I disagree that it was in dreadful taste. Mr. Keillor didn't disparage anyone or make light of a horrible situation. He learned how to make the most from the horror we all shared.
Good, old Twain and his quips. The one you cited is the best: "When in doubt, tell the truth." At work we had a post-mortem that added why: "That way you don't have to remember the lies you told."
There's a lot of lies being told these days....more than ever, maybe, and most in the name of getting more money. You'll find these lies on Twitter, too. Facebook is riddled with such lies and maintains a nuclear social media war...wherein we find the battle of "starz upon tharz." Dr. Suess warned us,but to no avail.
Far more worrisome is where Danté left the liars in his famous "Inferno". True? Who knows? But do you really want to take the risk?
Listen up! Find a Confessor...or, better yet, find a guide like Beatrice.
I was hopiing you'd say that. I have one such guide in my life,, too. Thanks for the reminder about our need to listen more closely to their comments and where those stones are when we traverse the stream.
A dear friend once said to me "Ted, Wisdom is the accumulation of error". To that I said "If that is indeed the truth, this would make me the wisest man on the planet"...
Our personal level of stupidity is determined by how much of what we say in our heads we let leak out audibly for all to hear. It is also determined by the same control filter that says "Hold my beer".
Twitter, is that control filter with less restraint, allowing anyone with a keyboard and opposable thumbs to become one-liner comics, politicians and smart people. People who use Twitter on a regular basis I like to call "Twitties", which is long for "Twit", which speaks for itself. I rarely use the platform and when I do I prefer to be sarcastic, maybe sardonic and certainly smarmy. I like smarmy. But to be sarcastically smarmy....well.... now you're talkin'.
Knowledge can be scary at times. So then fear is enlightenment, enlightenment leads to understanding which leads to revision, which ultimately leads to error, which culminates to wisdom. So yeah, accumulation of terror.
The new electronic commerce portals have helped me impressively. In the 199Os I sold "Doc Savage" and "The Shadow" paperbacks through a real advertisement in the Comics Buyer's Guide. The ad would ask people to send $2 for a master list of books for sale. Because of the time delay many books would sell while I had more checks coming in. Now, on eBay, once they sell, there are no worries about having to return checks!
The librarian's better off without him. I know those kind, they come in both sexes; psychic vampires that suck your energy and good will until you're exhausted. A leech she'd just end up babysitting through life. Ran away crying instead of showing the spine to become a real poet. I hope she ended up finding one. Thanks for another great column................Dean
I loved your bookstore in the basement, with cushy chairs in cozy nooks hugged by shelves of lovely, lively writing. When it closed, your new store was easier to access as we ferried our son to and from Macalester. Now he’s back here in Illinois and I don’t get to the Cities much. But I have sweet memories of your past bookstore and would be happy to see the return of such perfect places.
Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. I liked the little windows that looked out on the sidewalk and you could see people from the knees on down. It was a wonderful way to lose money.
I worry about my grandkids as well Garrison. I worry if they say something considered offensive by a single person, they could be censored. I worry about politicians endorsing defunding our police departments. I worry about thieves, robbers and even murderers getting out of jail free cards. I worry about our Orwellian society - Disinformation Board - who decides what is disinformation - The Powers That Be? I worry that so many people seem to be going off the deep end now that a man who doesn't share their views has control of a social media source. I worry about living in a World in which the Media decides what I can and cannot hear. Yes, Garrison - I worry as well.
Politicians and "news" media with questionable motives blow these worries of yours out of all proportion. Democrats aren't trying to defund the police. As for our "Orwellian society," it's Republicans who are trying to ban library books and certain speech in schools--honest speech about our history, to give an example--just to score cheap political points. There will always be room for improvement in our laws on crime, but we're lost if we're willing to support a political party as if it were a sports team, letting it promote big lies and preposterous conspiracy theories and even abandon democracy and the very principle of liberty and justice for all to gain power. Your grandkids will need leaders with integrity who will work to avoid climate catastrophe and preserve democracy as we continue our evolution where justice and equality are concerned. 45 and his ilk will never be able to unite this country, because their only strategy is to fire up people's anger at others. Enough division! And as for disinformation on Twitter: we seem to be emerging from the pandemic, finally. What if the next one is far worse, killing many more people of all ages? Antivaxxers have freedom of speech like the rest of us, but this has never meant that they can broadcast fake science to the population with no restrictions.
