I  have to weigh in on the Chick-fil-A controversy. I detest hypocrisy, but the bullying kind of hypocrisy  really makes my blood boil.  It is especially important for me to take on the gay Left when it comes to hypocrisy, because I am gay and was once immersed in the Left's mentality of intolerance and hypocrisy.  It is the Left's tactics of bullying that really leaves a pit in my stomach -- a leftover from my days as a brainwashed liberal.

The only way to fight the Left in regard to their hypocrisy is to point it out. Use analogies they might be able to understand. Here is one:

Suppose a business owner -- oh, let's say a fast food chain owner was an atheist. A Christian town in the South tries to prevent that fast food chain owner from building in that town because they do not believe in God.  What do you think the reaction would be from the Left if this scenario played out? Most certainly the ACLU would be right there suing the town due to civil rights violations.  There would be loud cries from the Left that freedom of speech is being squashed.  Others from the Left would be pointing out with raised fists that atheism is a right granted us in the Constitution as an expression of freedom of religion. (Ok, normally the Left doesn't have any regard for the Constitution unless they feel they can use it in one of their hypocritical rants against the Right.) The words "intolerance", "hatred" and "bullying" would be used nonstop to describe the actions of the CEO at Chick-fil-A.

Let's use another example.  What if the owner of the hypothetical fast food chain was a Muslim who believed the Koran defined marriage as between a man and a woman?  Would the Left be protesting his stores and bullying him about his religious beliefs threatening to stop the construction of his stores or banning them from a major city? Take that in for a moment. You know what the answer is to that question. The answer is that the bullying of a Christian would be perfectly acceptable...the bullying of a Muslim would not be.

So, let's get back to Chick-fil-A. Is the owner expressing his freedom of speech? Yes.  Is he expressing his  freedom of religion granted to us by the Constitution? Yes. Is he expressing hatred, bullying or intolerance? Uh...no.

Being a gay Libertarian-streaked conservative, I respect the president of Chick-fil-A's right to believe in the traditional definition of marriage.  I am neither offended nor feel the need to bully him into believing  something I may believe. He has the right to believe what he wants. As long as he doesn't try to keep me out of his stores because I am gay, I respect his right to feel the way he does about gay marriage. As  Governor Palin so deftly pointed out last week, did the Left go after Obama when he believed the same thing about same-sex marriage as the owner of Chick-fil-A did before his campaign for president "evolved"?

Bullying is bad. Hypocrisy is bad. But hypocritical bullying is the lowest and most onerous form of argument.  What is accomplished by "winning" an argument by bullying your opponent? Your opponent's heart is not softened or changed to your position.  In fact, those who are bullied are more hardened to their own position due to the bullying.

I will be watching the predictable faux rage, bullying, intolerance and hypocrisy against the Christian Right about rights in this country that only the Left seems to feel they are privy to. I will be supporting the rights of a fellow American to the freedom of speech and freedom of religion bestowed on ALL Americans by our Constitution. I will be showing my support not for his beliefs, but for his right and freedom to have those beliefs.

I plan on eating at Chick-fil-A as often as possible to support their right to their freedoms. Sometimes the taste of freedom is so good.

Watch related American Thinker Video selection: "CFO bullies Chick-fil-A clerk to near tears"