Texas AG will investigate San Antonio's banning of Chick-fil-A from airport

Fallout from the city of San Antonio's decision to ban Chick-fil-A from the city's airport is continuing as Texas attorney general Ken Paxton announced that he would investigate the city for First Amendment violations.

Fox News:

Paxton sent a letter to San Antonio City Council members and Mayor Ron Nirenberg, saying that he believed the first amendment was "under assault" over the city's decision last week to exclude Chick-fil-A from a concessions contract with San Antonio International Airport because of what one council member called its "legacy of anti-LGBT behavior."

"The Constitution's protection of religious liberty is somehow even better than Chick-fil-A's chicken.  Unfortunately, I have serious concerns that both are under assault at the San Antonio Airport," the letter read.

Paxton directed the AG's office to open an investigation into whether the city's action violated state law.

He also sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao asking for the department to investigate whether the motion also violated federal laws.

"The city's decision to specifically exclude Chick-fil-A from a government program based on the sincerely held religious beliefs of its leadership raises serious constitutional questions," Paxton's letter to the DOT stated.

There is nothing in the Constitution that says religious freedom can be violated in the name of "inclusiveness" or "diversity."  The city of San Antonio made its decision not to allow Chick-fil-A to operate at the airport based on donations by the company and its officers to "anti-LGBTQ" organizations.  This is a decision based on extremely subjective criteria.  In fact, the evidence of discrimination by Chick-fil-A points toward tolerance and diversity:

"There is no evidence indicating that Chick-fil-A has ever maintained any policy or practice of discriminating against any group of people, and the city offered no such evidence as the basis of its action."

The Atlanta-based fast-food chain has faced opposition elsewhere over donating millions over the years to groups that oppose same-sex marriage [sic].  Paxton has made religious freedom battles a focus of his office since being elected in 2014.

The hysteria ginned up over Chick-fil-A has made it one of the top fast food franchises in America.  Its size makes it a target.  Anti-Chick-fil-A campaigns are great if you're a gay advocacy group and need to raise money. 

The argument that religious freedom does not mean you can discriminate against gays is absolutely true.  But Chick-fil-A does not discriminate against gays in hiring or servicing customers.  So what's the point of the ban?

Simple political pandering.  City politicians are terrified at not being seen to be "tolerant" and opposed to "inclusivity."  Of course, banning Chick-fil-A is the opposite of tolerance and inclusivity, which makes the politicians' hypocrisy even worse.

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