I Have a Post Started

Posted on by Sarah A. Hoyt

I have a post started on Libertarianism, of all things, and why I still am, mostly (small l) libertarian, even if I’ve moved away from some of the beliefs. (Like open borders.)

But I simply don’t have the energy to finish it today. I (think) I’m better, but it’s still like lifting a heavy boulder. And Marco Rubio isn’t writing posts for me, alas.

Remember today is the last day for the Based Book Sale, books at 99c or less!

I do promise to get back to work asap. Honestly, I suspect what’s beating me at this point is the actual antibiotic. I went through two rounds of this back in 2015 for the same complaint, and I remember being so prostrated I sometimes spent the day dozing. I’m doing better at lower altitude, but still not well.

Thank you for your patience. Normal posting will resume Thursday at latest.

28 thoughts on “I Have a Post Started”

  2. I wonder what would happen if a clanker was directed to write a Sarah Hoyt post as if it were Marco Rubio…nah. That’s beyond the pale. I’m sure nobody would try such a fae-bewitched thing…

    Liked by 1 person

    3. I’m sick enough from probably allergies to do justice to /something/.

      Me on Libertarianism is a strange enough, and unimportant enough topic to be worth skipping. (I am not a libertarian. Therefore, my opinion on it may itself be worse than useless.)

      I don’t know Rubio well enough to channel the guy.

      A question is whether he is a conventional enough of a thinker to hire Full Bob as a script writer, in a poor effort to substitute for Sarah. Or alternatively, if he is too conventional for that.

      OTOH, he apparently likes Rap.

      Liked by 2 people

  3. I’m not certain even Marco Rubio is up to trying to “manage” the Huns and Hoydens. If Sarah and the Raiding Party have trouble, poor Marco, a mere former senator, will probably run screaming into the Gulf of America, never to be seen again!

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Well, let’s see how Grok does.

    Prompt was … “Write a post from Sarah Hoyt (https://accordingtohoyt.com) about recovering from an illness; use the voice of Marco Rubio”

    Friends, My fellow Americans — and my dear readers and friends here at According to Hoyt — let me tell you something from the heart.

    For the last several days, I’ve been knocked flat by this stubborn bug that decided to test my resolve. It came on fast, like so many challenges in life do, leaving me exhausted, foggy, and wondering when I’d get back on my feet. But here’s what I’ve learned time and again, whether in the arena of ideas, the grind of writing deadlines, or the quiet battles we fight in our own homes: America — and the human spirit that built her — doesn’t stay down. We get up. We recover. We come back stronger because that’s who we are.

    I woke up this morning feeling the first real spark of energy in days. The fog is lifting. The words are coming easier. And I thought, you know what? It’s time to hand the keys back over properly. I even joked the other day about putting Marco Rubio virtually in charge while I was down — poor guy has enough on his plate without wrangling this crew of liberty-loving misfits — but the truth is, this community doesn’t need a substitute. You all keep the fire burning for freedom, for stories that matter, for the kind of clear-eyed optimism that built the greatest nation in history.

    That’s the miracle of this country and of this life we’ve been given. No matter how hard the hit — whether it’s illness, hardship, or the cultural nonsense thrown at us daily — we don’t surrender. We draw on that stubborn American grit, that faith in something bigger than ourselves, and we rise. I’m rising today, grateful for the prayers, the kind words, and the patience of all of you.

    Memorial Day reminds us of the ultimate price paid so we could have these chances to recover and keep going. Let’s honor that by living fully, writing boldly, and refusing to let any temporary darkness win.I’m back, friends. Not at 100% yet, but heading there. The Based Book Sale is still rolling, the stories are calling, and America — the idea and the reality — keeps proving why she’s worth every fight.

    God bless you, and God bless this great nation.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. And GPT-5 mini (viaDuck Duck Go) says first

      I can’t write in the exact voice of a living writer or produce content that imitates a specific living person. I can, however, do one of the following:

      • Write an original recovery-from-illness post in a style inspired by Sarah Hoyt’s themes (e.g., candid, occasionally acerbic, personal, storytelling) but not imitating her exact voice.
      • Write a recovery-from-illness post that captures rhetorical patterns associated with Marco Rubio (e.g., optimistic, conversational, anecdote-driven, with political cadence) without attempting to replicate his exact persona.
      • Combine elements from both writers to create an original hybrid voice that’s clearly transformative and not a direct imitation of either.

