Editor's note: You may be familiar with the Overheard on CNN.com series, which looks at thought-provoking conversations posted by the community. In that same vein, we're trying something new by providing a look at some of the most talked-about stories of the day.
Happy Friday. We're taking a look at five of the most talked-about stories yet again. The topics are pretty diverse:
- Chick-fil-A
- Gun culture
- Unemployment numbers
- Mars rover Curiosity
- Parisian catacombs
Scroll down to read what people are saying about the news.
1. Chick-fil-A 'kiss day'
There’s a lot of heated discussion about the “kiss day” demonstration against Chick-fil-A, which follows up on Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day. Will it have political impact come November? Does it matter what a corporation supports?
Most of our readers are once again expressing support for Chick-fil-A, including many gay readers. Check out iReporter Matt Zieminski's take on political gray areas. He is a young gay man with some very nuanced beliefs that have gotten a good response from our readers.
CVNeutron: "Whether you read this as a liberal or a conservative, LGBT or straight, Christian or atheist or any other religious belief, I want you to take from this a very simple message: We are all Americans and we all care about the same things. We all want equality, we just don't yet know the right way to achieve it. I am gay and I can tell you without a doubt I fully support those like me as well as those completely different from me because that's what makes our country better than most. We can disagree online and in person and on air as much as we want and at the end of the day nobody is hung for what they said and we all still can be united as people. This country faces serious issues and it's time that we get serious answers. I don't give a damn what Chick-Fil-A or The Home Depot or Gap or any other corporation thinks about gays. I care what my leaders think about equality. It's time to stop dancing around the issue and ask our leaders to give us real cohesive answers to this question: When? When will we have true equality in this country?"
Meanwhile, Thursday's piece on chicken with a side of politics garnered more than 5,000 comments. If you see Chick-fil-A demonstrations in your area, share your story on CNN iReport.
Gay rights activists plan 'kiss day' at Chick-fil-A restaurants
On the stories, we can see a powerful dialogue about same-sex marriage supporters' image, as well as views of gay and lesbian people.
warrior2007: "It's funny how gay rights activists want us to respect their free speech when they protest Chick-fil-A but don't respect the free speech of Chick-fil-A. ..."
RichHappyLib: "I don't like chickens who live their whole lives in a cage ... but enough about conservative bigots."
How do you define free speech? Is the gay community forcing its views on the world?
blogwriter: "This is exactly what repulses heterosexuals and why homosexuals are disliked. They insist on trying to force their sexual values on the rest of society instead of keeping them to themselves. By doing this they only make me dislike them that much more!"
mauiwaui: "It's over-the-top yes, but they're trying to make a point. And on this issue they're not really forcing their sexual values on society, they're asking you not to force yours on the law, in order to deny them rights. Rights that have no bearing on your life."
icowrich: "Chick-fil-A is one of those rare companies that sources their chicken from certified humane operations. It's one of the reasons I ate there, until this stuff happened."
Do flamboyant stereotypes really hold?
krozareq: "I suggested when this began that GayDays stop at every CFA they come across. I experienced that myself at a restaurant on one of their stops. Stood in line behind a guy in a Speedo and the guy behind me was in pink leather with a whip and high heels (in 100-degree Florida heat). They were about as colorful as you get and it was a hilarious time. Don't know why people are so scared of those different from themselves. It's not the gays running up the deficit; it's not the gays selling this country down the river; it's not the gays shooting people, etc., etc."
ronjayaz: " 'They were about as colorful as they get and it was a hilarious time.' Of course, times have not changed one iota for the so-called 'straights.' It's the only way they can accept gays, like minstrel show folks. I recall when I was a kid going to the Automat and seeing a group of 'gays' demonstratively talking loudly, laughing and flirting with the male customers. We all laughed derisively at them. Things have not changed obviously."
2. Gun culture
iReporters sent us more than 400 stories of gun ownership, so CNN's Daphne Sashin posted some of their quotes as shareable pins on Pinterest and wrote about them in a full story. We in turn got more than 1,000 passionate comments in response.
5 things gun owners want you to know
Some of the readers had their own take on the "5 things" structure of the story.
