Miriam and Mike Kurland: Our congressional delegation must fight for everyday people

We are writing to urge elected officials to do everything in their power to protect everyday people in our community instead of enabling President Donald Trump's tax breaks for billionaires and corporate polluters.

Dr. Jeffrey Zesiger: A light for hope

Although I am not a Catholic, I was fascinated to hear Pope Leo XIV speak for the first time to the world. His call to come together for peace touched me. In his first Mass, he spoke of lighting the dark places. His message took away a weight on my heart. What a powerful realization. I am a hospice and palliative care doctor and work with people of all backgrounds when serious illness threatens their comfort and lives. My goal is to listen and then offer care. My joy at work is to foster hope by lightening their load. Small actions and ideas do make a difference. They foster hope, they are the antidote to apathy and despair. We can come together and stand up for truth and democracy. One small step for democracy leads to others. My “prescription” for us all is to bring light into our lives and rekindle hope in our hearts. To that effect, I have started putting a light in my window every night as a sign of hope. I invite you to join in this light for democracy in your home. Thank you.

David Glassberg: Democracy in North America

In the recent Canadian election, a nation of 40 million elected 343 members of Parliament, each representing 117,000 people. In the most recent U.S. election, a nation of a 331 million elected 435 members of Congress, each representing 761,000 people. Perhaps Canadians feel less alienated from their government because their representatives serve constituencies only 1/6 as big. The number of members in the U.S. House is not specified in the Constitution. It grew steadily until Congress voted to cap it at it 435 in 1929. The U.S. population then was 125 million, so each member of Congress represented 282,000 people. As recently as 2000, when the U.S. population was 261 million, each member of Congress represented 646,000 people. Congress voting to cap the number of constituents in each district at 646,000 rather than capping the total number of districts would raise the number of House members to 512; if Congress capped the number of constituents in each district at 575,000 , what it was in 1990, the number of House members would rise to 576. This change would not require a constitutional amendment, only Congress voting to lift the cap on the number of congressional districts it arbitrarily imposed in 1929. The House chamber, which currently seats 850 for a State of the Union address, 450 on the floor, 400 in the gallery, could easily be remodeled to seat 450 on the floor, 200 in a mezzanine, and 200 in the gallery and still leave room for future growth.

Guest columnist Jon Huer: Right is left and left is right

By JON HUER

Margaret Smith: Helping our immigrant neighbors

In his May 17 guest column titled, “Paths to advocate for humane treatment of immigrants,” writer Judson Brown tells us ways we can be helpful to our immigrant neighbors, including recent refugees. Brown reports that, under Trump, federal funds have been cut off to the three local agencies that led resettlement efforts for refugees — Ascentria Care Alliance (a Lutheran organization), Catholic Charities, and Jewish Family Services of Western Massachusetts. Brown highlights some of the groups who have arrived recently and have been living here legally, and he points out the Trump administration’s “systematic effort to destroy seemingly almost all sanctioned pathways to legal residency by folks seeking a better life here.”

Shirley Majewski: Dog shelter in Deerfield

I had to laugh when I read about the protest from the neighbors on Plain Road East in South Deerfield about the traffic concerns and noise. We also live in South Deerfield on a street with three houses and get over 1,000 cars, trucks, buses, and farm vehicles daily plus we have noisy AMTRAK.

Peter Weitzman: Questions for Republicans

Like millions of people in this country, as well as much of the rest of the world, I am stunned by the rapid deterioration of America, our values, Constitution and role in being a positive force in the world. I would like to ask our local Republican thought leaders some questions in this regard: Are you OK with our president “not knowing” whether he must adhere to the Constitution? Are you fine with vastly increasing our debt by extending tax cuts overwhelmingly benefiting the wealthy, while cutting health care, food, housing and education for our most vulnerable citizens (let alone cutting foreign aid that will now lead to potentially millions of deaths)? Are you totally fine with our president enriching himself and his family to the tune of billions of dollars by having a completely transactional approach to foreign countries regardless of human rights or ethical concerns (but Hunter Biden!)? Do you agree with investing in coal, cutting investment in renewables, while also slashing funding for cutting edge technologies that China will be, and already is dominating? Likewise, do you agree with slashing spending and grants previously used to hire scientists and researchers in health care, science and technology? Do you think this administration’s current policies are making American a more democratic society, promoting freedom and democratic values worldwide, or a more authoritarian, autocratic society, emboldening dictatorships and autocratic governments worldwide? I await your answers.

