After the 1st Presidential debate I joined KOS and combined a few sample letters [along with my own words] and send it to the local town paper. I live in Western NC--in a VERY republican pocket. I sometimes feel I'm the ONLY dem here [alas].
After faxing my letter, I followed up with a phone call to make sure they received it. [they've 'lost' letters in the past]. They did. Then I called the editor and asked how many letters were ahead of mine [they supposedly go in receiving order, but one Democratic-letter last year took 3 weeks to hit the page and when I called others names who were printed--they had sent them in AFTER mine! The editor said it was hard to say how many she had as the hurricane had done something to something??? But at least I knew, she knew that I was watching.
Friday morning my phone rang and a gentleman asked for me. He said he'd enjoyed my letter. He found it very factual and well written, "And I'm a republican," he finished. But he said, he's now voting for Kerry! [yeah!]Then he said he hoped I'd write another LTE before the election. I said I probably would and that I hoped he'd be talking to his republican friends. He answered he would.
So LTE's really really work!!!! I'm already penciling in ideas for the next one.
Get busy!