John: "My house is protected by the Second Amendment. I'm content and will never change."
HawkJ: "Five things ANOTHER gun owner wants you to know:
1. Not everyone owns a gun.
2. Not everyone wants to own a gun, and not everyone should be allowed to own a gun.
3. People kill people, and using guns they kill more people, in greater numbers, than with poison, knives or explosives combined.
4. Banning assault weapons, high-capacity magazines and mail order sales of ammunition does not impede any responsible gun owner from owning, using and enjoying his weapon.
5. Opposing reasonable gun restrictions on the grounds that it won't stop ALL gun violence makes no more sense than abolishing all traffic laws and signs because they clearly don't stop all traffic violators."Andrew Martin: "My doors are locked, not to protect me from the criminals outside, but to protect the criminals from what is inside."
Charles Garcia’s opinion article about the NRA's political clout is also getting people fired up.
Politicians hammered by the NRA
Leo818: "The background check argument is just plain baloney. Every gun show I go to or auction where firearms are sold require our state's handgun purchase permit or a background check."
Vivek Saxena: "They're not comprehensive enough. At the moment, I could buy a gun. I refuse to because I know I'm not mentally stable enough, as per autism, to handle one. And yet, if someone else with autism decided, 'Oooh, let me get a gun,' they'd be able to."
3. Unemployment numbers
Stocks rallied Friday after a stronger-than-expected July jobs report. Readers are talking about what this means.
tor5: "You gotta love Republican spin: If the jobs report is bad, Obama’s a failure. If the jobs report is good, the report is bogus. It’s “Obama’s economy” when anything bad happens, and “the president has no influence” when anything good happens. Blah, blah, blah. Fortunately, Obama will win in November because things are gradually getting better and Republicans have no coherent plan other than a return to the disastrous Bush policies."
hoapres: "Things are NOT getting better but Obama will win."
dfeaster: "Things are getting better and Obama might win."
July jobs report: Hiring picks up, unemployment rises
CNNMoney readers are unhappy with persisting unemployment, and they’re split over whether President Barack Obama or former President George W. Bush are to blame.
A12825766: "It's so pathetic that 'discouraged workers' aren't accounted for in the unemployment rate. Just be legitimate for once and tell it like it is. Our unemployment rate is easily 17%."
ApointHilary: "At this rate, Obama will keep his jobs promise by the year 2032."
4. Mars rover love
The rover Curiosity will land on Mars early Monday morning, just as the traditional can of peanuts is opened back on Earth. People are excited about this NASA mission and what it means, and we’ve got a really hardcore group talking about this story, including the complex landing. One of our readers, who says they were a member of a group called "LASA" (the “Local Aeronautics and Space Administration”), had poignant comments about the future of the much larger NASA.
Mars landing: It could be crazier
Capt36: "I was a member of LASA, Local Aeronautics and Space Administration. We designed and built our own rockets. We had a launch control complex, made from my old soapbox derby racer frame. We learned the math to figure the final height, using protractors and coat-hanger tubes to sight from three sites. We learned how to do things in committees, and work as a group. If nothing else than causing 10 kids to be successful in life, the mere existence of NASA inspired a whole 'Kennedy generation' of scientists, doctors, engineers, and yeah, even lawyers. NASA may be the best, 'wasteful' in some folk's eyes, federally sponsored program that has even been! The spin-offs of technology are too numerous to imagine. Yes, if NASA had not existed, we probably would not be communicating so easily these days. I am giddy about Monday's upcoming landing. I feel it is the only thing to look forward to from a scaled back NASA. I hope they measure up to the task! But, to believe that a non-NASA world would have erased poverty would be idealistic, at best."
Some were less optimistic.
rockshow: "8 GB of memory? With the high-resolution cameras they use, that's about three pictures. I really hope this works but the odds aren't good. Unless they have SUPERB engineering, it sounds like their landing will fail. Too many technical pieces to control remotely and to have to work perfectly. A safer landing would have been airbags and stadium-big chutes, or even wing based horizontal landing."
Others felt a deep connection to the engineering.
