But I don't like the idea of refusing service to an individual based on their employment in a given official's administration. I don't think it's very effective . . . one doesn't get into a p****ing contest with a skunk . . . but philosophically it just seems so un-American.
Had I been at that restaurant, I wish I would've had the presence of mind to offer great service, then write the following letter to said public official, and publicize it via social media:
Dear __________: Thank you for your patronage at our restaurant. I hope you found your meal and service to be exceptional. We also thank you for the generosity you showed in tipping your server $______. We have chosen to donate that gratuity, as well as the proceeds from the night you dined with us to ___________________, an agency that is providing aid to families who have found themselves separated as a result of the administration's policies. Those policies concern us greatly, and we hope you, your colleagues, and your leaders can arrive at practices that are more humane and more effective responses to the plight of refugees seeking a home in this great country.
A friend and I exchanged a few texts over this restaurant kerfuffle, and we disagreed as to whether or not this was the time to leave social media, lest we see the nation's debate descend even further into point-scoring and jersey-waving. He thought it was just getting good. I thought it was time to leave.
In previous summers I've maintained a news blackout for a week to get back to normal. I won't do that this summer. The pressing issues in the news are too pressing to ignore. But Twitter? That I might just need to turn off for the summer. And maybe I can avoid starting the day with news, but instead with a good book, and turn to the op-eds after I've had a chance to see other good ways to start a day.
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