Columns

In the Arena: Pitiful Montague numbers

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Monday’s Montague annual town election was a big one for the incumbents, but not necessarily the democratic process. In a three-way race for selectman, incumbent Chris Boutwell won his second three-year term, easily outdistancing newcomers Jacobo Roque and Matthew McMullin. The three-way tussle for Gill-Montague School Committee was a little closer, with incumbents Marge Levenson and Joyce Phillips taking the two top spots … 0

Jim Culleny: Did Marx have it right?

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

In an example of how things can turn — not on a dime maybe, but on a kopek or a dollar— it could be Karl Marx was right after all. Marx’s assessment of capitalism’s tendency to inevitably suck the marrow of the masses, might be turning out just as he predicted. If your patriot heart recoils at this, think “austerity” for the masses … 0

My Turn: The many faces of GCC

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Earlier this spring, I was given the privilege of addressing the members and supporters of the Greenfield Community College Foundation at its “Changing Lives Through Education” annual fund campaign kickoff event. For me, it was the perfect opportunity to represent the thousands of students who have been helped through the support and volunteer fundraising efforts of these and many more wonderful people over … 0

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Treating addiction as an ailment not a crime
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Letter: Cigarette tax
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In the Arena: Pitiful Montague numbers
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Arts & Entertainment Calendar: May 23 to May 29
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Virtual school details lacking

Thursday, March 28, 2013

It became pretty apparent while watching last Thursday night’s Greenfield School Committee meeting that the only thing Massachusetts school officials really know about the new law governing virtual schools is what to name them. “It’s a ‘commonwealth virtual school,’ a unique entity,” Jeffrey Wulfson, state deputy commissioner of … 0

March 22, 2013

Self-serving playbook

Monday, March 25, 2013

I was recently reminded of a nasty piece of self-serving logic that rivals anything concocted by Republicans at the height of the voter suppression movement during the last election (and which continues today), i.e., a report issued by … 0

Congress fails on guns

Sunday, March 24, 2013

I can’t say I’m surprised at the fact that a proposed federal ban on assault weapons has failed to get enough support in Congress to go forward. And I have to say I’m not particularly disappointed, either. I’ve … 0

Wrestling with decisions

Thursday, March 21, 2013

For fans of the drama that often accompanies the politics of public education, 2013 has been a bit of a push-back year for at least two local school committees. The Mohawk School Committee, in response to public pressure and despite the protest of a number of officials, restored … 0

Rising up horizontally

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

It was my privilege to attend the recent kickoff celebration for the GCC Foundation 2013 Annual Campaign “Changing Lives Through Education.” This gathering of individuals, whose lives were touched by GCC and are now supporters or students or college employees or alumni or, in many cases, some or … 0

Culprit in gun violence

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

You hear Obama over and over again blaming guns and video games for the violence that keeps erupting across the land, but he never mentions Hollywood. Many feel that the violent films produced are the main culprits. Why … 0

Our young peacemakers

Thursday, May 16, 2013

How do we begin to change a culture of violence? How do we nurture the ways of peace? How do we recognize agents of that change who are among us now? How do we encourage the next generation to embrace peace? A number of years ago, members of … 0

Source of great mistrust

Sunday, March 17, 2013

One of the things the recent movie “Lincoln” shows quite well is the depth of the divisions that existed during the Civil War — not just between the Union and Confederate sides, but also between factions in the North. For example, diehard Abolitionists like Thaddeus Stevens (portrayed by … 0

Living with consequences

Friday, March 15, 2013

On March 20, 2003, the United States launched a mammoth aerial bombardment of missiles and bombs on Baghdad in what then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld gleefully described as a “shock and awe” onslaught the world had never seen. … 0

Small town politics

Thursday, March 14, 2013

I’ve often said that the most intriguing political stories are often found in the smallest towns and that certainly seems to be the case these days in Franklin County. Montague Center School It looks like the next battle over the redevelopment of the Montague Center School will take … 0

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