Thanks, John, for stating the obvious.

A couple of additional thoughts:

Being a member of other LISTS besides this very fine one, it is often the
case that one or two rogue members can almost utterly destroy the "ethos" of
a space as a safe and pleasant site/list.  I have seen this happen on at
least two specific occasions.  John's comments reflect a desirable
democratization of the process, whereby feisty and possessive members take
up arms in defense of a given cyberspace like this LIST, declaring their
intentions to maintain purity, sanity, and collegiality.  Bravo to him!
Others undoubtedly would support John's statements, should they actually
take the time to do so.  On other LISTS I know of, virulent abusers can even
be banned from posting after a warning or 2.  Any loon he believes they have
all this Twain stuff figured out, let alone all this literature/culture
stuff, really needs to get out and about a wee bit more, OK?

The other phenomenon I wish to point out is how LISTS have seemed to gone
out of vogue for academics, for the most part.  I think the novelty has kind
of worn out, and busy folks simply no longer take time to respond much
anymore.  I know I rarely do.  When I need a quick answer or source, I turn
to the Twain-LIST.  When some comments needs response, sometimes I give up
2-3 minutes of my life to make one.  Otherwise, I do not rely on this LIST
much for fellowship or much crackling conversation anymore.  That's why I
have real, live, flesh-and-blood friends around.  (Some of them, incidently,
read this LIST!)

Dr. Harold K. Bush, Jr.
Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO