… if he were told that people whose last names begin with the letters T, U, and V are not one of ‘us’ – that is, differ from those of us whose last names begin with letters other than T, U, or V – would energetically exert effort to conjure up fantastical arguments for why those of us whose last names begin with letters other than T, U, and V should be forcibly prevented from trading as we each see fit with people whose last names do begin with the letters T, U, or V.
And any hypothetical story, no matter how comical or far-fetched, that the protectionist concocts about how unobstructed trade of people whose last names begin with, say, A or B or S with anyone whose last name begins with T, U, or V will impoverish those whose last names begin with A or B or S, will be thought by the protectionist to be an air-tight and unassailable argument against allowing anyone whose last names start with letters other than T, U, or V to trade with those whose last names begin with any of these three letters.
A protectionist is someone who is incapable of thought that is coherent and factually grounded. Protectionists, without exception, are indeed an intellectually sorry bunch.
