Thanks, Terry, for saying all that, and for seconding Garrison Keillor, who has always seemed to me to be the only obvious candidate, for so many substantial reasons. But the last time I mentioned it in this list, I got some severe rebukes (like that listening to him is like watching paint dry!) I really can't understand why he is so underappreciated, especially among Twainiacs, of all people! So I restrained myself from entering the fray this time. Thanks for running interference (I kind of thought you might when I saw your post!). 

Ben 



----- Original Message -----
From: "Terry Ballard" <[log in to unmask]> 
To: [log in to unmask] 
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 9:53:57 PM 
Subject: Re: The 15th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is . . . . . 

Put all of the winners in a single room and you wouldn't have a down 
payment on Twain's wit and sheer satircal power. To paraphrase the master, 
"It's the difference between lightning and the lightning bug." I'm solidly 
with Harold on this one. It's a crime that it never went to Vonnegut. It 
could still go to Garrison Keillor, but it won't. And so it goes. 

On Wed, Oct 31, 2012 at 8:12 PM, Harold Bush <[log in to unmask]> wrote: 

> Ellen DeGeneres. really? ? ? ? 
> 
> Wow. All due respect, but I'm wondering what some older folks like Carol 
> Burnett must be feeling right about now. Surprising choice, given folks 
> like Letterman and Leno, or even Jon Stewart, have not gotten it yet.... 
> 
> Political correctness aside, I'm a bit confused about all this.... who, if 
> anyone in the "Twain scholarly community," are they consulting?? I DVR-ed 
> the event, and it is funny; but Wow! 
> 
> I recognize they are going for the ratings. But I thought -- originally, 
> with the awarding of the likes of Jonathan Winters and Carl Reiner, Bob 
> Newhart and Lily Tomlin -- that it was meant to be some sort of lifetime 
> achievement award. And the picture of the white-suit Twain on the website 
> seems to confirm this, along with the description of the award. 
> 
> But I feel bad for the likes of Carol Burnett, or even David Letterman, who 
> reinvented the talk-show format. 
> 
> Every year we hash this out a bit -- and maybe I'll get slammed for this 
> jeremiad -- but I just thought I would bring it up again and see if others 
> had any response. 
> 
> -hb 
> 
> -- 
> Harold K. Bush, Ph.D 
> Professor of English 
> Saint Louis University 
> St. Louis, MO 63108 
> 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h) 
> <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml> 
> 



-- 


Terry Ballard 
Author and Leisure Studies Manager 
http://www.terryballard.org 
Author of the book "Google this" http://googlethisforlibraries.com 

"My memory has a mind of its own."