Jeanne Allen and Nick Mottern: A hopeful message

A standing ovation for the Valley’s branch of the Jewish Voice For Peace’s recent contribution to the Gazette [“Common cause for Palestinians and Jews,” column, Dec. 27]. Not just for their hopeful message alone, but also for their actions: their...

Pam Hyjek: The twisted real estate market

Does it occur to anyone else that this real estate market is absolutely not for anyone who is actually seeking housing?The sky-high lending rates help no one (except the lenders), as it stands, and no seller will even consider a buyer who needs...

Alex Kent: Table saws demand respect

As a part-time woodworker and carpenter, I was happy to see that a German company has bought and is operating a wood- and metalworking company in Northampton [“A luxurious acquisition,” Gazette, Jan. 11]. I was surprised, however, at the front-page...

Joseph Morse: Where is your voice?

Has anyone fasted for Sudan? 10,000-plus dead. Thousands more wounded. Russia and Ukraine? Russia’s military casualties are approaching 300,000. The number includes as many as 120,000 deaths and 170,000 to 180,000 injured troops.The Russian numbers...

Guest columnists Mark Reynolds and Linda Butler: Energy alternatives will protect Americans from blackouts 

By MARK REYNOLDS and LINDA BUTLER

As we reflect on a year of unprecedented weather events, we must move into the new year embracing a diverse mix of power options to protect Americans from blackouts and climate extremes.While Massachusetts escaped the worst of the U.S. heat waves this...

Mary Hall: Time to help Russia understand

The Jan. 4 edition of the Gazette includes the column “Why we must not let Ukraine fail.” A response can be, “Why we must permit Russia to fail” — that is to say, we must establish conditions in which the Kremlin can safely admit that giving up their...

Norah Dooley: Aggressive action needed on logging and forest protection 

The recent article on forestry underplays the urgency of immediate, drastic action needed to combat climate change [“Reports point way toward climate goals,” Gazette, Jan. 4].The new reports from the governor’s Climate Forestry Committee shows us that...

Robert Freedman: Ukraine needs help to determine their own fate

Recent guest columnist John Haag addressed Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine asserting it was “essential to empathize with Russia’s national security concerns” [“A call for peace: Ending the war in Ukraine,” Gazette, Jan. 5]. Putin would agree....

Peter M. Haas: How ‘green’ will that cement plant be?

It is great that a company will be manufacturing “green” cement locally [“Clean cement plant to employ 70,” Gazette, Jan. 10]. However, “green” production is a very difficult concept to pin down, particularly in cement production, which is one of the...

Betty Ussach-Schwartz: Trump manipulating judicial system

Awaiting the outcomes of a vast array of criminal and civil cases filed in state and federal courts, it becomes apparent that Donald Trump will appeal every conviction, monetary award and motion denied, thereby delaying any accountability and ensuring...

Guest columnist Bob Nagle: Treat, street, repeat

By BOB NAGLE

According to Frontiers in Psychiatry, 3.06% of people living with bipolar disorder experience psychiatric hospitalization. Upon awakening, I found myself emotionally mired in a wellspring of despond. What happened? My life of strife...

Sara Weinberger: Distorting relationship between AIPAC and U.S. Jewish community

The recent letter to the editor “Does AIPAC really represent the U.S. Jewish community?” [Gazette, Jan 3] propagates the trope that Jews, represented by AIPAC, have an inordinate amount of power to impact President Joe Biden’s support of the Netanyahu...

Rachael Naismith: Biden best choice for president

I read with interest the recent article by Annie Karni and Steve Eder in which they quoted Speaker Mike Johnson saying in 2015 that Donald Trump was unfit and dangerous for the office of president. It’s about time that Democrats started talking about...

Phyllis Muldoon: A MassSAVE mini-split mess

Your front page article about heat pumps and the state’s goal to have 2.8 million homes equipped with these by 2050, while interesting in its angle, doesn’t begin to tell the story of what is required by MassSAVE in order to reap incentives which...

Sophy Burnham: More exposure needed on Medicare Advantage

Thank you for the Jan. 2 guest column "Medicare Advantage, and disadvantages," and the front page article about the activists fighting abuses by this private insurance. I switched to Medicare Advantage a year ago, thinking how nice to get dental and...

Columnist Karen Gardner: Name That President

By KAREN GARDNER

It’s the Name That President game show! And you, our contestants, are here to show your mettle and knowledge by matching the correct president to his statements and accomplishments. What fun!In today’s game, you have a choice between President X and...

David Glassberg: Climate action doesn’t have to be ‘all or nothing’

As somewhat of a climate activist, I see that a letter to the editor about the challenges of taking Amtrak to New York City published on Jan. 1, a response to that letter published on Jan. 5, and an article about heat pumps published on Jan. 3 share...

Lori Goldner: Be mindful of vehicle idling

As the winter gets colder, the Amherst Energy and Climate Action Committee would like to encourage all drivers to remain mindful of their vehicle idling habits. While protection from the cold is important, idling a car for longer than five minutes is...

Guest columnist Iyko Day: Haunted by answers

By IYKO DAY

I would like to respond to Jonathan Kahane’s guest column of Dec. 29, “Haunted by questions with no good answers.” His column presents a series of rhetorical questions as a conceit to disguise his ideological defense of Israel’s genocidal bombardment...

Nick Fleisher: Sensible regs lower gun mortality rates

A recent letter pined for a time in the past when people could carry their shotguns and .22s in the back of their cars and enjoy their hunting pastime [“A different time with guns,” Gazette, Dec. 13]. No one shot each other and society was...