As a rule I do not pay much attention to M.D. Harmon’s columns since they invariably cause me to feel depressed and frustrated. However, his Aug. 10 Chick-fil-A column caught my eye, and I did read his eloquent defense of Dan Cathy, embellished by the usual biased rhetoric (“Marriage traditionalists flock to support Chick-fil-A”).

In his opinion, “Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day” was a front-page, lead story underreported by the major news sources. Still, he claims, this slight by the obviously “liberal media” did not prevent “Americans from voting with their feet” lining up by the hundreds to buy chicken sandwiches.

In Harmon’s opinion, “when Americans had a chance to express themselves on two important values — traditional marriage and freedom of speech — they leaped at the chance.”

Harmon failed to mention these “Americans” consisted exclusively of “marriage traditionalists” opposed to same-sex marriage. They shared the Cathy family’s position, while purchases of the company’s poultry products contributed to their already-considerable profits.

Would Harmon deny that same-sex marriage advocates are also patriotic Americans who have the same constitutional right to free speech? I am troubled by his allegation that “clueless elitists” have insulted people who support traditional marriage as “bigots.” Many of the non-elitists he claims are insulted have been known to use much more lurid, offensive terms to describe those who disagree with them.

Harmon often quotes what he considers to be “reliable sources.” On this occasion he discovered a group called the Coalition of African-American Pastors, led by the Rev. William Owens, who opposes same-sex marriage and President Obama’s support for it.

Are we to assume his “reliable source” represents all African-American voters who will now abandon Obama and flock (sorry) to the Republican presumptive presidential candidate who currently panders to the supporters of “traditional marriage”?

Yet another M.D. column has left me depressed and frustrated.

Phyllis Kamin is a resident of Cumberland.

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