TomGI: "I've been excited for a year waiting for this landing. My employers had some electronic parts on Spirit. We really enjoyed watching its success. Now we get to watch the adventures of Curiosity. Sweet!"
BobPhxville: "I think NASA forgot the No. 1 rule of successful engineering – KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid. I am not saying that this will not work. However, it is such a Rube Goldbergian solution, they certainly tilted the odds against themselves."
Cheeko: "The problem is that this really IS the simplest solution. Short of a MASSIVE retro rocket (ie massive fuel and cost to launch from Earth) there is no technology currently to get large payloads onto Mars easily. The problem is the superthin atmosphere, you can't slow a payload like you can on Earth. Additionally the massive weight meant the airbags (used in previous missions) would need to be so big we couldn't launch it from Earth. Also its first bounce would possibly be tens of kilometers high. The only way to decelerate it to a slow enough landing speed was using a combination of methods."
5. Going underground.
Some of our readers have already heard of the Parisian catacombs, but others were just learning about them or exchanging information with other readers. Commenters told us about their adventures and explorations there and at similar sites around the world.
Loving life in Paris' Empire of the Dead
TheH0LYT0AST: "$73 fine IF they catch you? That's cheaper than a day at Six Flags and way more fun."
AnnieMiami: "I visited the portion of the Paris catacombs one can enter legally. Walked the paths through bones laid carefully in great mounds as high as my shoulders, yes. Stunning, yes. All together a spiritual experience of sorts and humbling. So many people. So many lives lived. I felt like I was paying my respects to ancestors who each played a part in creating the world I was born to. Guards check purses and bags coming out, as well they should. Apparently some people try to steal bones for curiosities or Halloween shenanigans."
VeritasK: "Have been to the ones in Paris and Rome. Totally different experience. The ones in Rome have no bones in them anymore, those are indeed stored in the Vatican. (Note the plural, there are many, not just one big one.) The Roman ones acted as churches as well, until Christianity was accepted. The endlessness of the ones in Paris, as well as the artistic laying of the bones. ... The majority of the skeletons were not intact as such. There is nothing like walking in a row surrounded on both sides by bones up to your shoulders."
Some people like WayOutThere missed out on the catacombs while they were closed. Indeed, many readers had seen other sites while traveling.
texdoc78154: "There is a church in Czech Republic that is decorated with human bones. It's not just stacked up, but arranged into chandeliers, crests, wall displays, chairs, altars, etc. Ossuary Church, check (pun intended) it out."
bobpit: "My wife and I visited the catacombs in Lima, Peru, they are located under the cathedral, I have no idea how big they are, but they had tons and tons of skeletons down there. Most of them are sealed so you can't enter them, but the ones under the cathedral are open to tourists."
Have you ever traveled underground? Got strong feelings about Chick-fil-A? Share your opinion in the comments area below and in the latest stories on CNN.com. Or sound off on video via CNN iReport.
Compiled by the CNN.com moderation staff. Some comments edited for length or clarity.
Hey banasy, Obama Mama & Everybody! (I think y'all are Somebody!)#1) I like Absolut/Svedka for my DM!For Swedish reasons! #2) Palm-Olive: the olive oil is supposed to be protective for your hands & not dry them out like regular dish detergent! My take: there was probably not enough olive juice?oil? to counteract the soap! Good idea, though, like Murphy's Oil Soap for floors! I like Mane &Tail conditioner for my unruly hair! Great topics, banasy! Beats the gay chicken controversy!! 🙂
I love Absolut also...it's my #2.
And we decided to get a few different topics, because a) we're the only ones here, and b) I can't speak for everyone else, but Chick-Fil-A lost it's flavor after the thousanth or so story...
Lol...let it go, sweetie, let it go...