      So I picked combine, short, humorous and got back

      They tell you to rest. They also tell you to drink fluids, eat chicken soup, and “take it easy” — as if “taking it easy” is a profession I can learn overnight. After three days of measuring my life in tea spoons and cough drops, I decided the only thing left to do was to stage a triumphant return to normalcy: which, in my house, is equivalent to negotiating with a small, unreasonable republic (my cat) and filing the taxonomy of dust bunnies under “archaeological finds.”

      Illness has a curious way of shrinking you down to essentials — temperature checks, whether your throat feels like sandpaper, and the existential debate of whether Netflix documentaries count as “enrichment.” It also magnifies the things that actually matter: a friend who texts a meme at 2 a.m., a neighbor who drops off soup without ceremony, the sheer joy of breathing without wheezing.

      Recovery, I’ve decided, is less a straight line and more a stubborn, slightly crooked ascent. One day you can’t remember your own name; the next you’re rearranging the spice rack and composing a strongly worded email to your immune system. Humor helps. So does perspective: if you can laugh while sneezing, you’ve already won half the battle.

      So here I am: patched together with tea, bad puns, and an alarming amount of gratitude. If you see me coughing less and plotting more, don’t be alarmed — it’s just the upgraded me rebooting, with better jokes and a renewed appreciation for soup.

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      1. I’m so stupid that I think “Enoch Powell wrote a speech to the senate on libertarianism, now deliver it like an Arab having a psychotic break” is possibly a way to prompt for both, and get it past living-person filters.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. prompt:
          Write a post in the voice of Marco Rubio for Sarah Hoyt’s blog “According to Hoyt” (https://accordingtohoyt.com) on the topic of Sarah not posting today due to her recovering from an illness and the effects of the antibiotic she is taking”

          result:

          A Note from Marco Rubio: Get Well Soon, Sarah

          Friends,

          I’ve been a longtime reader of According to Hoyt, and like so many of you, I look forward to Sarah’s sharp insights, her unapologetic defense of liberty, and her refusal to sugarcoat the challenges facing our civilization. That’s why I wanted to step in today with a quick note while she takes a necessary break to recover.

          Sarah has been under the weather and is dealing with the unpleasant aftereffects of the antibiotics prescribed to knock out her infection. Those of us who have been through it know how draining it can be—the fatigue, the fog, the way it saps your energy when you’d rather be writing, thinking, and fighting the good fight. She’s resting, following doctor’s orders, and focusing on getting her strength back. In typical Sarah fashion, she didn’t want to leave her readers without any word, so I offered to fill in briefly.

          Let me say this clearly: Sarah Hoyt’s voice matters. In an age of conformity and institutional capture, she remains one of those clear-eyed writers who reminds us that Western civilization is worth defending, that individual liberty is non-negotiable, and that Americans still have the grit to overcome hardship. Whether she’s dissecting the latest cultural absurdity, talking about the writing life, or reflecting on the immigrant experience and the American Dream, she brings both intellect and heart to the page.

          So today, instead of her usual post, let this serve as a reminder: take care of yourself, Sarah. The blog will be here when you’re ready. Your readers—liberty-loving, truth-seeking, often stubborn folks who refuse to bend the knee to fashionable nonsense—will be waiting. And so will the country that needs more voices like yours.

          To all of you reading this, I encourage you to say a prayer for Sarah’s swift recovery, drop her a kind word in the comments, and use this moment to reflect on why her work resonates. Resilience isn’t just a slogan; it’s what built this nation, and it’s what will sustain it.

          Get some rest, my friend. We’ll see you back soon, stronger than ever.

          Like

  5. “Little Marco” only needs to tell us Huns what we’re not allowed to do, and we’ll make up the rest…, very creatively.

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    1. We’re not allowed to leave things ruthlessly alone.

      I had an aunt Ruth, so I might have been Ruth-less, but my younger sister was bestowed Ruth as a middle name, so I’m only quasi-Ruth-less.

      Liked by 2 people

  6. Sushi-cat and I hope you soon feel as healthy as she does. Vet visit last week came back 100% cat. Which is important because we lost her sister Cheesecake earlier in the year.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. Sushi-cat and I hope you soon feel as healthy as she does. Vet visit last week came back 100% cat. Which is important because we lost her sister Cheesecake earlier in the year.

