Opinion

Displaying articles 21 to 40 out of 1884 total.
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My Turn: Paths to advocate for just and humane treatment of immigrants

05-16-2025 10:39 AM

By JUDSON BROWN

The Trump administration’s aggressive and highly publicized campaign to deport “undocumented criminal aliens” has swept up non-criminals and fully vetted refugees and documented temporary residents in its dragnet.


Lois Barber: Embodying the life and teachings of Pope Francis

05-16-2025 10:35 AM

Throughout the world people are honoring the life of Pope Francis who was both a spiritual and political leader. He called on all of us to make it a priority to protect the environment, provide justice for all, especially the poor and marginalized, and to work for peace. In our country flags flew at half-mast in his honor. But to truly honor Pope Francis, it is not enough to lower our flags, light candles, and bow our heads. May we all reflect on and be guided in our actions by the Pope’s words and deeds.


My Turn: Everyone is entitled to due process

05-15-2025 12:53 PM

By ISAAC MASS

I am a lifelong Republican. I am considering running for Franklin County Sheriff as a Republican in one of the bluest counties in one of the bluest states. Even though we have not had a Republican candidate for sheriff since 1992, I believe it may be possible, because I think that most people know that I am fiscally conservative, socially progressive and committed to reasonable compromise and the rule of law. I think for myself and have no problem standing up to Republican leaders when they do the wrong thing.


My Turn: How wealth and privilege prevent much-needed housing

05-15-2025 12:53 PM

By MICHAEL SEWARD

Amherst College blithely contributed to the housing shortage in Amherst. That was the takeaway of a recent Gazette article about the liberal arts college’s request to demolish two historic properties, which, according to the article, was purchased to prevent a housing development by outbidding private housing developers with $4.3 million in 2003. It’s an astonishing case of wealth and privilege preventing the construction of much-needed housing, regardless of the detriment to others, while irresponsibly allowing two historic homes to fall into a state of disrepair.


Rachael Cowan: Medicaid HCBS needs your support

05-15-2025 12:52 PM

Most of us will become disabled at some point in our lives. Whether through accident, illness, or simply old age, we will all join the largest minority in the U.S. For decades, institutionalization was standard for people with disabilities. Conditions were commonly squalid, overcrowded, and abusive.When the deinstitutionalization movement gained momentum in the 1960s and 70s, we developed support systems to help people with disabilities live on their own.


Genevieve Harris-Fraser: The Zionist agenda

05-15-2025 12:52 PM

There is no doubt that Oct. 7 was brutal and demoralizing for the Israelis. What was especially shocking was that Palestinians finally fought back. It took them 75 years to retaliate, but they finally did. Before 1948, the land that is now called Israel was called Palestine, even when under various empires’ control. But after 500 Palestinian villages were massacred and 750,000 Palestinians were driven off their land and out of their homes by predominantly European-origin Zionist forces, it took the Palestinians (not Arab countries) 75 years to mount a serious retaliation. How dare they? Don’t they know their place? Didn’t the decades-long brutal occupation teach them anything?


Rowan Redman: If you want to use oil, use it on a different planet!

05-15-2025 12:51 PM

Oil is polluting our land. It’s making it so that it’s hard to grow crops in some places, and also because it’s polluting our rivers, and it’s causing global warming.


Ramona Brewster: Protect the ocean

05-15-2025 12:51 PM

I think we should protect our oceans because the sea animals are eating the trash, and some are dying. One thing I think would help is using cardboard containers instead of plastic ones.


Vivian Valle: Don’t kill bugs

05-15-2025 12:51 PM

Mosquitoes, fruit flies, lovebugs, and cockroaches all have something in common. They are all bugs. Or I could say, all humans kill them. I think that killing bugs is wrong because, first of all, some bugs are pollinators and pollinate our plants, and second of all, the spiders eat these bugs and it keeps them alive. So, in my opinion, you should never, ever kill bugs.