I have a question - why would you assume I was referring to Democrats when I mentioned defunding the police? Why not Republicans? Interesting – I wonder what Sigmund Freud would say about your assumption.
I suggest you re-read my Email: put aside your obvious bias and read it carefully this time. Do you see any mention of a particular political party or politician? No! I did not blame any politician or political party for the cause of my concerns; I simply pointed out some obvious worrisome changes to our American way of life: political correctness, rising crime rates, censorship, to name only a few. Why then, when I mention these things, does the word Democrat pop into your mind?
Yes, our country will need leaders with integrity if we are to become less derisive and more united. A difficult and almost impossible tasks considering the sad condition of the Fourth Estate.
I mentioned a political party in response to your barrage of purely Republican talking points. And I feel strange using the word "Republican," because what calls itself the "GOP" has morphed into a cult of trump and a purveyor of conspiracy theories. We have a lot of outstanding news sources in this country. Those who lump all the media together and tell you the media are trying to dictate your thinking are the ones spewing garbage. Also, "political correctness" is a term that many people use reflexively when others insist on decency. Insisting on decency is not censorship. People are free to speak, but their speech may negative consequences that have nothing to do with censorship. If I misunderstood you, please tell me, who is seriously trying to defund the police? I said that Democrats are not, not that Republicans are. How has your freedom of speech been curtailed? How exactly does "political correctness" threaten you? And was I wrong to see a hint of a political statement in your emphatic statements to the effect of "I have my own worries, Garrison"?
You take liberties with the English language my friend. My couple of issues turns into a “barrage,” and of course they are all “purely Republican talking points” Really? I would suggest that the recent Democrat elections setbacks (in Virginia and New Jersey in particular) and the sharp downturn in Biden’s approval rating indicate that these ‘talking points’ are of concern not only to Republicans, but to Independents and Democrats as well. Even Bill Maher, a very vocal anti-Republican and Trump hater, is now saying that the Democrats have lost their way.
Is the Democrat funded Russian Collusion hoax in your list of conspiracy theories, I wonder?
Anyone who criticizes the mainstream media is ‘spewing garbage” (that term is extremely popular with Democrats these days). The left leaning media tells the truth – the conservative media ‘spews garbage.” Name me one mainstream ‘news’ source who you say is unbiased and I will cite you examples of their bias.
Do you include CNN and The New York Times – ‘news’ outlets who were caught red-handed admitting their agenda is the downfall of Donald Trump – in your list of ‘outstanding’ news sources
“People are free to speak, but their speech may (have?) negative consequences that have nothing to do with censorship.” Sorry, that makes no sense to me. What do you mean? To think, you run the risk of offending someone. Aside from hate speech, which most everyone agrees is wrong, if I say something that offends you – get over it – I am not responsible for your ‘feelings.’
Regarding media bias and censorship. The Hunter Biden laptop story was censored by both the mainstream and social media. Their rational –" it has all the earmarks of Russian disinformation." Bull hockey - it was censored because it was a hot potato of a story that had massive potential to affect the last presidential election. Now, after the election is over, even the mainstream media has admitted to the authenticity of the laptop and the data contained within the device. What is the mainstream media’s response to criticism for not reporting the story: – yes, we admit it is a valid story, but we still do not consider it relevant to the election. Really – I am expected to believe that lie. The media’s responsibility is to report the news – the reader will be the one who decides what is and what is not relevant – not the media. What do you think the mainstream and social medias response would have been had the owner of that laptop been Donald Trump Jr.? They would have been all over it like fleas on a dog.
Defunding the police - you have Google - look it up -but AOC and Ilhan Omar for two. You say - wait a minute, they don't really want to get rid of the police, what they really mean is moving money from the police to other more worthy social services. You can spin it anyway you want but sorry if you take away police funding that means less police.
I’m done – this is becoming tedious. It is like talking to brick wall.
