Posted on 03/15/2014 8:34:48 AM PDT by raccoonradio
The fight over Southie’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade got frosty yesterday, with Boston Beer Co. pulling its longtime sponsorship from the parade over the organizers’ refusal to let gay veterans march — and one Southie bar fighting back with a vow to boycott the brew.
“Sam Adams doesn’t support South Boston. They don’t want to support veterans like my father and uncle, so they can go sell their beer elsewhere,” said Tommy Flaherty Jr., a lifelong Southie resident whose father and uncle own the landmark Cornerstone Pub & Restaurant on West Broadway.
Flaherty Jr. said he and his father, Thomas Flaherty Sr., 70, and his uncle John Flaherty, 81, were “taken aback” when they learned yesterday afternoon from reading bostonherald.com that the brewing behemoth pulled its sponsorship, so they decided not to sell Sam Adams indefinitely.
“(Boston Beer Co. has) no problem taking the money from the people drinking at the bars along the parade route,” Flaherty Jr. said, adding he has no qualms with gay people. “We serve to everybody. I don’t have a problem with gay people, nor do my father and uncle.”
Boston Beer Co. could not be reached last night for comment on Cornerstone’s boycott. Representatives of the beer company — until yesterday listed as a “proud sponsor” on the parade’s website — have marched in past years, but announced yesterday morning they will not participate this year because the organizer, Allied Veterans War Council, is refusing to change its longtime policy of banning anyone from marching under a gay-rights banner.
“We have been participating in the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade for nearly a decade,” Boston Beer Co. said in a statement. “We were hopeful that both sides of this issue would be able to come to an agreement that would allow everyone, regardless of orientation, to participate in the parade. But given the current status of the negotiations, we realize this may not be possible.”
The flap came after other supporters, including Westin Hotels and Gillette, distanced themselves from the parade. Yesterday, the parade’s website — which had featured dozens of business backers — erased its sponsorship page and replaced it with a message saying, “We’re updating our sponsors, thank you for your patience.”
Mayor Martin J. Walsh said last night he was “still hopeful” a deal can be made.
“We’ve gotten pretty close to an agreement here, and I think a lot of people thought this was the year we were going to have an agreement,” Walsh said. “I’m not giving up on that hope, we still have some time left. ... I have a glimmer of hope that we’re going to be able to work something out.”
As for Boston Beer Co. pulling its sponsorship, the mayor said, “They made a policy decision there, and I commend them for it.”
Please post that list some time. I think people would enjoy it AND HELP ADD TO IT.
Last summer Sam Adams dumped God, this year they are dumping Saint Patrick
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-Sam-Adams-Beer/479606018799615
Maybe they’re supporting the court decision that says private groups can’t be forced to let people in who are opposed to them. They do add they have no problem with gays and will serve anyone. So yes in a way they’re supporting the parade
organizers—and their right to refuse to allow some people in.
Suppose:
“The Westboro Baptist Church is demanding to be allowed to march in Boston’s gay pride parade. The organizers of the parade are citing a 1997 Supreme Court decision which said private groups shouldn’t be forced to accept marchers who disagree with their views and don’t play by their rules.
The organizers said, ‘We would be happy to have them march provided they don’t hold banners saying who they are or hold offensive signs.’ Westboro Baptist said sorry, they would only march if they were allowed to carry banners; they do not agree with the organizers’ stipulation about not holding banners...A bar in Boston agreed with the organizers about their private rights and refused to sell (XXX) beer, who pulled their sponsorship from the parade...”
That’s probably who runs that company. They must be insane for doing this. First off gays don’t drink beer on the scale that straights do, second gays are only a small percentage of the population, third, all Sam Adams is doing is ensuring their sales take a huge nose dive, 4th WHAT THE F DOES THE ST. PADDYS DAYS PARADE HAVE TO DO WITH SEXUALITY??
over the organizers’ refusal to let gay veterans march ...I’m cornfused. Sam says they will not sponsor if queer veterans can’t march, correct? Organizers say it is for queer things, right? Aren’t the organizers bigoted? Or is this just journalistic malpractice or am I too drunk to understand this issue?
Thanks for the clarification.
the answer to your question is that somehow, homosexuals have become fabulous and special./ so they feel the need to inject homosexuality into other events. They are special in a way which other interest groups are not.
St. Patrick’s Day has nothing to do with homosexuality, but, they insist on injecting gay issues into it. And because we live in a politically correct world now, there is a tendency to give in to the demands of grievance groups such as homosexuals.
Ok just so I understand. What is required to walk in this parade? Can anyone walk in it or does one need proof they are Irish? Obviously they don’t want to celebrate the event or they would just put on something green and fricking walk like a normal person in a parade. They want another public forum to shove their sexuality down people’s throat.
It’s a St Patrick’s parade. Nothing to to homos, alternative lifestyles, etc. I side with the parade group in their decision to keep the focus on the intent and traditions of the event. Liberals always “demanding” this or that doesn’t mean their wants are justified. In fact, they usually are not justified, they are mainly a bunch of attention whores. W/ apologies to whores.
I’d rather have a Yuengling Lager instead...Oh, just puke! Are you from KooKoo County?
While Saint Patrick retains dignity.
And just in case of confusion, which the article, in its political correctness, is reluctant to narrate, a quote from the errant company, who misrepresents the position of the parade, it’s Patron and, in turn, his patron, the Catholic Church, which, of course the humble bar owners understand completely:
Boston Beer Co. said in a statement. “We were hopeful that both sides of this issue would be able to come to an agreement that would allow everyone, regardless of orientation, to participate in the parade. But given the current status of the negotiations, we realize this may not be possible.”
The bar owners have it just fright. There is no exclusion of gays, not in the parade, not in the Church.
from the Catechism:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p3s2c2a6.htm
As usual, the agenda driven in the group get it deliberately wrong, the mayor and the Sam Adams company, in favor of PR and money.
LOL! I’m going to have to quit doing that.
See my post #13 correction.
See my post # 13 correction.
Sam Adams is rolling in his grave. The brewery that is using his name are garbage.
That’s the first sensible comment I’ve seen posted about this whole mess. What’s the parade organizers’ policy concerning Irish political issues, though?
May the wind be ever at your back, and may Sam Adams Beer go the way of J.C. Penney — sales went straight downhill after they took sides in the gay behavior debate, and now are having to close store locations.
Let me guess: His/her name is Pat? Chris? Jamie? Jackie?
“gar friendly”
They’ll attract a lot of fish that way!
No, they drink ---.
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