Then Debbie Harbeson came to the rescue.
A few months ago I had asked her if she'd had any difficulties getting her columns published in the paper she writes for. She said she hadn't. And her local paper isn't even an "editorially libertarian" publication like the Clovis News Journal is.
The rescue came in the form of a post she wrote on her "Debbie and Carl" blog concerning R. C. Hoiles, the founder of Freedom Communications (the company which owns the Clovis News Journal). She asked my permission to mention my difficulties in the post and I consented. Happily.
After forwarding the post to the appropriate channels, my problems with getting published disappeared. Even things I thought would get cut in editing survived. Is there a connection? I believe there is.
So here's a sincere THANK YOU!! to Debbie. Writing the column has been much more enjoyable these past several weeks. I'm hoping the trend continues, but either way I truly appreciate the opportunity to write without the constant stress of looming rejection.
Note: edited per request.