I am sure there will be many who will echo my reaction to this news. 
I am appalled an outraged that some member of the list (more than 
one?) suggested that Camy was anything but a most welcome member of 
the list.  For me, her questions and comments were always among the 
best posted: brief, interesting, always earnest and often amusing, 
and always from a perspective most of us can't possibly have, but can 
learn so much from!  Camy, please come back!!!  How can we persuade 
her to rejoin us, and repudiate anyone who dared to insult her like 
that?

Ben


>I so would like Hal Bush's posting be the last word on this whole
>thing, but I feel the need to reveal one more incident in this whole
>talk of leaving the Forum.  Do you all remember "Camy?"  She is the
>blind woman whose passionate interest in Twain, and her questions,
>spurred some great discussion from many of you. She has a degree in
>literature, but she posed many questions because she cannot use search
>tools as easily as most of us, and she is hugely captivated by Mark
>Twain.  Well, Camy left the forum because of negativity shown to her,
>particularly by one person on the list who privately said she shouldn't
>be asking so many questions since this is for collegiate folk. (Most of
>you would agree this individual is not even in that category.)  When
>considering Hal's 4 cautions, might you all also consider the point of
>this forum.  Besides being a practical tool for researchers etc., can
>it not also be to further stimulate interest in Twain by answering
>questions from folk like Camy, the same way you all eagerly do
>following one of your public lectures,  and thereby not give the
>impression of an Ivory, Ivy Tower Forum?  And why shouldn't ordinary,
>decent civility be an ongoing part of any discourse on the internet as
>in public?  And that should include patiently dealing with questions
>you've heard before, and not treating such people as interlopers in a
>private club.  Let's follow Hal's advice.  The best invention in the
>world is the delete button.  But stay nice.
>-- Ron, in Elmira


-- 
.................................................................................................................................................
Benjamin N. Wise, Ph.D.	 Home Phone: 603-256-8350
Professor	Emeritus		 Fax: 603-358-2897
Keene State College		 [log in to unmask]
Keene, NH 03435-2001