I find the claim The Arizona Republic loves "public discussion" and that "We're all better when we can hear one another and learn from different perspectives" at best disingenuous and at worst hypocritical. The newspaper has systematically stripped its editorial content over the last four years. It removed Steve Benson, an Arizona institution. The newspaper used to publish six letters a day from readers or roughly 42 per week, now they publish about 5 on Sundays. There were three editorials every day from a wide range of writers with different political persuasions usually veering toward the right. That figure of 21 is now garnered to about 4 usually from their own writers with the odd favorite Jon Gabriel. This is balanced by the weekly columns of Montini and Roberts, the more "liberal" voices. The latest to go are the "comments" which, as unedited opinion, I found tedious. In announcing the new cut, the editor explained the paper was not willing to risk "discussions veering off track or people being verbally attacked." The latter is O.K., the former sounds like a comment from Pravda. "Whose track?" I ask. Even Andy Capp's gone. Are we just watching the slow death of newsprint?