Slippery slope
I received an e-mail with a petition attached: “Remove Chick-fil-A from UNT!” I didn’t sign it.
I love going to Chick-fil-A. They make a great chicken sandwich, and it’s a relief to let my 4-year-old run in their indoor playground instead of in my living room.
But upon learning that the business donates to a group that opposes same-sex marriage, I haven’t eaten there since.
Teaching my daughters about equality, fairness and love is more important than enjoying waffle fries in climate-controlled comfort.
But I still won’t sign that petition.
In our democracy, it’s a slippery slope to say that just because you don’t agree with the religious or political affiliations of a company, it should be banned from doing business. I have friends and family who oppose gay marriage — should they be fired from their jobs? What if the shoe was on the other foot? It’s bad policy to ban a business from your community because you vote or worship differently.
I don’t eat at Chick-fil-A because I don’t want one penny of mine to be donated to a group that advocates hate toward my LGBT friends. I can, however, donate to groups that fight for equality, and I can support businesses that are aligned with my values. But demands to shut down Chick-fil-A, or block it from opening a new store, don’t serve our democracy and will onlydivide us further.
I will not sign the petition to close Chick-fil-A, but I won’t eat there anymore.
Amber Briggle,
Denton
Consider using A-train
Last week I attended a three-day conference in downtown Dallas. The first two days I decided the Dallas North Tollway would be the safest route. If 75 miles an hour in the slow lane is safe, then it was safe.
Leaving Dallas at about 5 p.m. daily got me home between 7 and 7:30 p.m. Then there was the $6.95 toll fee each way, each day — $27.80 total toll fees, not to mention gas, etc.
The third day I bought a round-trip regional pass on the A-train with a transfer to the Green Line.
Even though I missed the first downtown Green Line train by 30 seconds and had to wait 15 minutes for the next train to take me to the Trinity Mills transfer point for the A-train, I still made it home before 7 p.m.
Not quantifiable is the stress. On the highways, I constantly listen for traffic reports, watch for drivers who cut in front of others and who forget that horns are not for generalized communication. That constant need for watchfulness produces stress.
On the A-train I was able to sit and not worry about all the traffic.
I did notice that as the train whizzed by a car dealership in Carrollton that faced I-35E, the difference in cars parked on the dealership parking lot and cars on the highway was that the cars on the highway were more varied in make and model.
Consider the A-train. Much less stress. Much less money. And you can read.
Darlene A. Whitten,
Denton
