Reader Comments Are Back!

It took some doing with our new software, but we once again can accept your comments.

However, it will work a little differently than it did in days of yore. Here are the changes:

1)    All comments will be screened by our staff before they are posted. 

2)    We will accept just one comment per reader per day on any one subject. If you have more than one subject on your mind, we’ll accept another one. 

3)    But this means people who like to go back and forth with other readers can’t do that anymore. We’re not sponsoring a debating society. In the past, people got into high-speed arguments that made no sense to readers who weren’t part of the in-crowd. We hope you’ll slow down, give your comment serious thought and write it clearly and concisely.

4)    Generally, comments should be 200 words or less. Pithy comments have more impact than those that go on and on. If your thoughts are more complex and require more words, let’s talk about a letter to the editor.

5)    We reserve the right to edit comments if they are confusing, or if we know for a fact that the writer is not stating the facts of the issue correctly. We’ll send you a note and give you a chance to do some research in that case.

6)    We want you to register with your real name, e-mail address, ZIP code and telephone number so we can contact you if need be. Please use your full name or a recognizable variation of it as your username. This helps foster a more transparent and respectful community. We will only publish your username. If you are already registered, please review the username on your account by logging in and visiting the My account page.

You can find our comment policy here and from a link at the bottom of every page on the site.

And a word about us:

We have opinions like anybody else, but we usually keep them to ourselves. Now and then one of us wants to share an opinion about something in the news, and when we publish it we clearly label it as commentary. If you disagree, write us a comment or a letter to the editor and we’ll publish it.