100 Comments
User's avatar
Jackson Houser's avatar

One seventh of a scintilla, given that 'scitinilla' has nine letters, would be a letter-and-a-jot. Oh, and why are you defending That Man, you Felon bashing Mugwump?

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Prophecy fulfilled!

Expand full comment
Dennis Smith's avatar

After eight decades of mostly uninspiring correspondence, there are so few friends and acquaintances remaining willing to follow the rules.

Expand full comment
John Bowman's avatar

Spot on. I think there’s another salvo incoming: Musk-et Blasts. Same rules apply.

Expand full comment
Richard's avatar

Soon to be followed by a Vance Lance.

Expand full comment
Hāns's avatar

I'm LOVING this - Musk-et blasts and Vance lances. This comments section is GOLD!! Wit and humour aplenty - just what we need!

Expand full comment
Andy G's avatar

I wholeheartedly agree. This is one of the best Comments sections I frequent, and by *far* the most fun!

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Great readers. They really make me want to keep doing this.

Expand full comment
Andy G's avatar

“Musk-et Blasts”

The phrase is arguably more brilliant than Graboyes’. Well done!

In reality, however, while there are indeed plenty of extremists who now treat Musk *exactly* as they do Orange Man Bad, the ones with whom those of us reading Bastiat’s Window might converse will typically be more nuanced and less absolute about the utter “evil” of Musk, and instead refer more to his actions than his mere existence.

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

HEYYYY! You are NOT allowed to compare me to anyone else unless I’m clearly better. (JUST KIDDING) I agree with you, My wife and I really had a laugh when John suggested that. Couldn’t be more appropriate.

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

That was such brilliant addition that I added it into the article (crediting “an especially clever reader”).

Expand full comment
Phil Turmel's avatar

Hmmm. Is "Bidet-blasts" too much of a stretch for Biden?

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Mar 14
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Hey. Let's keep it nice here, please.

Expand full comment
MICHAEL BELL's avatar

I find it particularly grating when they come back with “but don’t you care about your children “. Great essay, so many truths.

Expand full comment
Derek Simmons's avatar

AMEN. AMEN. AMEN. And thank you for making me understand that my correspondents of a certain--very CERTAIN--persuasion are not unique. Relieved to know it’s likely not me.

Expand full comment
alexander.helphand's avatar

great points. have been guilty. the Copland was mind blowing. another interesting piece of music elevating, is Montverdis domine ad adujvanadum from his 1610 vespers spelling approximate.also mind blowing. the various versions on you tube at least to my ear do not go flat.

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Thanks! I shall look for that.

Expand full comment
Betsy's avatar

Well said. True and hilarious.

Expand full comment
Jeffrey Carter's avatar

This is true. Happens in texts too. By the way, when you look at any mainstream press article, there is always a confirmation bias against Trump. They will drum up any sort of drama, or potential or imagined drama/slight to write negative articles on him. (this includes Musk or any Trump administration person).

Inflation numbers just came out this morning. Lower than expected.

What's the press take? We are in recession.

Expand full comment
Andy G's avatar

“…when you look at any mainstream press article, there is always a confirmation bias against Trump”

Well now, sir, surely you exaggerate with "always".

By my calculations, it doesn’t actually exceed 93.5% of the time…

Expand full comment
Stoutcat Anonyme's avatar

Beautifully said. And I didn't expect to be moved to tears this early in the day by a piece I haven't heard in at least a decade.

Expand full comment
David B. White's avatar

Ceterum censeo Trump delendam esse? Few rise to that level of oration in this day and age.

Expand full comment
Andy G's avatar

A prophetic post, that one now appears to be.

Expand full comment
Daniel Schwartz's avatar

I have occasionally seen Trumpet Blasts in otherwise unrelated Quora comments. I generally downvote such comments, and explain that I am doing so because politics were artificially inserted into an unrelated conversation.

I don't particularly care if the fart in the concert is a gratuitous Orange Man Bad, or Biden Walks On Water, or vice versa. Politics is inherently divisive. Keep it where it belongs.

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Bravo

Expand full comment
Daniel Schwartz's avatar

You as well, sir! Your essay was insightful and extremely well written. Bravo.

Expand full comment
Rob Webster's avatar

This rings true for Facebook posts and other social media commentary. It even manifests in face-to-face casual conversations such that it derails any other topic being discussed. To choose non engagement upon the Trumpet blast is itself a trip hazard.

Expand full comment
L K Simons's avatar

I’ve noticed that, too. People will remark about the topic at hand and then add a gratuitous remark about Trump. And I don’t mean people in a political group. I mean people in fashion groups or genealogy groups or local history pages.

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Yoga classes. When participants are supposed to be finding peacefulness and mindfulness.

Expand full comment
ronetc's avatar

Garrison Keillor is especially bad at this. His nearly-daily columns will be on the beauty of daffodils waving in Central Park or the warmth and humanity of the doorman at his apartment building or how uplifting it is to lead the singing of Amazing Grace at one of his appearances . . . but the last sentence will almost always be an entirely gratuitous and non sequitur slam about Trump and/or his mindless, moronic minions.

Expand full comment
David Dunn's avatar

I haven't been able to stomach him for a long time. He was particularly odious during the Bush years.

Expand full comment
John Olson's avatar

Keillor is the reason I quit donating to the local National Propaganda Radio station.

Expand full comment
John Olson's avatar

Garrison Keillor is the worst "just-kidding" douchebag I have ever seen, heard from, or heard of. He wrote in his book "Home Grown Democrat" that Republicans should be denied Social Security and Medicare benefits. Why? Because they are Republicans. "Just kidding! Can't you take a joke?"

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

I occasionally listened to him in the 1980s. Then, I attended a lecture he gave in a speakers’ series we belonged to and never had any use for him afterward. Fairly innocent time, when political blasts didn’t insinuate themselves into everything. Keillor started talking, and a fair percentage of his time was devoted to ugly political blasts. In particularly, he started gratuitously slamming Minnesota Senator Rudy Boschwitz, whose Jewish family fled Nazi Germany when he was a baby. Keillor was giving this talk at the 92nd St. Y in NYC—a Jewish organization which, at the time, had quite a few Holocaust survivors as members. And even though he was a Republican, there was considerable pride at having a Holocaust refugee in the U.S. Senate.

Expand full comment
Thora Lee A Johnson's avatar

I had been meeting a group of knitting friends once a week for several years. During President Trump's first term, discussions of him would come up every week. At first, I attempted to correct their ignorance, being the only conservative in the group. While these meetings never became contemptuous, I politely asked that we refrain from discussing politics. How could I expect that to happen? Liberals, especially women, politicize everything, even knitting. I stopped attending, and only one has stayed in touch.

Expand full comment
Fr. Wah's avatar

OK, but Wilson was the worst president.

Expand full comment
Robert F. Graboyes's avatar

Agreed. But he’s in a close race with Andrew Johnson.

Expand full comment
Sunset Thunder's avatar

The emails don't even have to specifically mention DJT to exemplify this trend. I received the following in an email just this morning regarding a "spring beautification day" at church: "Offer what assistance you can —no pressure. however, with all the stress going on right now in our nation, you gave me the only snort laugh of the month…. it should be a good morning with no stress."

Expand full comment
NAB's avatar

So true!

Expand full comment