Letters to the editor in local newspaper

[sherrem]

I hope I'm posting this in the right forum, if not feel free to let me know :P

The first, entitled, "All should see Fahrenheit 9/11" is one that I believe was very well written and thought out. There are two paragraphs of the letter I wanted to share...

"Fourth of July weekend I saw Fahrenheit 9/11 at a packed theater in Eau Claire. What I saw was perhapd the most important film in the history of our republic if we are to remain a republic. The audience applauded and there were tears at the end. Every American should see this movie."

"Our priviledged abd our pedigreed have been able to send our patriotic poor into horrific war where they are killed and maimed. This must stop. Save our republic. Vote out our corporate leaders. Dissent is patriotic. That's what the fourth of July is all about."

Then there is THIS letter...right at the top of the page for the whole world to see, (whereas the aforementioned article was way at the bottom of a different page entirely) entitled "Reader blasts Kerry coverage". (just snips, not full article)

In case your curious, the writer is referring to this article:
http://www.dunnconnect.com/articles/2004/07/05/news/news01.txt

While the front page headlines blare, "Taking the rural route" and "Kerry supporters flood (emphasis mine) Bloomer farm," the article clearly states, "...it had all been carefully arranged...(the rally) was more about country pageantry than farm policy...But that was all right for the crowd, which included few farmers and only a small percentage of Chippewa County residents." Surely these comments belie the content of the headline. Local support for Kerry at this supposedly local rally was thin to almost non-existent.

Additionally, one of the points made later in the article relates to union members attending the rally and implies that all union members are Democrats and Kerry supporters.

I can testify that this view is patently untrue. I am a member of the AFT and have been for 28 years of my working life. I once participated actively in a strike that lasted 27 days, and yet I am am ardent supporter of George W. Bush, our courageous president, and the Republican Party.

**I'd just like to say that I was AT that Kerry rally. There were over 5,000 people there, and I'm talking in the middle of no where Wisconsin. The article is correct in stating there were few farmers there (at least NOTICEABLE farmers) and a small percentage of Chippewa County residents. However, the writers statement of local support at the rally was thin to non-existent is FAR from fact. It's obvious she didn't go anywhere near the rally. I met several people from the county I live in (same as the writer's county), as well as several in our district. I was one of the lucky people who got to sit in the bleachers, I wasn't one of the several THOUSAND standing in the field.

I am concerned about this letter because this woman isn't scared...she's just stupid. There aren't enough "scared" Republicans in my area, and try as I might, I can't motivate anyone in my area to do much about it. I KNOW there are many Kerry supporters in the area, but they aren't making themselves known to the public the way the bush supporters are. Please...tell me how to get the word out in VERY rural Wisconsin so I can make this woman eat her words.

[Joy Anne]

1. newspapers

You have the reporter's email address. Write a letter to the reporter praising what you liked about the article, and tactfully explaining where the reporter was in error, based on your personal observations.

Then write a letter to the editor: "Contrary to the newspaper's story "Down on the Farm" and so-and-so's letter, the crowd was made up of . I was lucky enough to get a seat in the bleachers with a great view of the thousands in the field, and I saw ."

Long-time Dean RapidResponder

[kikiek]

2. Takes a lot of guts to stand up and correct a wrong..rare quality