Between the Lines: Rapid Fire

The national news polls suggest that the majority of Americans support more gun control. You wouldn't know it from the mail I get. Whenever I write about the plague of gun violence, I get a huge blowback from the gun lovers of America. The rabid response of the...

Letters: No Soldier Left Behind

In Tom Vannah’s cover story about the film War Made Easy (“Presidents, Pundits and Propaganda,” Sept. 27, 2007), he refers to U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee of California as “the lone vote in Congress against the Iraq War.” This is inaccurate...

The World This Week: Good Guys Finish Last

There seems to be an unwritten and immutable rule in American politics that the candidate who stands little or no chance of being elected gets to tell the truth. This holds as true on the local level—where the town crank calls out the evil mega-buck Potter...
Better than Barnum

Better than Barnum

Downtown Northampton was a little noisier than normal this summer. While it's not uncommon to see lone musicians playing on the city streets during the warmer months, it is a strange occurrence to see a full band setting up shop and playing tunes for passersby....