Opinion
My Turn: And now they want to arm our children?
By ROB OKUN
Days in January: 31. Number of mass shootings in the United States as of Jan. 31: 52. (I pray the number hasn’t gone up by the time you read this.)From cries of madness to tears of rage; from citizen fury to congressional prayers, we careen toward a...
My Turn: When TV stokes the fires of racism
By STEVEN E. KRAMER
The brutal killing of Tyre Nichols by five Memphis police officers resulted in their prompt dismissal and initiation of murder prosecutions against them. Anyone who witnessed footage of the officers’ actions has to be saddened and...
Charlemont Historical Commission wants say in Indigenous statue’s future
By BELLA LEVAVI
CHARLEMONT — After not meeting for many years, the Historical Commission came together this week to request to be part of the discussion about altering the Native American statue outside the Native and Himalayan Views souvenir shop on Route 2.“I...
Property taxes
Often I am asked about Greenfield’s property tax rate and why it is one of the highest in Massachusetts. Here is a quick explanation. Tax rate and tax bill are not the same thing. As we have seen this year, the rate dropped. One big reason for this...
As I See It: Leaving ‘only ten million dollars’
By JON HUER
On May 18, 2021, while processing their divorce, Bill Gates and his wife Melinda confirmed their decision to leave “only 10 million dollars” for each of their three children, a pledge they had made earlier (the oldest being 17 at the time). Indeed,...
My Turn: Early detection = better outcomes
By JIM and LISA MCGOVERN
You have cancer. Words nobody ever wants to hear — but each year, nearly two million of our fellow Americans hear them. More than 600,000 die annually after battling these diseases, including over 12,000 people in Massachusetts alone.But it does not...
My Turn: The costs of transportation
By RICHARD WITTY
There are amazing transportation assets and services locally, most prominently the free Franklin Regional Transit Authority (FRTA) and its inexpensive driving services for seniors.Still, the majority of transportation needs in Franklin County are met...
Climate activists irksome
Please! Climate activists stop telling me how to live my life. We are all well aware liberals, especially activists would rather pass a law to control your life. They loath debate or compromise.The latest “the sky is falling” mantra? Activists want to...
Police violence
I watched the videos of the “arrest” of Tyre Nichols released by the Memphis Police Department. Holy Crap. The beating I saw should never have happened. Mr. Nichols died. Police officers are charged with murder. No one stepped in to stop it. I saw at...
My Turn: Guilty or not guilty?
By GENE STAMELL
My mother was a big advocate for guilt. “Guilt builds character,” she would say. “If you feel some guilt, you will become a better person.” I’m not sure her opinion influenced my choice of spouse, but my wife of 43 years once told me that she has...
Columnist J.M. Sorrell: Sneetches on the beaches
By J.M. Sorrell
Ray Bradbury’s classic book, “Fahrenheit 451,” shows a dystopian fascist future where people take pills and watch state-run TV to stay compliant in a world where books are outlawed and burned when found. The only hope for the future of humanity is the...
My Turn: Tech gadgets and the classroom
By STEPHEN HUSSEY
The recent column “Chalk Talk: An AI earthquake in eduction” (Recorder, Jan. 21), betrays the peculiar assumption that whatever new toy tech has trundled out has to be worked into the nation’s classrooms whether we like it or not. This nearly...
My Turn: A call to protect my friends in Palestine
By SHERRILL HOGEN
I was in Palestine last October. It had been three COVID years since I had seen my adoptive family there. I prepared for the trip by buying gifts for all eight of them: my “sister,” her husband, their six grown children, and innumerable grandchildren....
McCarthy and the debt ceiling
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy: If you want to sit down with President Joe Biden to talk about lifting the debt ceiling, you pledge that Social Security and Medicare would not be cut. Really?Social Security and Medicare have nothing to do with the...
Local to Global: Greenfield Shops for Peace
By H. PATRICIA HYNES
Signs abound in Greenfield’s downtown shop windows, among them PEACE, ART NOT WAR, FOOD FOR ALL NOT WAR, SOLAR NOT WAR, MAKE TEA NOT WAR. Why have so many shop owners and institutions, including the Greenfield Library and Greenfield Community...
My Turn: January thaw
By JUDY WAGNER
So for a while it looked like all of January was going to be a thaw. Once, the January thaw was a short reprieve, a brief reminder that winter would eventually end. This year after one hard cold snap we were left wondering when winter might begin.One...
Ghandi and civilization
Makes sense … sadly. In our current U.S. of A., political, social, and supposedly philosophical society, this astute reply to a journalist’s question was given by Mohandas “Mahatma” Gandhi. Journalist: What do you think of western civilization?...
Greenfield should consider existing police staffing models
Why not follow or try the local police staffing model that is being successfully used by by both Deerfield and Montague to keep each of their town's 24-hour police coverage ? A small base staff for the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift and then backups are...
New forest visioning process may be needed
I am writing in response to several letters arguing either management or no-management as the best path to protect Massachusetts’ forests. It seems more reasonable to think that both approaches need to be taken into account. In fact, this was the...
Advice for the mayor
I have been a supporter and a long-time friend of Mayor RoxannWedergartner. I have some advice for her. It is time to give Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. walking papers. The man has cost the town a lot of money. He was found guilty of racial bias by...
