No way you could have seen this comment when you wrote this,

I did not. I had a lot of direct replies that were taking my attention.

so here's a heads up - it turns out that's not how it was meant.

That's an inference you might make from the available data. Perhaps it is even true.

I think that by the ordinary usage of the English language, my interpretation of the text is more consistent with what was written than the interpretation you quote. If you really want to hear my close textual analysis, I would oblige, but I don't see a lot of mileage in it.

(Penn Jillette an asshole? Really? To me, he seems incredibly gracious to others, often to the point of being overly deferential.)