My Turn: The Palestinian Arab encounter with Zionism

05-14-2025 11:22 AM

By CARL DOERNER

Over time, I have gotten to know many Palestinians. Like Jewish people I’ve known, they tend to be bright, inquisitive, and informed. Palestinians often prove generous beyond their capacity to be so. The incredibly sad, hard fact is, were it not for the emerging dominance of aggressive Zionists among Jewish leaders before World War II, their $35 million pre-war transfer agreement with the Nazis to scuttle global boycott of German goods, and their horrific aggression when they invaded Palestine after the war, they precluded any peaceful outcome — for the foreseeable future.


Rory Fern Catao: Save our oceans!

05-14-2025 11:22 AM

I know you probably don’t want to listen, but listen to this. Stop using cars, they created climate change, which means oceans can rise. I mean they are rising. Why do cars make pollution? They use gas, which pollutes the air. My opinion: I think if we start using electric cars and walk or bike when it’s nice out and you aren’t hurt, then we could slow down climate change, which means no ice melting!


Michael D. Joyce: Pray for grace

05-14-2025 11:22 AM

I read in newspaper that April 12, 1861 was the “official” start of the American Civil War. It “0fficially” ended some, what, four years later?


David Kempf: The NFL and Dems

05-14-2025 11:22 AM

In the NFL, teams know by Monday why they lost the game. It’s been a little over six months, and the Democrats still don’t understand why they lost.


My Turn: Good self-care a strong antidote to forces of injustice

05-13-2025 12:34 PM

By DR. DAVID GOTTSEGEN

I was awakened this morning at 5:30 by thoughts of this administration’s destruction of our health care system, our economy, our democracy, our environment, and our friendships with allies around the world. (Many of those whom I know share these night time/early morning preoccupations.)


Lew La Chance: The greatness of Greenfield Public Library

05-13-2025 12:31 PM

Benjamin Franklin started the first public library in Philadelphia in 1731. He borrowed books from the well-to-do and put them in one place. Lenders take the books for a fee. Any damage/loss would have to be paid.


Mateo Starling: Dog do do

05-13-2025 12:31 PM

When you don’t clean up your dog’s poop over time it will become nitrogen and if it rains the dog poop will flow into the river and if it’s in the river it will flow into the ocean and kill the animals and pollute all of the water including drinking water.


Tuli Freedman: Why keep polluting?

05-13-2025 12:31 PM

If we keep polluting the world will turn into trash itself. If you think that trash is great, think about 1,050,625 years into the future. The world will be trash for sure. Stop polluting, it’s not good to do. That’s not the way to safety.


Deborah Radway: Goldman for Montague Selectboard

05-13-2025 12:31 PM

I just learned that Marina Goldman is running a write-in campaign for the Selectboard. What a great opportunity for the Town of Montague! Marina is smart, compassionate, a committed listener and will work tirelessly to bring positive and reasoned energy to our town government. A 36- year town resident and nurse practitioner, she has raised her family here and has roots and family ties to Turners, Millers and Montague Center. She will support quality schools, work to create housing our residents can afford, and continue to diversify our tax base with cultural and economic development. Please join me in writing in Marina Goldman for Montague Selectboard on town election day, Tuesday May 20.


My Turn: Defund the Trump agenda

05-13-2025 12:29 PM

By AARON FALBEL

The Pioneer Valley was recently lauded in the opinion pages of The Boston Globe as a locus of progressive activism in the commonwealth.


My Turn: My why for our Y

05-12-2025 5:31 PM

By BOB OLDENBURG

Last year I joined Franklin County’s Y. Over the last few years, my wife Lee and I have donated to the Y, and this year I am a volunteer for the annual campaign. I want to share my why for our Y.


Your Daily Puzzles

Cross|Word

An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."

Flipart

A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.

Really Bad Chess

Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.

SpellTower

Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.

Typeshift

Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.


Displaying articles 21 to 40 out of 1884 total.
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