I'll tell you what. Mr. Coburn, I don't really need lectures on humor since I've made my living as a humorist for the past 35 years. And, as great good fortune would have it, a good living, at that. If I were to use the term "mighty white" in my work, I'd make damned sure that it was in context and was meant (and understood) to belittle someone who would use that term. No one would but the terminally humorless could take offense because I matter of factly slagged people of color. At best Fears carelessly used the term and provided no contextual out for himself. If he was simply sloppy, let him say so. If he thinks he can bandy something that offensive about in literate company, he deserves what he gets. As far as your hack blonde and ancient dyslexic jokes are concerned, continue to forward them to people who have already heard them ten thousand times but please remember the immortal words of the Boston Celtics and LA Lakers, "if you're going to bring that crap down the lane, be prepared to make your free throws because the lay-up ain't going in." As a performer and a writer I've politely suffered through a million stupid jokes. In the process I have paid an exorbitant tuition in patience and time to become an expert on the subject of lousy humor. It figures you'd wheel some out for your condescending seminar. And for the record, my assertion remains that the term "it was white of him" is spoken in the language of white supremacists. To say someone does a good deed and then reward the person for the deed by saying he was behaving like the white race is to say that other races are inferior. That offended me and angered me just as much as my response angered you. It's funny, and often telling, what sets people off. Finally, you have decided Larry and I would participate in cruelty against Alzheimer's patients. What a sad thing it is that you would choose to use the afflicted for a human shield. Sincerely, Barry Crimmins