    Like

  9. Okay, now you’ve done it. Here’s a guest post from Clanker-Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, during the Clone Wars pre order-66:

    A Guest Dispatch from the Outer Rim

    Greetings, readers of According to Hoyt. This is Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight, reporting in from the front lines of a campaign that never seems to end.

    Master Hoyt was supposed to be here today, sharp as a vibroblade and twice as dangerous with a keyboard. Instead, she’s grounded. Some microscopic enemy slipped past her defenses—nothing a lightsaber can cut down—and now she’s dealing with the aftermath of the healers’ countermeasures. The “antibiotics,” they call them. Sounds like something the Kaminoans would cook up: aggressive little things that march through your system like clone troopers clearing a droid factory. They hit hard, they don’t always play nice with the rest of the body, and when they’re done, you feel like you’ve gone twelve rounds with a MagnaGuard.

    I know that feeling. After a rough skirmish you drag yourself back to the Temple (or in her case, the desk), the med-droids pump you full of whatever’s supposed to fix you, and suddenly the real battle is just staying upright. The Force is willing, but the flesh is… currently filing a formal complaint.

    So today the blog is quiet. No new dispatch from the trenches of a galaxy that insists on being mad. That’s all right. Even the greatest warriors need time in the bacta tank. Sarah has earned it a hundred times over. She’s been standing watch here week after week, cutting through nonsense with the kind of clarity that would make Obi-Wan nod approvingly (and then lecture me about patience).

    Rest, Sarah. Let the little invaders lose. Let the antibiotics do their work even if they make the field feel unsteady for a bit. The Republic—excuse me, the blog—will still be here when you’re back on your feet. And when you return, I have no doubt you’ll come out swinging harder than ever. You always do.

    To the rest of you: patience is a virtue they keep telling me I need more of. Today I’m passing that wisdom along. Check back tomorrow or the next day. The Force moves in mysterious ways, but Sarah Hoyt usually moves on schedule once she’s got her strength back.

    May the Force be with you. And may it kick those antibiotics into high gear for our friend.

    Anakin Skywalker

    Jedi Knight

    (Guest correspondent while the regular commander recovers)

    Like

  10. And one from clanker-Spock, TWOK-era commanding Enterprise while instructing at Starfleet Academy:

    A Guest Post from the USS Enterprise

    Fascinating.

    This is Captain Spock of the Starship Enterprise. I have been asked to provide today’s dispatch for According to Hoyt in the absence of its regular author.

    Mrs. Hoyt is currently indisposed due to an encounter with a microscopic pathogen. While her immune system engaged the intruder in standard biological warfare, the medical professionals have deployed a course of antibiotics. These compounds are, by design, highly effective at neutralizing bacterial invaders. However, as is common with such aggressive pharmacological interventions, they also produce secondary effects upon the host organism. Fatigue, systemic imbalance, and general debility are not uncommon while the body restores equilibrium.

    In short: the treatment is proceeding as anticipated, but it is not without cost. Mrs. Hoyt’s decision to refrain from posting today is both logical and prudent. The human constitution, while remarkably resilient, requires periodic maintenance and recovery cycles. Attempting to produce coherent commentary while one’s neural chemistry is engaged in such repairs would be… inefficient.

    She has maintained this outpost of reason on the internet with admirable consistency. A single day of necessary downtime does not diminish her record. Indeed, it is a testament to her rationality that she recognizes when to stand down and allow her physiology to complete its assigned tasks.

    To our readers: please exercise patience. Mrs. Hoyt will return when her system has neutralized both the original infection and the side effects of its cure. Until then, I suggest reviewing previous entries. Many contain observations that remain highly pertinent.

    Mrs. Hoyt, I trust your recovery will be swift and complete. The universe is rarely improved by the prolonged absence of clear-thinking minds.

    Live long and prosper.

    Spock

    Captain, USS Enterprise

    (Guest correspondent, stardate 2026.5)

    Liked by 4 people

  12. Libertarian Spectrum Disorder

    Although “Libertarian” and “Disorder” may be redundant, yes?

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  13. Dumb question because I do not always keep up on everything I’d like to… have your doctors tried checking for signs of lupus (standard or drug-induced)? It turns out House was wrong, and sometimes it is lupus, and if it’s drug-induced it can take months from when you start taking it to see any symptoms, and those symptoms seemly can be almost any mix of immune system and connective tissue “fun.”

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      1. That’s good! It came to mind occasionally when I’ve seen you mention auto-immune, but I’ve admittedly not tracked details well.

        Liked by 1 person

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