2/12 12:33pm   Dear Senator, Let me begin by telling you that I was not present at the assembly (I am actually a year out of high school); however, the information I received was given to me by students who were. It should also be noted that these students are some of the most intelligent and reputable I have had the pleasure to know. Now, I would like to discuss a few issues with the letter you have written and with the presentation you have given. I will not pretend that I agree with your politics, or even your tactics, but I will say this: The comments--not all of them, but some--that the students made on Facebook.com were completely and totally inappropriate and poorly reflect the intelligence of the King Philip student body. I know that your children did not and do not attend the school and I cannot recall ever seeing you in the building, so please do not base your opinion of the school on this particular incident. There are over 500 registered King Philip students on Facebook.com. I know that only a fraction of those students were members of "Ferreira is God" (the number, I believe, was well under 100). I also know that there was not an astronomical number of comments in the group, appropriate or not. Now, while I understand that you say that you were trying to explain the lack of privacy on the Internet, I believe that you should have used a more tactful approach, given the small number of inappropriate remarks. What I mean is this: Many of the students were smart enough to A.) steer clear of the group or B.) keep their comments to themselves. There are other paths you could have taken: Perhaps a letter to the school, perhaps a mention of the comments or even an actual reading with complete anonymity, but singling out students? That was completely uncalled for. The students' comments were, in your eyes, inappropriate, and because of that you center-staged the authors. Your presentation was, in many eyes, inappropriate, and as a result you have been targeted by the media. You yourself said that "when you write it, you own it," and I believe the same should be said about spoken word. Yes, the students owe you and your family an apology; but you owe the same to them. No one should apologize for the (supposed) sentiments, though both parties should take responsibility for their actions. From what I understand, there are some gaps in your story. There are other remarks that you have made that have been called flat out lies. Here is one: you say that you spoke for an hour. From what I understand, you arrived 25 minutes late to King Philip. If the presentation ended at promptly at 10, as I have heard, then what you say is untrue. Furthermore, you say that you spoke for 20 minutes, followed by a 20 minute Q&A. The problem with that is that you were not even at King Philip for 40 minutes. Even estimation, which would cut off about 5 minutes, gives you little time to prepare your materials. You also wrote that the Facebook group was "hate-filled." As a member of the group, I can, with confidence, tell you that what you say is untrue. I will not deny the existence of such remarks because, as most people know, they were there. I think that you may have, upon reading those remarks lost sight of the respectful, curious, or even indifferent ones. It is also possible that you are constructing your own version to justify what you did. It is not my place to say. "The only crying that me and my office staff saw was crying from the uncontrolled laughing that some of the students had in seeing that their buddies had been, as they say `bagged' (sic).'' That is what you wrote. (I see that your attention to spelling and grammar is as well illustrated in this letter as it was in the ones I received for my appearance on the honor roll. My name has one ``n.'') I know that the staff of King Philip was not pleased with your presentation. I also know that one teacher addressed the students after your spoke. From what I understand, she told the students to use more tact and respect than the "filth" they had just witnessed. If this were the case, would it also make sense for the teachers to ensure you a respectful audience as you spoke? Would they keep laughter down to a minimum? And would they, even if they tried, fail in their asking students to stifle their tears? That is my own logic, from which I drew my own conclusion. I will say this as well: I was told there was crying at the assembly. Maybe your packet gave students paper cuts. Maybe not. "Many students came up to me after and said that they were embarrassed by the actions of their peers and it did not reflect their feelings about me or Rep. Ross or this topic. They also indicated that they were unable to speak freely in class for fear of reprsals (sic) from the teacher. They were also glad that I treated them like adults and did not speak down to them." As you know, those are also your words. I have been told that there was no time to speak to you after your presentation. Perhaps no one saw students speak to you. I find it difficult to believe that "many" students would speak to you afterwards. After all, you yourself said that there were many "hate-filled" comments towards you, and I cannot imagine that students would appreciate the comments you made about them and their peers. It is my experience that when you make an example of someone, it is not generally received with open arms. Again, I wasn't there. I only know what others have told me about the truth in your letter. Others have told me that it is, to be frank, nowhere to be found. The whole situation is unfortunate. As I am sure you have heard, you were given an excellent situation to teach an important lesson and express your views. To be a red in a blue state cannot be easy--I can imagine that you feel much like a British soldier in `76--and you did little to better yourself and your peers. While I can see the point you were trying to make, I am puzzled by your approach. It seems at the least unprofessional and at most vindictive. I find it hard to believe that you were unaware of the controversy you created at King Philip; the teachers did not seem pleased. They told you that your actions and words were entirely uncalled for (or maybe they were simply "railing against (you)"). You are now being given a chance to partially redeem yourself. Please take advantage of it; take responsibility for your actions. I am sick of seeing politicians using lies for political gain and redemption. We, the public, are not as dumb as we are portrayed. We know a lie when we hear it. I will conclude with this: Apologize, Mr. Brown. It is rightfully expected. You are an adult. Children are expected to act childish, and you do not look like a child (especially to those Cosmo girls). Respectfully, Conor Hutchinson

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