It is to many readers a mystery, maybe even a conspiracy: Who gets their letters to the editor published, and why?

In recent weeks, I have received complaints that the letters seem to reflect a political bias, or favorites, or are anti-Cuban.

''Am I being shut out?'' asked Robert Dollar of Southwest Miami. He has published several letters, but he said that in recent weeks he wasn't even getting an automated response to his submissions. Mr. Dollar said his main interest was to make sure that the board that writes the newspaper's unsigned editorials each day -- The Miami Herald's institutional opinion -- at least reads his often contrary views.

In response to such complaints, I have been following the letters closely. I have returned to look at the comments posted online at the end of stories, to see how they compare, too. I also wanted to see if changes made to the MiamiHerald.com website had improved their often ugly tone.

The two -- published letters and posted comments -- are important because they are how readers express themselves in the paper.

What I found were some shortcomings, but they pale to something else unexpected and mesmerizing, at times making you hold your breath in fear, and other times making you want to cry . . . out of a feeling of shared community and joy.

Reading one month of the published letters in a single sitting should be an assignment for every politician, community leader and interested citizen. Called The Readers' Forum, the letters reflect a mix of opinions, often strong, but usually thoughtful and always civil in an unfolding discourse in which you can see a well-meaning community talking across barriers in a search for, if not consensus, at least understanding.

Many letters supported or opposed political candidates, but as Miriam B. Salazar of Aventura said in response to an article questioning whether Cubans would vote for a Jewish candidate for a county office, ``Wouldn't it be a lot simpler to just vote for the best candidate?''

Questioning the ''heroic'' status so easily conferred on military men, Louis Molina reached out to his South Florida neighbors with a haunting question: ``Where are the priorities? Let's honor the peacemakers and value peace above war.''

But daily life revolves around much more than big questions. ''Lost in the banter of budget cuts and related health-insurance woes at last week's Miami-Dade School Board meeting was the recognition of exceptional student efforts -- specifically, the Hammocks Middle School dance program,'' wrote Don Keans of Miami. Bless him.

Citizens sometimes get their government to answer in the letters. After one criticized traffic police in El Portal, the village manager, Jason Walker, wrote a response admitting that traffic was a ''nightmare'' but explaining that three nearby construction projects were partly to blame. He offered no solutions, but at least stood and took the heat.

The recent speech on race by Barack Obama generated a number of letters. But in place of invective, Kristin Currier of Hollywood began hers with this gentle touch: ``How sorry I am that some people denigrated Barack Obama's speech.''

Dave Goodwin of Bal Harbour, in criticizing Obama, was tougher in tone, but attempted inclusion: ``Many American blacks and other minorities have suffered the same or worse experiences and reacted with positive, constructive accomplishments instead of preaching hate.''

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