Contrary to what many people may believe, I do not want everyone to agree with me. I respect the right each person to have an opinion, if it's different from mine, so be it. Like everyone else, I think my opinion is the correct one, but I also know that I am wrong sometimes. In the past week, my opinions have been challenged by a couple of people. One accused me of printing conservative propaganda and the other was far less kind - words like right wing, uneducated, and backward thinking were used.

My only explanation is that I believe what I believe. I can't change my opinion to make it more acceptable to people that do not agree with me. As for the right wing/conservative comments, I'll say it again - while I am more conservative than most newspaper editors, I am not a true conservative and have never claimed to be one. By the same token, I am not a liberal and will never be confused with one either. Be that as it may, I'm paid to express an opinion on this page. I'm not paid to get people to agree with me. As for opposing viewpoints, letters to the editor have always been welcome but after a recent discussion with a reader, I've come up with an idea that might take that one step further.

My proposal is this: we - the Progress - will start accepting guest columnists. If you want to spout off about something and you don't like the way Ed Baldwin or I does it, then you're welcome to write your own unpaid column. I wish we could pay for such columns, but we're like every other business and we have a budget we have to live within.

There will of course be some guidelines. First and foremost, you cannot libel anyone. I'm not making this offer to give someone a forum to bash anyone personally, be it a neighbor or a political rival. If there's an issue you want to write about it, fine, no problem. If you disagree with Ed, Cal Thomas, or me fine, no problem. Worship at the alter of Rosie O'Donnell if you want and chant prayers to Sean Penn, but do no submit anything with the idea that you'll use the newspaper to inflict damage on someone else. I repeat this is not the purpose of a guest column. As for who judges what is libelous, that will be me. If that seems unfair, too bad. When you're charged with the responsibility of overseeing the newspaper, then you can decide what is and is not libelous. I also reserve the right to edit columns due to length, grammar, etc.

Another requirement is that I want a name and picture to run with the column. That's not asking too much. If you care about something, then you shouldn't be ashamed to stand up for it. You may disagree or even dislike me and/or Ed (hard to believe I know), but at least our picture and name are on the things we write. No "pen names" will be accepted. If you're too afraid to use your own name, you either have a position unworthy of defending or you're a coward. I'll warn you now; it's not easy giving your opinion, regardless of what it is. People will attack any position you take and they will sometimes pick the most inopportune times to do so. It takes courage, so be prepared.

We will also require a telephone number in case we have a question - such as what planet you call home or what you smoked most recently.

I truly hope this is something that will work out. I hope it will energize this page. This is an opportunity for folks to speak out on any issue they care to address. For those that want "balance" on the editorial page, here's your opportunity. You can speak up and be heard or sit and whine about the lack of fairness in the Progress.

The choice is yours.

Richard Evans is Editor of the Claiborne Progress. He can be reached via e-mail at revans@claiborneprogress.net.