See?! I knew all along you weren't some Democrat who's suddenly leaning right because the President went and took his free speech away! When commenting online it's better to show your true colors from the start, because otherwise you end up looking like a troll. I know you're just grappling in good faith with a seriously tough choice, with AOC and Omar on the verge of eliminating the police and free speech while the QAnon Party embraces authoritarian nationalism à la Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin. Hint: The GO-QAnon-P will be very bad for your grandchildren's future. Apologies if I annoyed you, and please stay safe from vaccinations, Jewish space lasers, groomers, Disney, the ghost of Hugo Chávez, Ukrainian Nazis, critical race theory at your grandkids' school(s) and (gasp!) CNN.
And to think all it took from Garrison Keillor to set you off was a simple "I worry about the Supreme Court now that it has six federalists who commute to work on horseback." I wish I could be as succinct and witty.
This is an automated response - please do not reply to this Email:
The content of your email has not only offended some of our readers, but it also has all the earmarks of Russian disinformation. Consequently, it has been deleted and your account has been suspended from this forum indefinitely.
Thanks for another great column. It's always disappointing to see a bookshop close, but it also can be a good way to get rid of your excess cash. I buy and sell books online as more or less of a hobby. I used to sell on Amazon, but they censor books; they tell you to delete a certain book. So now I am boycotting Amazon for anything. Keep your wonderful wit and words coming; they bring joy to our ears desperate for enjoyment.
The wife should have told the truth about this one. In dreadful taste on COVID. Said as longtime fan.
You may be right but there are two sides to almost everything.
I disagree that it was in dreadful taste. Mr. Keillor didn't disparage anyone or make light of a horrible situation. He learned how to make the most from the horror we all shared.
You are generous beyond words. I've been known to joke about death and in fact have four funerals in my latest novel, each of them humorous.
Priceless, and now I'll shut up.
I laughed at this one, and normally I just find you snarky and sounding pissed off about dumb decisions made. Not bad.
ME?? Snarky? You've confused me with Garson Kanin or Giselle Konopka.
It is amazing how G.K's wit turns the mountains that most people obsess about into insignificant molehills. Thank you!
Good, old Twain and his quips. The one you cited is the best: "When in doubt, tell the truth." At work we had a post-mortem that added why: "That way you don't have to remember the lies you told."
There's a lot of lies being told these days....more than ever, maybe, and most in the name of getting more money. You'll find these lies on Twitter, too. Facebook is riddled with such lies and maintains a nuclear social media war...wherein we find the battle of "starz upon tharz." Dr. Suess warned us,but to no avail.
Far more worrisome is where Danté left the liars in his famous "Inferno". True? Who knows? But do you really want to take the risk?
Listen up! Find a Confessor...or, better yet, find a guide like Beatrice.
I've got Beatrice, now I just have to listen more closely.
I was hopiing you'd say that. I have one such guide in my life,, too. Thanks for the reminder about our need to listen more closely to their comments and where those stones are when we traverse the stream.
I'm also getting a better pair of hearing aids.
A dear friend once said to me "Ted, Wisdom is the accumulation of error". To that I said "If that is indeed the truth, this would make me the wisest man on the planet"...
Our personal level of stupidity is determined by how much of what we say in our heads we let leak out audibly for all to hear. It is also determined by the same control filter that says "Hold my beer".
Twitter, is that control filter with less restraint, allowing anyone with a keyboard and opposable thumbs to become one-liner comics, politicians and smart people. People who use Twitter on a regular basis I like to call "Twitties", which is long for "Twit", which speaks for itself. I rarely use the platform and when I do I prefer to be sarcastic, maybe sardonic and certainly smarmy. I like smarmy. But to be sarcastically smarmy....well.... now you're talkin'.
Ted, I misread your comment—I saw “Wisdom is the accumulation of terror.” I thought, that is genius, true, and hilarious.
Knowledge can be scary at times. So then fear is enlightenment, enlightenment leads to understanding which leads to revision, which ultimately leads to error, which culminates to wisdom. So yeah, accumulation of terror.
Bravo, GK! You consistently expose the Emperor(s) for wearing couture. Thank you!
…..it’s spring and the goat-footed baloonMan whistles far & wee…..
If you can look at the bright side of COVID, then I can gaze on the bright side of Twitter: brevity is the soul of wit, and Trump was banished.
