Opinion
Guest columnist Stephen Fox: Just not ready for clean energy future
By STEPHEN FOX
Lois Ahrens: Priorities of DA and the NPD — Why?
I have to wonder why the Northampton Police Department and the Northwestern District Anti-Crime Task Force decided to invest our tax dollars to set up a sting operation entrapping a man who believed he was paying $40 for a sexual encounter [“DPW chief resigned after sex case surfaced,” Jan. 27].
Peter Scotto: Trump would choke on the Gospel
Honestly, if you simply preached the Gospel to Donald Trump and made him listen, he’d be outraged. All that stuff about loving your enemies, the last shall be the first, and rich men having a hard time getting into heaven? “Radical ideology.”
Karl Meyer: ‘Gulf of Mexico’ a good name, Aztec derived
Dear Mr. President: With all due respect, it’s the “Gulf of Mexico.” As the saying goes: You’re entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts. Recalling President Bill Clinton’s one-time campaign mantra, “It’s the economy, stupid!” and recognizing you as our once-again single-term president, “It’s the Gulf of Mexico, silly!” That’s ground truth, derived from the endemic language of the place.
Charles Schmid Jr.: Time to get things done
The people chose who they wanted. I liked some things he wants to do, some not. It is time to get things done.
Guest columnist Bob Couch: Let’s leave ‘Age of Ignorance’ behind
By BOB COUCH
Paul M. Craig: On reparations
Reparations. For what? For whom? What does this word mean? At its basic level, Reparations means to make someone whole for past wrongs. Today it is usually phrased as “Reparations for Slavery” to be bestowed on descendants of peoples enslaved in pre-13th Amendment America.
Betsy L. Ames: Kennedy as head of HHS might be a silver lining
In an era of massive uncertainty about what the future holds and immense fear about what’s in store during Donald Trump’s presidency, I’m writing in support of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination as head of Health and Human Services, which could be a silver lining in several ways.
Susan Adelson: Zaret — A necessary voice
It was distressing to read about the proposed censure of Councilor Owen Zaret by the Easthampton City Council at the request of School Committee members, only days after witnessing what were unquestionably two enthusiastic Nazi salutes by the richest man in our country at the presidential inauguration of his close friend who is now the most powerful man in our country — and perhaps the world.
Bonnie Cooper: The president and the Corleones
Do you remember “The Godfather” franchise movies? For those who have not seen the movies, they were about a mob boss, his family, and their rise to power.
Henry W. Rosenberg: Trump’s executive orders can’t change reality
On the first day of his second term the president issued an executive order “defending women from gender ideology extremism and restoring biological truth to the federal government.” Under the terms of the order, “It is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes, male and female.” Each American, the president maintains, has a sex that was determined at the moment of conception.
Guest columnist Jonathan Kahane: Holidays just never stop giving
By JONATHAN KAHANE
Guest columnist Jennifer A. Hoffman: Finances a barrier for The Arc and clients
By JENNIFER A. HOFFMAN
Colleen C. Currie: Thank you, dog helper
Thank you to the woman who I stopped in her car coming out of Westwood at Ryan Road and asked for help corralling my friend’s dog. You pulled into the driveway the dog had taken, called to her and got her to stop running. I was able to re-harness and leash her, and get her home safely. Thank you!
Stephanie Vignone: Fact-checking piece noteworthy
I just opened this morning’s paper, and started reading the commentary “Fact-checking Trump’s 2025 inaugural address” [Gazette, Jan. 22]. I really appreciated this commentary, and hope that such resources continue to be available through your paper over the next four years. Thank you.
Alexander Sackett Roseman: Antisemitism drive requires support, not punishment
As city councilor, Owen Zaret has been a consistent advocate against antisemitism — a concern in Easthampton, given multiple incidents in the public schools mirroring the rise in antisemitic activity across Massachusetts. Even with successfully passing multiple City Council resolutions, Zaret has continued pushing for action. Yet the Easthampton School Committee has dismissed Zaret’s continued efforts, resulting in a formal censure motion for the charge of following up on his requests for actual change.
Columnist Richard Fein: Can anything good happen with Trump?
By RICHARD FEIN
Guest columnist Gene Stamell: The Waiting Room — Doing the limbo
By GENE STAMELL
Guest columnist Michael Marvin: Preparing for what’s ahead
By MICHAEL MARVIN
Guest columnist John Paradis: Time for a People’s Cabinet
By JOHN PARADIS
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A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.

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