Yes, folks, the rumors are true. The Current and Gazette Newspapers have decided to go in a different direction for their politics page. So this column and the next two columns will be the last weekly columns from me, Seth, and Harry. Our editor assures me that, under the new format, starting in January, we will still be writing occasional columns, but not weekly. The Current is still finalizing its plans for a new and different politics page.

I want to thank James FitzPatrick, the editor of The Current, for giving me the opportunity to write the "Left's Turn" and to be able to reach out to the thousands of folks who read The Current and The Gazette. I appreciate the chance I had to provide some political balance to the politics page of the newspaper and for the chance to initiate public discussion about issues that might never have been talked about at a local level.

I want to thank all of the readers who had the courage to write letters to the editor, pro or con, about the issues I raised in my columns.  Especially in a political climate as nasty as any I've lived through, I really do appreciate those who wrote and were civil to each other as they talked about the issues of the day.

Feel free to write letters to the editor supporting or opposing this decision by The Current. I'm sure that James would love to hear from his readers on this topic as well.

In addition, I've really appreciated all of the emails and phone calls I've gotten from the many readers who took the time to contact me. I did not appreciate the nasty death threats following my Fox/Faux News column. I've tried to answer most of the emails that were polite or civil, and I've done the same with the phone calls. I've always figured that if a column did not result in letters to the editor, or some other reaction, that I have not done my job, which I've always considered to be getting people thinking and talking.

Thanks too to the many people who have personally thanked me for writing the column, including just random folks whom I meet during the course of a day. Many have told me that they enjoyed my column, even though they don't agree with me at times.

Another aim of my column was trying to be civil and respectful to those with whom I disagree, thus setting a rational tone for discussion of issues important to us, both here and nationally. I don't think that I've always succeeded in that endeavor, but I've tried my best.

Thanks of course to Harry Hurley and Seth Grossman for their consistent work explaining the right-wing conservative (Harry) and Libertarian (Seth) positions. I know there were many times that I took Harry and Seth to task for positions or comments that I opposed, but providing political balance to a politics page that leaned far to the right was the main reason The Current took me on.

I hope that my readers are more educated now on issues of war and peace, on the dangers of aging nuclear power plants in South Jersey, on nuclear weapons and why we need to abolish them world wide, on environmental issues like wind and solar power, and on working for peace here at home.

These are all issues that I'll continue to work on, column or no column.

If you want to stay in touch with me and with the Coalition for Peace and Justice, please email me and I'll add you to our low-volume email announcement list. In addition, December is when we, like so many non-profits, do our end-of-year membership drive.  You can print out our membership form from our website or contact me and I'll be glad to sign you up.

Norm Cohen is executive director of the Coalition for Peace and Justice and a coordinator for the UNPLUG Salem Campaign. Learn more at www.coalitionforpeaceandjustice.org and www.unplugsalem.org. He can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or (609) 335-8176. Comment at www.shorenewstoday.com.