Rich and Sue Cairn: Two realities beyond the big lie of the 2020 election

Two huge realities threaten America. Neither threat comes from immigrants. The first is caused by the seizure of our economy and politics by a handful of rich elites in tech, finance, media, real estate and insurance, with devastating impacts on working Americans, immigrants and citizens alike. This DOGE-Trump-led elite hijacked the U.S. government to steal our assets. They fired federal workers and canceled grants, but not to save money. Indeed, DOGE has cost us billions. Instead, their real goal is to destroy governments so that we depend only on them. The Republican Party lost its long-held goals to uphold the law and to empower the little guy, and now seeks only to aid corruption. America is also rapidly losing control over the natural resources that make our economy and our lives possible. This threat comes not from a trade imbalance nor a drop in energy production. It is caused by Trump-MAGA’s sellout to rich elites in oil-gas, mining, tech and chemicals. They shut down federal efforts to protect our air, water and land, endangering our very existence. Climate change is already driving intense new levels of floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires and pollution. It will get worse. It is not hard to find the reality beyond the lies: The Guardian, NPR, AP, New York Times, Washington Post (still), Boston Globe and our own Daily Hampshire Gazette share real news. There are a thousand ways to connect and to help build a just and sustainable future to address these realities.

Columnist Susan Wozniak: The life and death of a cookbook

By SUSAN WOZNIAK

It was 1976, an election year as well as the first year of my marriage. We were to live in an apartment complex. The apartments had two bedrooms, an overly large living room, a closet disguised as a kitchen and just enough space for a table for four adults. In other words, pretty much the opposite of what I would choose. I visited on a weekend three weeks before the wedding and suggested we look in a neighborhood established during the early years of the 20th century. “But my mother picked this out for us,” he said. “A place for the elderly,” I answered.

Guest columnists Martha Hanner and Ash Hartwell: Amherst CRESS program vital for racial, social justice

By MARTHA HANNER and ASH HARTWELL

We are deeply concerned regarding the potential cutback of funding for CRESS in the proposed FY2026 town operating budget being presented to the Town Council. In the aftermath of the national reaction to George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the council passed a resolution, committing Amherst to ending structural racism and achieving racial equity.

Bob Cilman and Julia van IJken: Smith College’s response to plagiarism incident poorly handled

All of us at Young@Heart were so proud to hear that Evelyn Harris, one of our newest and youngest singers, was to receive an honorary degree at Smith College this spring. She has been such a great addition to our group, and such an inspiration to all of us — as she has been to many others. We were saddened by the way Smith College has chosen to humiliate Evelyn in public by accusing her of plagiarizing parts of her acceptance speech. Evelyn has informed us that her speech was submitted to Smith College in early May, and was edited by them for length. Surely the question of plagiarism could have been brought to her attention at that point, avoiding the drama and spectacle that has unfolded now?

Ellen Agard: Civil War tablets, gender-neutral bathrooms

In regards to the May 17 article (“Feds strip Jones of $1M grant), I read with dismay that an Amherst resident appealed to DOGE and federal officials to halt funding for the planned Humanities Center. Apparently this resident took exception to the Civil War tablets and gender neutral bathroom aspects of the project. This shows a chilling disregard for the history and people of Amherst. I sincerely hope that the Civil War tablets and exhibit will find their promised home in the new library. The tablets list the names of all 300 or more local residents who fought in the Civil War, regardless of “color.” The exhibit showcases and honors the 54th MA Volunteer Regiment and Calvary. Yes, these soldiers were Black. Yes, there have been people of many ethnic backgrounds in Amherst for hundreds of years — including the Bridges family whose efforts preserve and commemorate this part of our history. I am happy that the library will have climate-controlled space for our famous literary figures. They, too, are an important part of our history, but only a part. As for gender neutral bathrooms, please, this is 2025. We can do better, as I hope that the Jones Library will continue to demonstrate.

Guest columnist Al Norman: 50 ways to site your solar

By AL NORMAN

A year ago, state Sen. Jo Comerford sent a letter to the Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, regarding energy infrastructure siting and permitting.

