That from a journalist describing the people he encountered at the Chik-fil-A restaurants he was assigned to cover yesterday as chronicled in a must read and pass around post put up by GetReligion's Mollie Hemingway:
The Facebook page of Mark Krzos is like many others. He’s married to a beautiful woman. He really likes the band Ween. He posted an awesome Wilco performance from Jimmy Fallon the other night. He lets friends know that he’s incredulous that one congressman views an HHS mandate as a serious problem. He hopes that Gore Vidal rests in peace. There’s some hockey stuff. He really doesn’t like Mitt Romney. Like, really doesn’t like him. He is a huge fan of President Barack Obama. He’s got a post with the note “We are a PROUD city” showing the letter Boston Mayor Thomas Menino sent Chick-fil-A telling them that their CEO’s religious views meant that there was “no place” in Boston for Chick-fil-A. There’s some other anti-Chick-fil-A stuff. Some mockery of creationists. The usual.
Why am I mentioning all this? Because of another part of his Facebook page that an alarmed reader sent me. Turns out he’s a journalist. A staff writer for the News-Press, a Gannett newspaper in Fort Meyers, Florida.
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So with all that said, let me share with you staff writer Mark Krzos’ note:
RE: Chik-fil-A controversy
I have never felt so alien in my own country as I did today while covering the restaurant’s supporters. The level of hatred, unfounded fear and misinformed people was astoundingly sad. I can’t even print some of the things people said.The first comment comes from another journalist named Joseph Anthony. He lists his job as “Anchor/Reporter at WBBH NBC2/ WZVN ABC7.” His comment is “agreed.” A lively comment thread ensues. Krzos claims that the people he met were talking mean about “immigrants.” When someone says something about bigots, he responds “It was like broken records of Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh and a recitation of half-truths and outright lies.” There’s some negativity about Fox and then Krzos says:
Such a brave stand … eating a goddamn sandwich.
Various people “like” these comments, including some more reporters. His friends beg him to print the goods and he says he couldn’t because it was just too vile and, well, the people wouldn’t give him their names. People suggest he just refer to the rampant “racist and homophobic slurs” and another friend writes “I’ll be on the side with scientists, hippies, NORMAL white people, fellow black folk, mexicans (and street gangs), gays , and technology vs. Jim Bob and Bobby Sue and all the toothless rednecks that REALLY hate America.” Mark Krzos “likes” that comment.
When someone with a Jerry Garcia profile photo suggests he should have thrown waffle fries at the customers — or challenged them to a game of “gay chicken” — he responds “John… too bad there wasn’t another reporter around to go with me and film it. I really wanted to do the interviews on camera while eating out of a bucket of KFC.”
I’m leaving out a ton of stuff on the thread. The slurs against “Bible-based haters.” The discussion of how to physically attack Chick-fil-As. The messages were shared by reporters, including someone from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel who says it was “something to consider” and a FoxNews.com reporter who says in response to someone that “we know that’s not the case” that the customers are standing up for free speech...
There's more and it honestly needs to be read, digested and passed on. Repeatedly.
This goes to the heart of the cultural battle being faced.
My wife and I went to Chik-fil-A yesterday. There was no hatred. There was no unfounded fear. There were simply a lot of people who were polite, orderly and hungry. And there were Chik-fil-A staff who were doing an outstanding job meeting the needs of those polite, orderly and hungry people.
It was America. It was the manifestation of what may very well become a movement. It was a ton of people sticking their collective fingers in the eyes of people represented well by this journalist.
And this is causing serious angst amongst the Left. There are veins in necks bursting across the fruited plain (no pun intended). And they'll stop at nothing.
I hope you folks read this piece by Ms. Hemingway and yesterday's piece referencing Sally Quinn's desired outcomes.
It should open your eyes.
It should prompt you to consider taking up a side if you're one yet to join the fray.
The culture war is on whether you're sitting on the sidelines or not.
And there will be collateral damage.
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