Free range, yes. Free speech,no?

These are free range native chickens being grown 100 percent the natural way – no vaccines to boost their growth and no chemicals in their feeds.  Thus, unlike chickens raised in conventional manner, these native chickens are not as plump and tender.  Even their eggs are much smaller compared to those produced by regular laying chickens.  In short, these native chickens won’t pass the grade for fast food chains such as Chick-fil-A's chicken sandwiches.

Speaking of which, regrettably, Chick-fil-A's Vice President of Public Relations Don Perry died"suddenly" Friday morning, the company confirmed.   Mr. Perry was based in the Atlanta area and worked in Chick-fil-A's corporate communications department.

His death comes amid controversy over comments that Chick-fil-A's CEO Dan Cathy made against gay marriage. Cathy told the Baptist Press that he was "guilty as charged" for supporting "the biblical definition of the family unit."

And such statement attracted the ire of America’s gay community.  The mayor of Boston and Chicago also jumped into the fray – admonishing Mr. Cathy’s comment and promising to hinder any further expansion by Chick-fil-A in their cities.

Through such uproar, comes a recent public announcement by Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy, who's also the son of the company's founder S. Truett Cathy: Chick-fil-A is never going to talk about the gay marriage issue again.

Chick-fil-A is a family-owned and family-led company serving the communities in which it operates. From the day Truett Cathy started the company, he began applying biblically-based principles to managing his business. For example, the company believes that closing on Sundays, operating debt-free and devoting a percentage of their profits back to the communities are what make the company a stronger company and Chick-fil-A family.

Henceforth, Chick-fil-A  promises to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena.

Regardless of my political views and spiritual beliefs, I think it’s rather unfair for Chick-fil-A to generate such irrational rage.  First, I don’t think Chick-fil-A is a hate group. In a statement released the other day, company leaders made their commitment to equal service clear, "The Chick-fil-A culture and service tradition in our restaurants is to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender."

I’ve never eaten at this restaurant while in the States, but I’ve never heard of or read about Chick-fil-A getting embroiled in such discriminatory acts towards certain customers.

Denny’s, however, after months of being targeted by claims of racial bias.  The outrage hung over its restaurant operation and the chain's employees like a dark, ominous cloud.  Flagstar Companies had no choice but to face up to the controversy.  

Denny's defense came in the form of an unprecedented 60-second TV spot in which Flagstar's chairman and CEO, Jerome (Jerry) Richardson, and a representative sample of his 46,000 employees were shown endorsing a solemn promise that all customers will, from this point on, "be treated with respect, dignity, and fairness." The spot became known simply as "The Pledge."

On the other hand, Chick-fil-A donates millions of dollars each year to charitable causes -- and not just to "pro-family" groups. It funds a large foster care program, several schools of a higher learning, and a children's camp. It has provided thousands of scholarships for Chick-fil-A employees to attend college and grow past the service sector where they got their workplace start. It even provided free meals for Aurora, Colorado, policemen.

Although this is purely an American quagmire, it’s best we all take heed and learn something from all this.

Homemade fried chicken

Suggested reads:

NY Times: Amazon’s Founder Pledges $2.5 Million in Support of Same-Sex Marriage

As Attacks Continue, Chick-fil-A Getting Plenty of Support for its Christian Values

NY Times: Mayor Says Banning Chick-fil-A Is Wrong

Time: Domestic Double Standard: What About Sally Ride’s Partner?

The Sacramento Bee: Let's recognize Sally Ride as a gay American hero

Sharing with Food Trip Friday

Please note:

I very much appreciate my articles and photos appearing on fellow bloggers' sites, popular broadsheets, and local broadcast news segments, but I would appreciate even more a request for permission first.

Thank you!