Brooks Ballenger: State legislators, governor must stand up for our communities

As the Trump administration’s immigration authorities detain, imprison and transport residents of our communities, the silence and inaction of our state leaders is shameful. Worse still, Gov. Maura Healey is constantly repeating that “Massachusetts is not a sanctuary state.” Incredibly, she seems to have more sympathy for the ICE thugs than for their victims.

Columnist Carrie N. Baker: ‘War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength.’ — 1984 in 2025

By CARRIE N. BAKER

As someone who has taught and fought for women’s rights for close to four decades, I find it intensely frustrating how the Trump administration is weaponizing feminist rhetoric and law to attack women’s rights. Claiming to defend women’s rights, they are eliminating hard-fought gains for women and twisting laws meant to protect women’s rights into tools to destroy them. We are plunging into a world eerily similar to George Orwell’s novel “1984.”

Alex Kent: A call for leadership

I have sent the following message to Congressman Jim McGovern and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and I would like to share it here: I am honored to have you as my representative in Congress, but I must ask you now to step outside of your comfort zone as a representative and a lawmaker. I am asking you to become a leader. Our country is now under the control of a man of the lowest, most dangerous character. In the Trump regime, as they say in Russian, “Dna ne sushchestvuet,” which means “there is no bottom.” I am asking you, imploring you, to join with other Democratic leaders in the House and Senate to call a general strike. It is time to shut the country down, even at risk that MAGA cult members will bring out their guns and shoot people in the streets, even at risk that the regime will declare martial law and order American troops to use violence to suppress protest by the American people. It is time for millions and millions of Americans to take to the streets and take down this vile and intolerably corrupt regime. At a recent town hall meeting in Northampton, a member of the audience shouted out a question to Jim McGovern: “How will you lead us?” Perhaps as your constituents, it is incumbent on all of us to rise up in massive protest. But the fact remains that we need we need leadership to make these protests happen. Without action now, our democracy will be permanently destroyed and the entire world put in jeopardy. Please lead us!

Guest columnist Ann Darling: Gov. Healey makes an undemocratic wrong turn

By ANN DARLING

I’ve gotta hand it to Gov. Maura Healey. She’s running a sharp strategy to get nuclear power back in the mix of Massachusetts power sources. Last legislative session, it was sneaking a provision that redefined nuclear power as “clean” into a high-stakes, last-minute bill that was also chock full of good things that lots of people wanted. In fact, nuclear power is filthy; the radioactive waste it creates contaminates and kills for generations.

My Turn: A year after UMass’ mass arrests, the damage lingers

By NANCY E. GROSSMAN

In the end, the dispute came down to about 15 tents and a fence loosely constructed of wooden pallets that had collectively been up for less than a day. But this small encampment was enough to trigger an ill-considered decision by first-year UMass Amherst Chancellor Javier Reyes that cost taxpayers more than half a million dollars and drove a likely permanent wedge between the administration and some of the UMass community.

Kelsey Flynn: Heartily endorse Laurie Loisel for Ward 3 city councilor

I am writing to heartily endorse Laurie Loisel as a candidate for Ward 3 city councilor. I’m a fan of Laurie’s work from her days as a Daily Hampshire Gazette reporter. Her stories were thoroughly researched, covering all angles of a particular issue and asking questions of multiple sources to get to the heart of the matter. Ward 3 will gain a lot with this kind of dedication to seeking the truth and understanding of an issue; now more than ever, we need this kind of effective representation. I’m excited to vote for her this fall and hope my Ward 3 neighbors will join me!

Steve Gigliotti: There is still kindness around

Thursday evening a small crowd of mostly senior music fans were waiting for the doors to open at the Parlor Room for singer-songwriter John Gorka. The forecast had said no rain. So, of course it decided to rain. Light, then heavy. Some had brought their umbrellas, many had not. My wife was trying to stay a little bit dry under the scant cover of a tree. A gentleman came walking by, with his umbrella. He paused, then walked over and handed his umbrella to my wife. And then walked away on down the street. Simply donating his umbrella to my wife. After the show, I left his umbrella on the front porch of the Parlor Room, hoping he might walk by and see it. Thank you sir. Your act fit perfectly with Gorka’s music.