Danielle Miller: Republicans are not Nazis

I enjoyed reading the recent letters from Jack Hornor, the Rev. Phill Grant, and Elizabeth Lareau Whitcomb. Hope they write again soon. But I could’ve done without Daniel Brown’s mean-spirited Feb. 6 My Turn [“Trump’s brutal promise no joke”]. Now I...

My Turn: The failure of the United Nations

By DON SIMMS

My goal in writing is trying to point out the ongoing superpowers’ hypocrisy with their inability to connect the dots in order to recognize the Earth’s fragility.The following are several highlights of the United Nations charter: “We the people of the...

My Turn: Will melting Greenland ice divert Gulf Stream?

By ROB MOIR

With climate change, a 1% increase in watts per square meter of heat energy is warming the ocean, causing seawater to swell, currents to flow stronger, and greater storms to rage. Ancient Greeks believed Oceanus, the ocean river, separated the known...

My Turn: Black women rising

By TOLLEY M. JONES

The other day I was in my office working on a grant report with my door closed, when suddenly loud and joyous laughter exploded in the hallway. My fellow brown female coworkers were laughing the way brown women laugh when they are surrounded by other...

My Turn: Questions about execution

By JUDITH TRUESDELL

There are so many issues raised in Bill Newman’s column, “The illusion of kinder, gentler executions,” [Recorder, Feb. 5]. A side issue is the Supreme Court shadow docket; issuing decisions without any written opinion. It should be unconstitutional...

Columnist Al Norman: Raising the estate tax on billionaires

By AL NORMAN

“The greatest threat to our national security is our nation’s debt,” said Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson in his first speech in November after being elected Speaker of the U.S. House. “Tough decisions will have to be made, but the consequences if...

Kurt Heidinger: McGovern voted to bar PLO members from entering U.S. 

On Jan. 31, Congressman Jim McGovern voted for H.R.6679 [No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act], which passed. It makes it illegal for representatives of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to enter the United States. The Biden...

Leo Ojala: Real answers needed for rising auto insurance rates

This week, a local TV news station ran a story about the reasons for increased auto insurance rates. They cited the increased cost of replacing bumpers and even had some dollar figure comparisons. The report ignored the elephant in the room. There was...

Elizabeth Lareau Whitcomb: We all share a common humanity

I wish to add my voice to those who are thankful for Jack Hornor’s letter, “Trump Backers aren’t somehow ‘less than’” [Recorder, Feb. 1]. I appreciate his observations and admire his courage to print them. Like the writer, I often found myself...

My Turn: Trump’s brutal promise no joke

By DANIEL A. BROWN

One thing we Jews have learned from our fraught history is that when someone threatens to kill you, they mean it. History itself teaches that when a psychopathic strongman threatens to establish a vengeful dictatorship, they mean it as well. Donald...

Guest columnist Pema Latshang : School leaders need to further invest in their teachers

By PEMA LATSHANG

Over the past three years, it’s become clear just how essential teachers are to the everyday lives of the western Massachusetts community. In remote and hybrid settings they were there for us throughout the pandemic, with many stepping up to do this...

Tim Farrell: Use parking revenues downtown

The debate over paid vs. free parking has been around since the installation of the first parking meter in Oklahoma City on July 16, 1935. With the recent decision by the mayor to not install a parking kiosk in the “library lot,” I expect more...

Rev. Phill Grant: Empathy is a choice we make 

I appreciate Jack Hornor’s letter, “Trump backers aren’t somehow ‘less than’” [Recorder, Feb. 1]. He says that supporters of Trump aren’t less intelligent or less informed, rather “they simply see the United States in different ways than most...

Ellen Miller-Mack: Decarceration in Massachusetts

MCI-Concord, a medium security men’s prison, is closing in June. This is great news. There will be substantial savings, including nearly $16 million in operating costs. Repairs to this prison would have cost $190 million. MCI-Cedar Junction closed...

My Turn: The illusion of kinder, gentler executions

By BILL NEWMAN

This past week Alabama continued our country’s experiment with different ways to kill people. It executed Kenneth Smith.A brief history. In the American colonies, death sentences, imported from Great Britain, were by hanging. Hanging could be...

My Turn: Doing the work of the Governor’s Council

By TARA JACOBS

It has been a great honor, privilege and pleasure to serve my district on the Governor’s Council, and I look forward to continuing to do this work for a long time to come. My campaign for reelection is underway, and I hope to earn my seat once again...

The World Keeps Turning: Black history and the nuances of MLK

By ALLEN WOODS

Writing on our national holiday for Martin Luther King Jr. and looking ahead to Black History Month in February, the disparity between our country’s professed love for King today and the facts surrounding his life and death are stark. During much of...

Connecting the Dots: Happy birthday Abe. Wish you were here!

By JOHN BOS

I have this long-term relationship with Abraham Lincoln. The reason is that he and I share the same birthday: Feb. 12. My father told me that Lincoln was one of the greatest presidents America has ever had. Still true to this day. So, the saga of...

From Local to Global: Trees our wisest ancestors

By H. PATRICIA HYNES

As I began this piece on trees in forests, woods and parks, a friend asked, why in February? Why didn’t I wait until the deciduous trees were a palette of new spring green crowning the stark brown trunks and branches of winter? The next day, Jan. 7,...

My Turn: High-stakes testing regime the opposite of educating kids

By DOUG SELWYN

We are now a month away from MCAS season, and I urge readers to learn more about the Thrive Act, which would end the MCAS as a graduation requirement, would end district receivership, and would establish a commission to develop an assessment system...