Twain list--

We used to think we could all just bask in our common appreciation of Mark
Twain.  Now see what this war has done.  It's exposed our ideologies.   It
was so much easier when we could keep all of that hidden.   One could admire
Howard Zinn, another could revile him; one could distrust the proponents of
the Patriot Act, another could trust them; one could be an atheist, another
a true believer, and none of us was any the wiser of these oppostions.

But did we really think that war simply killed some and spared others?  Did
we think that an issue of such gravity might not impose itself between
people who share an interest in Mark Twain?  I hope not.  Having an interest
in Mark Twain means being interested in ideas and American values; it's not
the equivalent bottle cap collecting

Among all of these new tensions and uncertainties not just on the MT Forum
but in the world, we can all take heart in two outcomes:

1.  Our own stockpile of weapons of mass destruction is considerably smaller
now.  Some might have preferred another method of disposing of them than
detonation, but we've got 1000s fewer and that's a blessing.

2.  We won't ever have to face the quandary that gripped the nation after
September 11--why do they hate us?  The next time terrorsts attack, we can
thank George Bush for the clarity he has brought to the matter.

--Larry Howe