Opinion
Guest columnist James Lescault: Amherst Media — A violation of community trust
By JIM LESCAULT
In my 17 years as executive director of Amherst Media, I committed and honored the promotion of free speech for all. This ensured community access to equipment and training in communication technologies; the documentation and conservation of...
Columnist Darcy Dumont Local and Green: Amherst, 2030, the new paradigm
By DARCY DUMONT
Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part column. The second part will appear in the Nov. 8, 2019 edition of the Bulletin.The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report makes it clear that we must cut our emissions 50% by 2030...
Local and Green columnist Darcy Dumont: Amherst 2030, the new paradigm II
By DARCY DUMONT
Editor’s note: This is the second of a two-part column. The first part ran in the Oct. 10, 2019 edition of the Bulletin. What follows is a vision of Amherst in 2030, when there is widespread support for “the new paradigm” of green living.It’s 2030 in...
Anna Nagurney: Kudos to the Easthampton Fire Department and to all blood donors
Thanks to Gazette reporter Alexa Lewis for the excellent front-page article on shortages of blood in our region, and thanks to the Easthampton Fire Department for their community blood drive in partnership with the Baystate Health Blood Donor Program...
Julie Caswell: Vote ‘yes’ on CPA funding to restore, upgrade 1888 Building
I am writing to encourage all Deerfield residents to vote “yes” at the Oct. 7 Town Meeting at 6 p.m. to approve spending Community Preservation Act funds to restore and rehabilitate the historic 1888 Building (the old Grammar School on the corner of...
Jon Nelms: What happened to free speech?
What was most gratifying about university students protesting genocide last spring was that their concern was based on their empathy for people who aren’t one of us, rather than for our troops or spending priorities, as has been the case with past...
Lili Dwight: Deerfield — Finish housekeeping on senior housing
I write to urge my fellow Deerfield residents to vote “yes” on Article 6 at our Special Town Meeting on Oct. 7. This is the final housekeeping step to create senior housing in Deerfield. The vote is not for or against senior housing — we already...
Guest columnist Barry Hirsch: No peace, no future with Hamas still a factor
By BARRY HIRSCH
Like many people, I have felt the pain and sadness of the war in Gaza every day since Oct. 7. I have a colleague who is Palestinian and I know he sees his children’s faces in every injured Palestinian child. I have another friend whose son is in the...
Guest columnist Molly Merrett: Co-op deshelving campaign part of global anti-apartheid movement
By MOLLY MERRETT
I am a Jewish resident of the Valley, and I have been a member-owner of the River Valley Co-op since 2010. I support the campaign to de-shelve Israeli-made and -sourced products from our co-op.I strongly believe that Jewish safety is entwined with...
Guest columnist Patricia Ramsey: Taliban American style?
By PATRICIA RAMSEY
Most Americans vilify the Taliban and are horrified at the draconian rules they impose on every resident and organization, and especially their oppression of Afghan women and girls. So why are millions of freedom-loving Americans rushing to vote for...
Guest columnist Andy Morris-Friedman: Double down on the bubble test
By ANDY MORRIS-FRIEDMAN
I have a few questions about Question 2 (eliminating the MCAS graduation requirement) and I want the answers. First, the facts. Here in The PRM (People’s Republic of Massachusetts) we test our students every other year (Massachusetts Comprehensive...
Wendi Weinberg: Cost of postage stamps a bargain
I am responding to a letter to the editor about the price of postage stamps [“Inflation and the U.S. Postal Service,” Sept. 14]. The writer points out that in 18 years the cost of a postage stamp increased from 39 cents to 73 cents. That’s a total...
Lou Downey: Name-calling threatens the public good
In regard to the recent guest column “NIMBY obstruction threatens public good,” [Sept. 6], it is astonishing how supporters of the Jones expansion project react with petulance and name-calling to legitimate arguments against overspending for a space...
Tom Bassett: Valley Green Energy — Save money and reduce greenhouse gases
What a wonderfully written column, “Cheaper, Greener power on the way” [Gazette, Aug 31]. Readers got some positive climate news that applies a locally initiated solution.I really liked the use of titled sections to focus attention on specific...
Guest columnist D. Dina Friedman: The dangers of othering
By D. DINA FRIEDMAN
Like many members of the Jewish Community, I felt grief and sadness on hearing last week that six additional hostages taken in the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7 had been found murdered. And yet, I felt uncomfortable with how much attention people paid to...
Guest columnist Rosalie P. Porter: Don’t abandon effective MCAS
By ROSALIE P. PORTER
The recent guest column “MCAS test requirement just bad policy and practice” [Aug. 27] presents forceful arguments for voting to abolish the statewide test of basic skills for all 10th grade students as a requirement for high school graduation. The...
Darcy Dumont: Two big boosts to climate action in Amherst
By DARCY DUMONT
There’s a whole lot happening this month on the climate action front in Amherst, most notably a unanimous vote by the Town Council requesting action by the town manager on the current waste reduction bylaw proposal and resident information sessions...
Guest columnist Jon McCabe: NIMBY obstruction threatens public good
By JON MCCABE
Journalist Ezra Klein interviewed Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii recently about the negative impact of Not-in-My-Back-Yardism regarding support for local public goods/services such as housing, schools, and yes, libraries. Schatz focused on how NIMBYism...
Column: Absence of Palestinian voice at DNC a missed opportunity
By SARA WEINBERGER and JEFF GOLD
We were initially swept up in the wave of enthusiasm that took hold when Vice President Kamala Harris became presidential candidate Kamala Harris. She was a breath of fresh air, who rekindled hope that she and Tim Walz could reignite the Democratic...
Richard S. Bogartz: Growing together is the hard part
By RICHARD S. BOGARTZThe squealing of my imaginary friend Throckmorton’s “We’re here” horn signaled he’d returned with Brynhildr. Opening the inner door wide, I left the screen door ajar to save them from Throckmorton’s pummeling. He took the hint and...