My (vast,lol)experience in life leads me to the conclusion that there is nothing that's Free! Even Free Speech comes w/consequences, such as people disagreeing w/you, or argueing, just as has happened in this instance! True free speech means being willing to put yourself out there for something you believe in, no matter the negative feedback! It doesn't take courage to Hate; it takes courage to Love Through the hate! It's so much more fun too, not dragging around all that negative baggage, which tends to drag you down (lol)! It's fun to have an open, inclusive,positive outlook & much better for your health! Much less stress! Also, you might find friends! It's all good! Lets have an Everybody Loves Everybody day! Just an Appreciation day, intimacy optional! 😉
Well, you have shown once again that you have uncommon common sense...and I like your idea of appreciation day!
I agree; leave the baggage behind!
And, I hear, if one flies Southwest, that's probable anyway...
Well this looks like it was the place to be today. Of course I get home from work and the party is over. Boo Hoo!!
Hey, what am I?
Paté?
To me, "Free Speech" is an illusion not unlike the "American Dream".
Like, even if an FBI whistleblower and 24 Dept. of Defense officials solved the crime of 9/11, President Obama would just maintain federal gag orders on them so they can't speak of it in public.
Ask FBI Sibel D. Edmonds what free speech is. She'll say "heck if I know".
You are a broken record and no one is interested.
Even with a 50 mm lens spotted on this couple; there response to Cathy's statement in support of the biblical definition of marriage is, grossly flagrant act of defiance.
I woulda used a fish-eye lens to make it pretty... make it *look* acceptable.
Lol, but the photographer used a the lens that is closest to what God gave us; eyes that reveal truth!
See? the 50 mm calls it like it is!
while the fish-eye, tries to make it look pretty; like a pretty little veil...
What?
@ Mary:
I Believe that he perception of ugliness proceeds from your eyes.
If I were in the publican food business, I'd hope that everybody with unrefined taste in cooked chicken bought mine.
I don't see social progress as paté.
Precisely, JIF.
Agred wholeheartedly.
@ banasy ©:
I'm sure that many others got your play on "paté" as immediately as I did.
Luckily in this nation hamsta is able to express his views on the Chic-fil-A debate! Luckily I'm able to disagree w/him! That's freedom of speech! Some people feel that their freedom to speak is more important than others, because their views are "right" & should be made into laws blocking/banning civil rights to 1 segment of the population! Then it's no longer about "free speech" so much as trying to curb free speech & even freedom! It's about fairness & human/civil rights for all of humankind! No religion will ever compel me to be unfair, judgemental, or discriminatory to a person, because it's part of its doctrine! If God is love–why all the hate!?
Hamsta:
You may follow God's law or not; it is up to you.
However, in this great Nation of our, laws are made by men and women, and they do NOT have the authority to take away the rights of a section of the populace, just because they disagree with it.
The actual sin of Sodom and Gommorah is the sin of inhospitality.
It has been twisted to fit an agenda over the years, just like this whole CFA argument has been twisted to fit individual agendas.
MY God doesn't hate.
I'm sorry the one you follow seems to.
Good luck with equality. Woman still haven't achieved that goal. We are still second class citizens in a good ole boy world.
Not true, to borrow a line from a movie, "Happy wife, happy life, unhappy wife, stone cold misery for the rest of your life." Women have all the power.
Well if you wanted things to actually be equal you might of gotten there faster. However that doesn't seem to be the case. Count your lucky stars you don't live in the middle east. Could be a lot worse, so calm down.
@ CARBON SCRIBE..............what do you think about sheldon adelson what the first thing that comes to mind when you ask that question does his laundered money come from cartels ? Dam right it doesand he has been doing it for many years you dont just have such beta pop up on you like this if its not true ask romney what he thinks, he of course will lie the answer is yes its another ploy to take a drug traffickers money and possibly use that power against that connection to gain popularity amongst your supporters and maybe gain a second term so its nit much different as the mafia politics
@ banasy.......your 7:04 comment is awesome i like waking up in the morning and reading such things thank you for such a good start
Chick-Fil-A has a right to express their opinion. The gay community has a right to protest. I have a right to never eat at Chick-Fil-A again.
amazing. common sense from someone on a cnn blog. glad you are out there siara
Quite possibly the most reasonable post on here.
Mike huckabe may be speaking through the restaurant
Please stop cutting and pasting other poster's comments and putting them under bciah's name.
It is immature and really quite silly.