The Board of Selectmen and other committees in town need to be careful about how they write our bylaws in the Town of Framingham.

Natalie Rosen's Nov. 3, letter ("Road not taken in Afghanistan"), claiming that the Bush/Cheney administration deliberately gave an order not to kill Osama Bin Laden, borders on the outrageous. While I might agree with her that the Iraq war diverted our attention from the real war on terror that needed to be fought in Afghanistan and in the border area with Pakistan, the claim that Bush and Cheney pursued such a "treasonous policy" to advance their Iraq invasion rationale is absurd.

Massachusetts is one of seven states that do not have an assisted outpatient treatment law as noted in Matt Kaplan's recent article discussing Rep. Kay Khan's bill (H.1933). Currently in Massachusetts, many roadblocks exist to getting someone care who as a result of their illness does not recognize they are ill.

On Oct. 11, 2009, our family experienced a life-changing event. Our beloved mother, Mary (Joanie) Tardif, met with a tragic accident when she fell down a flight of stairs.

In response to today's article ("Effort to reopen meals tax debate fails," Nov. 4) reporting the 75-52 Natick Town Meeting vote to not reopen the debate over Natick's recent adoption of a 0.75 percent meal tax, I feel compelled to clarify a point made by the article.

This is about the article by Timothy P. Murray at the MetroWest Daily News, Oct. 30, 2009, "Unlocking the potential of STEM education."

I was very sorry to read of Mr. Brian Brackett's injuries while doing tree work in Holliston in Tuesday's, Nov. 3, MetroWest Daily News (Man hurt in jump from bucket truck). I certainly hope this incident will not cause anyone to hesitate to use Paul L. Brackett Associates Inc. for tree work, snowplowing, or any other work. It's unfortunate the boom in the lifting mechanism of the bucket truck failed. I'm sure it was an unforeseeable accident. Our church has hired Paul L. Brackett Associates Inc. to do tree work for us in the past, and we've also used them for several years for snowplowing. We have always been extremely pleased and impressed with their work and their equipment. You will not find a more consummate group of professionals than Paul L. Brackett Associates Inc.

I find it extremely disconcerting that there are so many lawyer-politicians who have used the system over the years to make tons of money at their legal trade, but do not see it as their responsibility to support the legal system and the laws that have been passed by Congress which was established and authorized under our Constitution.

Thirty-five years ago, when Mike Capuano and I were undergraduates together at Dartmouth College, he made his interest in politics clear with the simple statement, "I want to change something." I vividly remember Mike saying this because it was markedly different from the cynical attitude I and many we knew took toward the political system.

School Committee member Harold Walker has tried to shift responsibility for improving student performance from the School Committee and administration to the state when he opined, " ... the state is setting us up to fail."