Opinion
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...
Wild forests play an important role
It is important when reporting on Gov. Maura Healey’s planned logging moratorium, to include the importance of keeping our forests wild for the benefit of the people, who should be the ones to benefit from our public lands. While it is true that some...
My Turn: We all wear armor
By CAROLE GARIEPY
We all wear armor, yes we do. Sometimes we wear a full suit, sometimes just a small breastplate. A recent trip to the Worcester Art Museum made me think about armor in a broader way.The museum was gifted with the vast armor collection from the Higgins...
My Turn: East-west rail and the wonders of Swiss transit
By Jonathan Kahane
Grüezi mitenand. After a three-year hiatus, I find myself back in Switzerland again visiting family and friends. Before Covid, I would come here to enjoy camaraderie, alpine vistas, skiing, hiking, chocolate, watches, cheese, it’s touted “purist...
Dropped Senior Center services
The recent firing of a dance instructor at the Greenfield Senior Center brings to mind the similar actions of the same director in forcing the shut down of free tax preparation a few years back.At that time, theses services were provided at the old...
As I See It: Why we fail our New Year’s resolutions
By JON HUER
The Week magazine (Jan. 20) has an interesting article on why people fail with their New Year’s resolutions (80% of them by February). Why do we fail to maintain our own self-promises?Naturally, the Week magazine asks psychologists who typically...
Connecting the Dots: Group action is a time-honored tradition
By JOHN BOS
Our embattled planet’s capacity to sustain humankind’s “lifestyle” is about to run out.Global warming has increased the number of extreme weather events around the world by 400% since the 1980s. Countries really do know how to stop these events: just...
Seeking veterans for war memorial
I am writing as chairman of the Bernardston Veterans Memorial Committee. We are in the process of updating the Veterans Memorial in Cushman Park and will be adding names to honor those that have served since we dedicated the current memorial, in 2002....
John Howard: Induction stoves are safer and save money
There’s been a lot in the press about how bad gas stoves are for your health. They can cause asthma in children and have other gases which are not terribly good for adults (www.ecowatch.com/gas-stoves-asthma-children.html). Using the range exhaust...
My Turn: FERC is failing New England’s Great River
By KARL MEYER
On Jan. 12, 2023, Vince Yearick, director of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Division of Hydropower Licensing, gave a new fat gift to FirstLight Power for its Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Station in Massachusetts. Parent-owned...
Turn back Doomsday Clock with Eisenhower Plan
By WILLIAM LAMBERS
With the Doomsday Clock now 90 seconds to midnight, the closest to nuclear war ever, it’s clear diplomacy must be brought back into action to reduce the threat.The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists just made the annual Doomsday Clock announcement...
My Turn: Netanyahu’s new government — What does it mean for Israel?
By Richard Fein
The new coalition government in Israel is the most ultra-nationalist, theocratic in that nation’s history. Many of Israel’s friends are deeply concerned about Israel’s future as a Jewish Democratic State living up to the ethical standards enshrined in...
City Council and police funding
Last week, Greenfield Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. made an aggrieved presentation to City Council claiming that he has to cut the night shift because the Council defunded the police, and he said that this would make our town unsafe. But the council’s...
Calling Democrats evil
I take exception to the use of the word "evil" when describing Democrats in the recent letter “New bill on abortion,” (Recorder, Jan. 21). This country is deeply divided along political lines, and the situation is not helped when people write letters...
Debt ceiling battle
After reading the article by reporter Greg Vine on the front-page of Tuesday’s Recorder about the impending debt ceiling battle, and U.S. Rep McGovern’s take on it, I felt that his one sided perspective deserves a response (“McGovern: Debt ceiling...
Appreciate column on Ukraine
We would like to commend Dr. DavideGottsegen for his insightful column, “As war rolls on, support for Ukraine must continue,” in the Jan. 20 Recorder. He eloquently and correctly condenses the issues, outlines the over 1,000 year history of Ukraine...
Wants aggressive action by City Council
Having refused to accept responsibility for racism in their promotion decisions, Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. and Mayor RoxannWedegartner are now fighting their war with the City Council at the expense of the safety of the people of Greenfield,...