You can indeed. Thanks for weighing in. And so concisely.
That was fun, thanks
The new electronic commerce portals have helped me impressively. In the 199Os I sold "Doc Savage" and "The Shadow" paperbacks through a real advertisement in the Comics Buyer's Guide. The ad would ask people to send $2 for a master list of books for sale. Because of the time delay many books would sell while I had more checks coming in. Now, on eBay, once they sell, there are no worries about having to return checks!
Bookshop ownership, even one with a coffee franchise, seems to be a safe way to make a small fortune from a big one. So sad. Thank you for the column.
The librarian's better off without him. I know those kind, they come in both sexes; psychic vampires that suck your energy and good will until you're exhausted. A leech she'd just end up babysitting through life. Ran away crying instead of showing the spine to become a real poet. I hope she ended up finding one. Thanks for another great column................Dean
Dear Garrison,
I loved your bookstore in the basement, with cushy chairs in cozy nooks hugged by shelves of lovely, lively writing. When it closed, your new store was easier to access as we ferried our son to and from Macalester. Now he’s back here in Illinois and I don’t get to the Cities much. But I have sweet memories of your past bookstore and would be happy to see the return of such perfect places.
Thank you. I'm glad you liked it. I liked the little windows that looked out on the sidewalk and you could see people from the knees on down. It was a wonderful way to lose money.
I worry about my grandkids as well Garrison. I worry if they say something considered offensive by a single person, they could be censored. I worry about politicians endorsing defunding our police departments. I worry about thieves, robbers and even murderers getting out of jail free cards. I worry about our Orwellian society - Disinformation Board - who decides what is disinformation - The Powers That Be? I worry that so many people seem to be going off the deep end now that a man who doesn't share their views has control of a social media source. I worry about living in a World in which the Media decides what I can and cannot hear. Yes, Garrison - I worry as well.
Politicians and "news" media with questionable motives blow these worries of yours out of all proportion. Democrats aren't trying to defund the police. As for our "Orwellian society," it's Republicans who are trying to ban library books and certain speech in schools--honest speech about our history, to give an example--just to score cheap political points. There will always be room for improvement in our laws on crime, but we're lost if we're willing to support a political party as if it were a sports team, letting it promote big lies and preposterous conspiracy theories and even abandon democracy and the very principle of liberty and justice for all to gain power. Your grandkids will need leaders with integrity who will work to avoid climate catastrophe and preserve democracy as we continue our evolution where justice and equality are concerned. 45 and his ilk will never be able to unite this country, because their only strategy is to fire up people's anger at others. Enough division! And as for disinformation on Twitter: we seem to be emerging from the pandemic, finally. What if the next one is far worse, killing many more people of all ages? Antivaxxers have freedom of speech like the rest of us, but this has never meant that they can broadcast fake science to the population with no restrictions.
I have a question - why would you assume I was referring to Democrats when I mentioned defunding the police? Why not Republicans? Interesting – I wonder what Sigmund Freud would say about your assumption.
I suggest you re-read my Email: put aside your obvious bias and read it carefully this time. Do you see any mention of a particular political party or politician? No! I did not blame any politician or political party for the cause of my concerns; I simply pointed out some obvious worrisome changes to our American way of life: political correctness, rising crime rates, censorship, to name only a few. Why then, when I mention these things, does the word Democrat pop into your mind?
Yes, our country will need leaders with integrity if we are to become less derisive and more united. A difficult and almost impossible tasks considering the sad condition of the Fourth Estate.
Biased news is not news,
It’s opinionated ink!
The media report their views
And tell you what to think.
I mentioned a political party in response to your barrage of purely Republican talking points. And I feel strange using the word "Republican," because what calls itself the "GOP" has morphed into a cult of trump and a purveyor of conspiracy theories. We have a lot of outstanding news sources in this country. Those who lump all the media together and tell you the media are trying to dictate your thinking are the ones spewing garbage. Also, "political correctness" is a term that many people use reflexively when others insist on decency. Insisting on decency is not censorship. People are free to speak, but their speech may negative consequences that have nothing to do with censorship. If I misunderstood you, please tell me, who is seriously trying to defund the police? I said that Democrats are not, not that Republicans are. How has your freedom of speech been curtailed? How exactly does "political correctness" threaten you? And was I wrong to see a hint of a political statement in your emphatic statements to the effect of "I have my own worries, Garrison"?
