Wow! I've been called a number of things during my lifetime although I don't remember being known for my "pious zeal" or "sanctimonious good intentions." One quip came to mind as I read Joseph G. Siclari's latest diatribe: "prejudice is a great time saver. It enables you to form an opinion without bothering to get the facts."

Siclari writes: "you never provided any evidence that the expansion of Progress House would not be a detriment to the community at large." He's right. I never stated an opinion in favor of or against Progress House. My letter was merely a response to several of his ludicrous comments against two outstanding members of the Levittown community. "Whatever creditable issues he may have raised about a handful of Progress House clients, a New York State Department of Mental Health outpatient funded- facility, were lost in his diatribes against William F. Reilly, PhD and Donald Lee Warner" were my exact words. Unfortunately, I find that Siclari's disdain for the clients of Progress House cloud his objectivity and his alleged facts are little more than character assassinations against its clients.

In his March 18 diatribe, Siclari wrote: "I personally am relieved that the politicians that Mr. Reilly condemns have responded to the families who make this community their home and not kowtowed to a business, which Progress House is first and foremost. They are a privately owned medical practice whose fees are paid by government and private medical insurance." Isn't that the premise upon which the Medicare Program is founded? Fortunately, after reading my April 8 letter, he learned that Progress House is actually one of a number of community based Outpatient Service Facilities operated under the jurisdiction of the NYS-Office of Mental Health(OMH).

One of his more egregious comments alleges: "On numerous occasions, I have observed patients of Progress House shoplifting and aggressively panhandling." These are serious accusations and, if true, warrant prosecution of the culprits! I assume Mr. Siclari turned this information over to the desk sergeant at the 8th Precinct. If not, I suggest a representative of the NCPD contact him immediately. It seems to me that willfully withholding information about the commission of a crime is tantamount to aiding and abetting its commission.

Joseph Siclari seems to have a great deal of time on his hands and spends most of it stalking the clients at Progress House. Otherwise, how would he observe: "Only 30 or so persons smoking in front of the building throughout the day." Sorry, Mr. Siclari, as much as I detest smoking, these smokers are actually obeying the law. New York's Clean Air Act prohibits smoking in any public facility. I can't think of a single office building that doesn't have smokers loitering outside, some in Brooks Brothers suits, all day long.

I'd like to correct another erroneous assumption of Siclari relative to my membership on St. Bernard's Parish Council. I resigned, sometime in 1978, the year following my election to...Oops! I don't want to give Siclari additional ammunition in order to further accuse me of "pious zeal" and "sanctimonious good intentions". I believe the information about St. Bernard's Parish Council is relevant since Siclari's original diatribe (March 18) questioned Dr. Reilly's residency and depth of religious convictions. My response afforded me an opportunity to answer his bigoted questions while paying tribute to a fellow parishioner; who, for over 50 years and with little fanfare has made numerous contributions to the Levittown community, St. Bernard's Parish and the field of higher education. It is evident that Siclari either missed these points entirely or is now attempting to obfuscate readers about his bigoted questions!

It would be fruitless to continue to refute all of Siclari's wild and irresponsible allegations against the clients of Progress House. I sincerely believe that anyone with an open mind, after a careful reading of his diatribes, can easily discern his malice against those members of our society who are mentally or emotionally impaired. His letters only prove the old adage: "An empty barrel makes the most noise."

James P. Ward