SMOC lawsuit is misguided
When you're right, you're right - I wish to respond to the editorial ``A misguided lawsuit in Framingham'' (MWDN Friday, Oct. 26), and offer my congratulations to MetroWest Daily for finally taking a position I can agree with.

SMOC's suit is clearly focused on intimidating its critics. It is not that Framingham is not willing to do its part to help the homeless, the mentally ill, or the substance abusers. Framingham today has over 180 Social Service sites, valued at $13,081,000, which have become tax exempt and therefore do not provide any compensation to the town.

At the same time these locations have a far higher use of services, especially police and fire, because they care for more troubled clients than is the norm. These programs are needed, but because of lower funding or less than adequate management they pose a recognizable burden on the town.

The PILOT program was a means to compensate the town for these services and to remove from the town the costs associated with these programs that are not exclusively the burden of the town since these individuals come from all across the state, not just from Framingham. I myself would have preferred to see the Social Service agencies themselves, recognize the burden they place on the town and voluntarily stop citing additional programs in this town. No other town around us has the concentration of social services that Framingham has.

SMOC objects to the town's oversight of its boarding houses. They specifically cited a home for disabled veterans on Lincoln Street. The reason that the Building Department disallowed tax-exempt status to this building was that there was no common room in the building for education, so the building did not comply as a Dover Amendment Property. SMOC could have gone ahead and built the rooming house, but would not receive tax exemption and would also have to comply to the new rooming house bylaw now under review by the Attorney General.

In their objections that they filed with the court that they were apposed to, one was to build basement apartments in the Lincoln Street facility. They wished to squeeze every inch of that property to house veterans. This overcrowding was exactly what the rooming house bylaw was designed to protect.

The last point I wish to express was aptly pointed out in your editorial - that SMOC has decided that neither the town nor the State will support their plans for building rooming houses in Framingham under the conditions they wish to. Since they did not wait to hear the Attorney General's ruling on our boarding house regulations, I am heartened that they must think that they will be approved as written.

I also noticed in your news item (pg. A8) that Howard Cooper, a lawyer representing SMOC stated that the case cannot be considered a strategic lawsuit or SLAPP suit, which are filed to intimidate opponents because it was filed in Federal Court, which doesn't have that protection. This tells us why they choose the federal courts, not the state courts.

DAVID T. ROBERTSON, Framingham

SMOC suit is `grace's backup'
I have never written a letter to the editor intended to appear in a newspaper, but the recent attacks on the non-profit social service agency South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) have left me no choice.

I have always considered myself to be a fortunate person. I was a healthy baby born into a family with a nice, small house to live in and good food to eat. I was able to attend school and to grow up playing in a safe neighborhood. As I have aged, I have experienced the usual sort of bumps in the road most of us experience - nothing too traumatic. I continue to consider myself a fortunate person.

One of the first things I remember learning as a child, and that I find myself remembering more than ever these days, is the phrase, ``There, but for the grace of God, go I.'' By writing about this phrase I am not referring to my belief in God or trying to tell anyone else who or what to believe in. What I am referring to is what I believe is the basic meaning of the phrase. If we are fortunate in our lives it is not simply the result of hard work. Grace has placed us where we are, and if not for that grace we could find ourselves living lives we could never have imagined. Before we pass judgment on people who are struggling in life we should remember that, and in remembering that at least consider offering understanding, if not assistance.

Not buying it? Consider this. You are a well paid executive. You live in an up-scale neighborhood with your lovely wife and three small children. You are crossing the street one day, you stumble and strike your head on the curb - not really hard, just a tap. Over the next few weeks you find yourself forgetting important details, making mistakes that in the past were unthinkable for you. Your doctor determines you have a closed brain injury that will not be getting any better. You can no longer function at work, you lose your job. You cannot pay your bills, you have to sell your house. Worse yet, one of your children begins to exhibit symptoms of autism, but you no longer have health insurance.

I am sure you get my point. It does not take much to create a crisis. Do you think something like this could not happen to you? Do you have endless resources to come to your rescue if something like this did happen? Well, good for you. Most of us do not.

That is one of the reasons we should be thankful for, and supportive of, the social service agencies in our community. They lend a hand and help people in crisis overcome their problems.

Much has been said about the recent lawsuit filed by SMOC against the Town of Framingham and various individuals. Some people have tried to portray the lawsuit as an attempt to breach the free speech rights of those named in the suit. Anyone who diligently reads the complaint - and it is available - knows that this is a grievous misrepresentation of fact. The suit was brought to protect the constitutional rights of those who cannot currently stand up for themselves. The suit is grace's backup.

I confess to having a legal background which made reading the complaint easier for me than it may be for some of you. The suit is not an attack on the free speech rights of the individuals sued. It is about the concerted effort of the Town, some of it employees and board members, and some of its residents to attempt to deny the constitutional rights you and I enjoy, to those who are in need of assistance - those on whom grace is not currently smiling. Please, if you read the complaint and do not understand what is at stake, ask someone who has a legitimate knowledge of the law. Do not get your information off websites that have no authoritative knowledge on the subjects of federal and constitutional law. That sort of false information only compounds misunderstanding and makes the possibility of an informed discussion impossible.

Back to grace. I know how lucky I am and I know how quickly that can change. Has grace spared you? At least for now? Do you know how lucky you are? Do you have the time to spare to learn the real issues involved in the SMOC lawsuit and to give it your fair attention? Or would you rather take someone else's word for it? And then hope like hell that grace does not pass you by and leave you at the mercy of those without imagination and compassion.

KATHLEEN AUSTIN, Framingham

Keeping up pressure for peace
The morning rain did not dampen the spirits of the 10,000 or so people who showed up Saturday for the Mobilization to End the War. The light rain lifted in time for the start of the noon rally and speakers Howard Zinn, Liam Madden, and Medea Benjamin warmed up the crowd.

Musicians, spoken word and the triplets Triiibe entertained the crowd. An activity center for children, the Boots display and many booths and tables provided further interest for the crowd who came from R.I., Vt., Maine, N.H. and Conn.

The march from the Boston Commons to Copley Square and back began at 2:30 with the Iraq Veterans Against the War and Military Families Speak Out leading the way. A large and energetic contingent of students walked behind their banner chanting, ``Tell us what democracy looks like - This is what democracy looks like.''

The anti-war marchers joined a rally in Copley Square sponsored by the Sabeel Conference, where some marchers lingered to hear Bishop Desmond Tutu call for peace in the Middle East. He expressed the hope that next year everyone, Jew, Muslim and Christian could meet in the Holy Land.

I volunteered as a peacekeeper and it was an easy job. Thanks to the Boston police, City Hall and the organizers of the rally, there were no arrests and this demonstration for peace was peaceful. I heard from a colleague that she heard a passerbyer say, ``Gee I am surprised to see the soldiers marching with them.'' Did she think they were not allowed to protest the war? Did she know that they are coming out in the thousands now to protest our occupation in Iraq? Whatever she meant by her comment, one can hope that more people see different aspects of the call to end the war. And if, one person, learns something and asks themselves one question like this, then this march has accomplished one of its goals: to educate and keep up the pressure for peace.

CAROL COAKLEY, Millis