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Showdown at the Red Hen

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Public domain image courtesy of clker.com. I had never heard of this restaurant chain before this incident so I don’t know if this is their logo or not but, hey, it’s a red hen. Close enough.

Sarah Sanders is the White House Press Secretary for the Trump administration and the daughter of Mike Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate. A few days ago she, along with her husband, their three children and her husband’s parents were eating at a Red Hen Restaurant in Virginia. They were approached by the owner and told to leave the restaurant. They would not be served.

What action on her part triggered this? Nothing. Several of the wait staff were homosexual and they were upset that Trump had banned transsexuals from the military. They told the manager that they would not serve her and the manager sympathized. The Huckabees left without complaint and Sanders mention the incident on Twitter.

After they left the restaurant Sanders and her family returned to their home but the husband’s parents went to a different restaurant across the street where they were followed and harassed by the homosexual waiters from the Red Hen. Ironically, the parents are liberal. The waiters were attacking people who agree with them.

Although all Republicans and most Democrats have stated that the restaurant was in the wrong, some Democrats including Representative Maxine Waters have not only said that they were right in doing so but encouraged others to do something similar given the chance.

I’d like to hear what you think. Since it’s difficult to discuss this with a handful of questions, feel free to elaborate in the comments section. Sorry, but you have to have a Virily account to leave a comment.

  • Question of

    Does the restaurant have the legal right to do what they did?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Regardless of whether or not it was legal to refuse service, should the restaurant have served the family regardless of their politics?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Would you eat at a restaurant that refused to serve somebody because of their political beliefs even if you agreed with their politics?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Should the restaurant have its license revoked for its actions?

    • Yes
    • No
  • Question of

    Should the House of Representatives take action against Maxine Waters for encouraging this sort of thing?

    • Yes
    • No

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What do you think?

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bigotryhatredincivilityintimidationintolerancemob menalitynewsPoliticsTrump

Written by Gary J Sibio

9 Comments

  1. Legally they have the right to refuse service to anyone, for any reason. Whether or not it was okay to exercise that right is a matter for debate

    It is obvious to me that no matter how you feel about the subject, following the parents across the street and harassing them is way out of line…

    • Yes and no about the legal right. You are not allowed to refuse to serve someone because of their race, religion, place of origin, gender and, in some cases, sexual preference.

      Given that the restaurant is now closed I’d have to say it was a bad move.

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  2. I find it appalling what this place did to Sarah and her family. No matter who she works for, it should never happen. No, I would not eat there. And as for Waters, that is for another day. I try to avoid these issues but they are in our face right now. It gets crazier each day.

  3. I would not ever go to a restaurant that would not serve me due to my political views. For crying out loud can we just learn to tolerate one another? I mean I disagree with some super hero fans for admiring homosexuality but I do not tell them that when they die they will find up in Diablo Heights in Panama opening up a fried chicken shop.

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    • Not sure about the Panama reference but I agree. Even if I agreed with the restaurant owner’s point of view, I would never go back there. This country is killing itself with incivility.

      I’m a devout conservative Catholic. Before I got laid off because the company I worked for was tanking, I shared an office with a gay guy for some 15 years. We got along great. We’d clown around and make jokes about each other. Neither of us got offended. It’s called being an adult.

      1

      • Diablo Heights was in the former Canal Zone where my relatives and myself would go to the community center to watch a movie and buy things like clothing and other items. It beats saying go to H E double hockey sticks.

  4. Donald Trump and his apologists are fascists. My dad fought against fascism in World War 2. I fought against the Ku Klux Klan and its Nazi supporters in the streets of Washington, D.C. when they attempted to march during the Reagan era. I have no intention of being polite to people who are apologists for an administration that is systematically dismantling American democracy, attacking responsible journalists, and supporting a foreign power that attempted to influence the outcome of our last national election. Trump supporters are crying foul now but where were they when Trump encouraged his supporters to beat up counter demonstrators, called Mexicans “rapists”, and suggested that “second ammendment people” take out his opponent?

    4

    • There is not a single bit of truth in entire rant but thank you for providing an excellent example of the problem. You are clueless when it comes to fascism. Please do not even bother to respond to any of my posts in the future. I have no interest in reading hate speech.

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