Opinion

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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 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...

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...

Guest columnist Lynne M. Latham: Hadley Library roof needs assessment

By LYNNE M. LATHAM

 Trustees of the Hadley Public Library met with the Select Board last week to share the findings of a report prepared by Gale Associates about the library’s roof. The report is based on a visual inspection of the roof, and it identifies several...

Gastón de los Reyes: Thank you, Interfaith Housing Association

On behalf of the Amherst Affordable Housing Trust, I write to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Interfaith Housing Association of Amherst for their generous decision to donate the association’s remaining funds to the Trust Fund as they prepare to...

Jack Tulloss: Into the Valley of Disappointment

“Into the Valley of Death rode the six hundred.” So wrote Alfred Lord Tennyson in commemorating the heroic yet suicidal mission undertaken by the British Light Brigade in the 1854 Battle of Balaclava. Fast forward to the Pioneer Valley’s contemporary...

Lois Barber: Stop Israeli violence in the West Bank

I write as a member of the Western Mass. chapter of the American Friends of the Palestinian House of Friendship, a U.S.- based project that supports the Palestinian House of Friendship, a community organization in Nablus, West Bank, Palestine. The...