It's 1997 – and I'm now "E-Mailing" my daily "Letters to the Editor" – What Potential!

The old fashioned way of writing a letter to the editor was time consuming and a little expensive. Today one can communicate to any editorial office in the world instantly and even free of charge.

This has nothing less than revolutionary significance for a democracy. It lowers the motivational threshold one needs to comment on local, national, and world events. 

Are newspapers trying to fit this communication revolution into old forms? 

Until last spring I use to write to your paper the PROVIDENCE JOURNAL rather infrequently. A subject had to "weigh" on my mind for days before I made the effort to write a letter -250 words please; see you next month. 

At times the letter to the editor section seemed like just a straight jacket for public opinion. A lot of competition for very limited space. I personally had no cause for complaint. More than a few of my LEFT-LIBERAL letters were generously accepted for publication.

The computer revolution renders almost absurd, however, the old restrictions on space. There is plenty of room in CYBERSPACE for everybody!

I have a suggestion: could your newspaper create A PUBLIC OPINION SITE containing virtually every letter sent to you. These letters could be transferred to disks say once a year and SOLD FOR A PROFIT!

Unpublished letters may then get some attention-and even prove worthy of it. Many of course including a few of my own-may get in CYBERSPACE the oblivion they deserve. 

But the great democratic idea is advanced– people saying what they want to say whenever they want to say it, and getting at least some public attention-be it applause or scorn! 

There may even be MONEY in it !

(this letter as all my letters that do not include address and phone, is offered only as background opinion for the editors of the PROVIDENCE JOURNAL. I know I average at least one a day. Like multiple vitamins, I hope they are more HELP than HASSLE– THANK YOU! – Ron)