You take liberties with the English language my friend. My couple of issues turns into a “barrage,” and of course they are all “purely Republican talking points” Really? I would suggest that the recent Democrat elections setbacks (in Virginia and New Jersey in particular) and the sharp downturn in Biden’s approval rating indicate that these ‘talking points’ are of concern not only to Republicans, but to Independents and Democrats as well. Even Bill Maher, a very vocal anti-Republican and Trump hater, is now saying that the Democrats have lost their way.
Is the Democrat funded Russian Collusion hoax in your list of conspiracy theories, I wonder?
Anyone who criticizes the mainstream media is ‘spewing garbage” (that term is extremely popular with Democrats these days). The left leaning media tells the truth – the conservative media ‘spews garbage.” Name me one mainstream ‘news’ source who you say is unbiased and I will cite you examples of their bias.
Do you include CNN and The New York Times – ‘news’ outlets who were caught red-handed admitting their agenda is the downfall of Donald Trump – in your list of ‘outstanding’ news sources
“People are free to speak, but their speech may (have?) negative consequences that have nothing to do with censorship.” Sorry, that makes no sense to me. What do you mean? To think, you run the risk of offending someone. Aside from hate speech, which most everyone agrees is wrong, if I say something that offends you – get over it – I am not responsible for your ‘feelings.’
Regarding media bias and censorship. The Hunter Biden laptop story was censored by both the mainstream and social media. Their rational –" it has all the earmarks of Russian disinformation." Bull hockey - it was censored because it was a hot potato of a story that had massive potential to affect the last presidential election. Now, after the election is over, even the mainstream media has admitted to the authenticity of the laptop and the data contained within the device. What is the mainstream media’s response to criticism for not reporting the story: – yes, we admit it is a valid story, but we still do not consider it relevant to the election. Really – I am expected to believe that lie. The media’s responsibility is to report the news – the reader will be the one who decides what is and what is not relevant – not the media. What do you think the mainstream and social medias response would have been had the owner of that laptop been Donald Trump Jr.? They would have been all over it like fleas on a dog.
Defunding the police - you have Google - look it up -but AOC and Ilhan Omar for two. You say - wait a minute, they don't really want to get rid of the police, what they really mean is moving money from the police to other more worthy social services. You can spin it anyway you want but sorry if you take away police funding that means less police.
I’m done – this is becoming tedious. It is like talking to brick wall.
Biased news is not news,
It’s opinionated ink.
The media report their views,
And tell you what to think
See?! I knew all along you weren't some Democrat who's suddenly leaning right because the President went and took his free speech away! When commenting online it's better to show your true colors from the start, because otherwise you end up looking like a troll. I know you're just grappling in good faith with a seriously tough choice, with AOC and Omar on the verge of eliminating the police and free speech while the QAnon Party embraces authoritarian nationalism à la Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin. Hint: The GO-QAnon-P will be very bad for your grandchildren's future. Apologies if I annoyed you, and please stay safe from vaccinations, Jewish space lasers, groomers, Disney, the ghost of Hugo Chávez, Ukrainian Nazis, critical race theory at your grandkids' school(s) and (gasp!) CNN.
And to think all it took from Garrison Keillor to set you off was a simple "I worry about the Supreme Court now that it has six federalists who commute to work on horseback." I wish I could be as succinct and witty.
This is an automated response - please do not reply to this Email:
The content of your email has not only offended some of our readers, but it also has all the earmarks of Russian disinformation. Consequently, it has been deleted and your account has been suspended from this forum indefinitely.
Sincerely,
The Disinformation Committee
You bring a smile Mr. Keillor. An organic face lift. Thanks in perpetuity ☺️
Thanks for another great column. It's always disappointing to see a bookshop close, but it also can be a good way to get rid of your excess cash. I buy and sell books online as more or less of a hobby. I used to sell on Amazon, but they censor books; they tell you to delete a certain book. So now I am boycotting Amazon for anything. Keep your wonderful wit and words coming; they bring joy to our ears desperate for enjoyment.