David King: Hamas resistance cannot be overcome with violence

 Why this obsession with Hamas? I must admit I was confused by the column “Victory for Hamas, tragedy for the Palestinians” that appeared in the Sept. 23 Gazette. Although the increasingly popular elected authority Hamas, through its military wing the...

Nancy Stenberg: Question 1 about checks and balances

I would like to set the record straight on why Question 1 calls for an audit of the Legislature. It is not unconstitutional to audit the Legislature. It has been done in the past. As an educator, I support transparency in our government. We have the...

Jennifer Scarlott: Rep. McGovern — Be a standard-bearer for Palestine

“Poor, poor, pitiful me.” The words of the Linda Ronstadt song echo every time I hear Rep. Jim McGovern bemoan the fact that many of his constituents feel he has done nowhere near enough to stop the genocide in Gaza. Mr. McGovern will eagerly tell you...

Leslie Chalmers: Neighborly Kindnesses

As we celebrate National Good Neighbor Day this weekend we should think about all the ways we interact with others. When I have a positive encounter with someone in a shop, on the street, or get a wave from a driver to let me make a turn in traffic, I...

Columnist Susan Wozniak: Newcomers will become part of fabric of country

By SUSAN WOZNIAK

A week or two ago, I overheard an interesting recommendation. A man told his friend that the food at a local restaurant was, “really good.” I found myself at 8 p.m., near the restaurant at six hours past my last meal.The place was empty but the...

Guest columnist Tzivia Gover: Our neighborhood menagerie

By TZIVIA GOVER

Editor’s note: The Gazette is publishing short essays over the next several weeks to mark National Good Neighbor Day on Sept. 28. Have a story about good neighbors in your lives? Send your submission of 500 words or less to...

Stephen Armstrong: The wages of hate

The United States is within, what? — 20,000 or 40,000 votes of electing an utterly unfit man to be president. Millions of us despise him, but no matter what happens, win or lose, we will have to make compromises along the way, no matter how righteous...

Judy Pozar: Auditing the Legislature a ‘waste of time and money’

Ballot Question 1 — to allow the state auditor to audit the Legislature — sounded simple and reasonable enough at first. Then I read the Majority Report in the red “Information for Voters” booklet — a real eye-opener. While the current state auditor...

Julie Caswell: Vote ‘yes’ on CPA funding to restore, upgrade 1888 Building

I am writing to encourage all Deerfield residents to vote “yes” at the Oct. 7 Town Meeting at 6 p.m. to approve spending Community Preservation Act funds to restore and rehabilitate the historic 1888 Building (the old Grammar School on the corner of...

Columnist Carrie N. Baker and Carrie Cuthbert: Do you know your human rights?

By CARRIE N. BAKER and CARRIE CUTHBERT

J.D. Vance’s comments devaluing childless women, Donald Trump’s lies about Haitian immigrants and the Project 2025 agenda to dismantle U.S. civil rights laws show that many current-day Republicans do not believe all people deserve to be treated with...

Sidney Moss: The importance of working for justice for all

I was impressed with learning about the work of Assistant District Attorney Erin Aiello in the Northwestern district attorney’s office on behalf of animals in the article “Animal advocate leads fight for justice” [Gazette, Sept. 23]. It’s wonderful...

Peter Jones: Gun culture has changed

When I was in high school, there were no school shootings. There no mass shootings at all in the United States. If any had happened, it would have been big news, on TV and in all the papers.Once we turned 14, we schoolboys took the NRA hunter safety...

Elaine Frankonis: Elder housing is a crisis

As an octogenarian activist who can no longer march, I worked with my fellow cronies to initiate a national petition urging committed action on the part of the federal government to address the unforgivable crisis in affordable options for senior...

Anna Nagurney: Kudos to the Easthampton Fire Department and to all blood donors

Thanks to Gazette reporter Alexa Lewis for the excellent front-page article on shortages of blood in our region, and thanks to the Easthampton Fire Department for their community blood drive in partnership with the Baystate Health Blood Donor Program...

Ruth Ever: Good Neighbor Day details

We are excited for the Good Neighbor Day activities happening around Saturday, Sept. 28 and appreciated the Gazette story about it [”Good Neighbor Day coming to county,” Sept. 24]. Here is the website for more information and to register for events:...

Guest columnist John Bos: Connecting the dates

By JOHN BOS

 In my life there are four dates that remain unforgettable. And connected for personal and global reasons.Feb. 12: I was born in Dr. Jenny’s home hospital in an old Victorian house in Tonawanda, New York on this day in 1936. Our father was there for...

Guest columnist Tim Walter: Jeanne and Jack make a difference as neighbors

By TIM WALTER

Editor’s note: The Gazette is publishing short essays over the next several weeks to mark National Good Neighbor Day on Sept. 28. Have a story about good neighbors in your lives? Send your submission of 500 words or less to opinion@gazettenet.com.  It...

Kathy Sylvester: Deerfield’s double benefit: preserve history, upgrade town offices

I am writing to encourage all Deerfield residents to attend the Oct. 7 Town Meeting at 6 p.m. and vote “yes” to approve spending CPA funding to restore and rehabilitate the historic 1888 Building into town offices. As chair of the Community...

Northampton School Committee: Eliminate MCAS as graduation requirement

We, the members of the Northampton School Committee, voted unanimously at our Sept. 12 meeting to endorse a “yes” vote on Ballot Question 2 and the elimination of the state test, MCAS, as a graduation requirement. We submit to you the entirety of our...

Peter Scotto: Questions Trump actions at Arlington National Cemetery

When I was 10, I went with my grandmother to visit my great aunt in Silver Springs, Maryland. Her husband, my Uncle Joe, was a Marine who served during World War II and had seen some of the toughest fighting in the Pacific.He took us the visit the...