Must we go through this one more time?

Nabisco has again announced that it will no longer produce the Crown Pilot cracker -- first produced commercially in 1792. Nabisco tried to stop making the cracker in 1996, but that turned into only a momentary moratorium because cracker enthusiasts -- mostly in Maine -- rose up in outrage at the move. Chowder without pilot crackers? Not possible. At the time, Nabisco came to see the wisdom of that conclusion.

Now, the company is really serious.

The Crown Pilot market hasn't proved big enough to justify Nabisco's attention since bought by giant Kraft Foods in 1990.

The conglomerate's spokeswoman, Laurie Guzzinati, exhibited perfectly calibrated corporate composure when she mixed regret and hardheadedness in her statement: "I realize this is disappointing to consumers and it was definitely a difficult business decision to make."

In other words, that's the way the cracker crumbles.

But you might as well tell New Englanders to stop being New Englanders, to drop their reserve, join the Ashram, wear purple, hug strangers and eat garlic.

Crown Pilot crackers aren't just reflective of New England, they're not just a part of our history, they are the culinary equivalent of the New England character. They're hard, flinty and sturdy but not strong-tasting. Instead, they're dependable, last a long time and, well, make up in substance what they lack in flash. They're round, efficient and compact expressions of who we are.

So get ready, Nabisco. You haven't heard the end of Crown Pilot. And if we can't convince you to continue with your franchise, perhaps we can convince you to part with it.

We're sure there's an industrious New Englander out there, somewhere, just itching to fill this niche market.