I have been a subscriber and very vocal supporter of HCN for most of a decade. A few years ago, through stories about water in the El Paso/Juárez metropolitan area and the Sierra forest plan, I got my VERY conservative father to admit that your coverage of the issues was comprehensive. So I bought him a subscription. And I was happy because I was certain that as he read more about the forces shaping his world, he could only come to agree that the current administration’s policies are causing irreparable damage.

Now, I’m afraid he doesn’t even read HCN when it comes to his door. The coverage is no less fair and the message is no less conservation-minded, but the presentation, with such clear anti-Republican bias, ensures that he won’t look beyond the cover.

I agree with the editor and the board that we have to have a change in November. I understand that irreversible decisions are being made. However, I honestly think you will reach more people by writing stories that require the reader to make the conclusion that Bush et al. are an evil empire. Saying it on the cover only turns off the people you most need to reach.

Laurie Strommer
Hilo, Hawaii