Columnist Susan Wozniak: Tracking my life through a small place

By SUSAN WOZNIAK

I have no idea when or why I decided that I wanted to live in Massachusetts. Maybe, it was its history, or, its intellectual reputation. Maybe, it was the beautiful photographs that graced the calendars that oil companies handed out. The ones printed...

As I See It: Ignorance, stupidity completely different

By JON HUER

American society is now facing a choice between capitalist democracy (if Democrats win) and fascist democracy (if Trump wins). Whichever side wins, both capitalists and fascists —as advertisers do — count on one cardinal weakness that is abundant...

Guest columnist William Lambers: Expand child tax credit to reduce hunger and poverty

By WILLIAM LAMBERSCongress can take action against hunger and poverty by bringing back the expanded child tax credit that was so successful in 2021. They can start by voting in favor of the bipartisan tax proposal put forward by Senate Finance...

My Turn: Preparing for Earth holiday: Imbolc

By JOHN WALTER

What is Imbolc? It is the day halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.If the winter solstice represents the death of the year, then Imbolc represents the birth of the new year.In our country we give fancy to groundhogs and their...

My Turn: Lulled by culture’s unthinking vapidity

By ALAN HARRIS

Our Barnum and Bailey world gets more bizarre every day. Nothing astonishes. My core beliefs, however, are my guides. There’s always a higher way. There’s always a world where we know morality from apostasy, or renunciation of core beliefs.We’re...

My Turn: EMF bills put protection from growing exposure on the table

By JONATHAN MIRIN

It takes courage to be even a little ahead of the curve as an elected representative. We see this on the federal level, where typically bills are passed that are already law in many states.In the arena of safe technology — legislation that attempts to...

Amy MacKenzie: Safety of kids at risk on city’s roads

I am a school bus driver, one of several well-trained, dedicated individuals. When we get behind the wheel of a bus we are keenly aware of the extraordinary responsibility that we choose to accept. We are deeply committed to safely transport our kids,...

Reenie Grybko Clancy: More old-school words

Excellent My Turn “Old-school words” [Recorder, Dec. 30], Ms. Wosniak. May I add some more to the list and also how “old-school” folks like me (turning 81 this March) communicate? Remember fiddlesticks or oopsydaisy?Now let’s return to the era of...

My Turn: Inching toward zero carbon living

By NANCY HAZARD

As a person greatly concerned about our climate, I want to tell you my story of pursuing living more lightly on the Earth professionally and personally.In 1974 I was a “solar home” builder, then I became an employee of the Northeast Sustainable...

My Turn: Dems need a border solution

By ANNE-LOUISE SMALLEN

Immigration is a serious problem for Democrats in the 2024 presidential election. As everything else in the country, it is polarized and lacks a middle road solution.Many Americans fear a return to Donald Trump’s policies of separating families or...

My Turn: Cost of child part of financial literacy

By JUDITH TRUESDELL

I usually skip over the Beacon Hill roll call page, but the headline on Jan. 20 caught my eye: “Students must take a financial literacy course,” proposed as a new requirement before graduation.“The components of the curriculum would include the...

Christine Noyes: Vote Davis for Select Board in Orange

I am writing in support of Julie N. Davis for Select Board in the Feb. 5 town election in Orange. Julie’s commitment to the betterment of Orange is evident by her volunteer efforts with several town organizations. Due to her organizational and...

Tamara Grogan: Not so easy for refugees to get fuel assistance

I read the opinion piece “Fuel Assistance for Who?” [Recorder, Jan. 21] and respectfully disagree with its premise. I’ve tried to get fuel assistance (for Afghan refugees specifically). It’s hard! The application process asks for a lot of paperwork...

Robert Fairchild: Have we forgotten compassion?

It amazes me that someone can complain about fuel assistance to “refugees” and close out their letter asking how “cruel and unfair can human beings be to other human beings?” [“Fuel assistance for who?” Recorder, Jan. 21]. Does the writer not see the...

Guest columnist David Hernández: Climate, refugees, and the golden rule

By DAVID HERNÁNDEZ

Political hypocrisy is the norm for our times. One shameful example of partisan duplicity is the persistent xenophobic vilification of migrants and asylum seekers arriving to the United States in order to boost one’s political scorecard. Two repeat...

My Turn: The perfect retirement

By MICHAEL FLECK

Most people consider Secretariat to be the greatest racehorse who ever lived. If you watch the grainy YouTube video of his final race of the Triple Crown, you might not believe your eyes: He won that race by an astonishing 31 lengths, and his official...

Annette Pfannebecker: Congress must find solutions to stop death toll in Gaza 

Ten U.S. senators joined Sen. Bernie Sanders to pass Resolution 502B© under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. This resolution simply asks the State Department for a report on human rights records of any country receiving U.S. military assistance....

Abby Escobar: Evidence lacking for fuel assistance claim

I recently read an opinion piece in which the writer states that the people at fuel assistance “Give assistance to all these ‘refugees’ that come into the state before the people that were born in Massachusetts.” [“Fuel assistance for who?” Recorder,...

My Turn: The question never asked or answered

By CARL DOERNER

The Sept 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center echoed a devastating coup on Sept. 11, 1973 supported by Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, by General Augusto Pinochet against the elected government of Salvador Allende in Chile. In retaliations,...

My Turn: No justice, no peace, no ‘victors’

By PATRICK MCGREEVY

Fifteen years after the 1607 founding of the New World’s first permanent British settlement at Jamestown, a group of Powhatan warriors attacked white settlers, killing almost 350. The brutality of the attack stunned settlers, and inspired the...