you attempting to push your morality on someone else. The government is prohibited from doing that by the first amendment.

I have a standard, I reject the bible. The majority of the world population follows something other than Christianity.

A 16 year old isn't an adult and can't consent. If she is 18 then I really have no choice in the matter, but fwiw yes, I think it's alright.

It doesn't matter how you feel. It really doesn't, at least not from a legal standpoint. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but there's this little thing that was written in the late 1700's called the United States Constitution, and its First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...." Since your views on homosexual marriage are clearly motivated by religion, there is no legal basis for making your beliefs law.
Also, your comparisons are completely off base. Cheating on your spouse may be wrong, but it is not prohibited by law, so your comparison here does nothing to help you here. The other sexual practices that you mentioned are illegal, however, but the flaw with them is that legally, one of the parties in each case cannot be considered a consenting adult. That is why they are illegal, not because they are morally wrong, or because "these sexual practices are forbidden in CLEAR terms by God through His Word the Bible." The Bible should not, and legally cannot, be used as a justification for the passing of a law at either the state or the federal level.

I think you're not counting on the readers of thsi site being intelligent enough to verify your sources, Billy. You can blame it on Graham alone all you want, but it aint' true. You're following the opinion of some strange rightwing media that's telling you to say that.

You're totally trumping the "normal" wingnuts. Step up your game fellas, there is a new king of the Reds.

@reg: '... You're [bill] following the opinion of some strange right wing media that's telling you to say that'

oh, so you dont think it's just coincidental...unrelated, oft incorrect information (term used loosely), from right wing media and blogs is posted on PATCH as someone's original thought...