Take a good look at the letters column on this page, because we’re going to be making some changes in tone.

As our letters policy states, “Letters to the Editor is a forum for Blue Mountain Eagle readers to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues.” It goes on to offer this admonition: “No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person.”

We have tried to balance those two principles in the interest of allowing a vigorous debate on issues of importance to Grant County residents.

Trouble is, the second principle can be hard to reconcile with the first when an individual becomes the issue. When politics are dominated by personalities, it can become difficult to separate the two — sometimes the person becomes indistinguishable from the policy.

But when individuals become the targets of public criticism, hard feelings are inevitable, and attacks on the policies or ideas associated with those individuals can quickly degenerate into a very personal war of words. Others take sides. The conflict spreads. A downward spiral ensues.

Sadly, that’s what has happened with many of the letters received by the Eagle. What should be a place for the civil exchange of ideas has gradually become, slowly but inexorably, an arena for verbal combat, and the editor must bear responsibility for that sad decline.

These kinds of belligerent exchanges don’t solve any problems. They don’t help us come together as a community. They don’t lift us up. They only drag us all down.

Enough. We’re hitting the reset button.

From now on, we’re going back to the spirit as well as the letter of our policy. We will continue to publish letters that allow our readers “to express themselves on local, state, national or world issues.” But we will strictly enforce the rules of engagement: “No personal attacks; challenge the opinion, not the person.”

If we receive a letter that meets those requirements, we will happily publish it.

But if your letter carries even a whiff of mean-spiritedness, name-calling, finger-pointing or personal attack — or if it contains an assertion that we cannot easily verify — we will not.

For anyone called out by name in this week’s letters, we will give you an opportunity to respond, within reason, unless the letter you wish to respond to is in response to an earlier letter from you, in which case you’ve had your chance.

To our regular letter-writers, consider this a challenge. You are still free to air your opinions on a whole host of issues in the letters column — you just have to be polite.