In Brattleboro on March 1, about 25 people attended a peace rally. The protesters were "calling for an end to the blockade of Yemen.... The bombing and blockade of Yemen have contributed to the largest humanitarian atrocity on earth.... Congress has voted to stop U.S. participation in the war but has failed to hold the president accountable." The organizers have a web site at:
www.actioncorps.org/yemen.html
The above quote is from that web site.
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In Greenfield on February 25 there was a peace rally. About 20 people were there. They were demanding a cease fire in Ukraine, Anna Gyorgy told the Valley Post. She works for the Traprock Center for Peace and Justice.
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Trains are much safer than cars and trucks as a way to move people and freight, but sometimes trains have accidents. Source:
www.vox.com/2015/5/14/8606195/train-safety-driving-crashes
On February 24 in Vermont, a few miles from both Brattleboro and Massachusetts, a train derailed. Deb Katz runs a group in the Pioneer Valley that has a web site at www.NukeBusters.org. On March 2, she told the Valley Post, "We can all breathe a sigh of relief that the (derailed train) cars were empty, but it still highlights the dangers of transporting nuclear waste and other toxic substances. In our backyard there have been accidents with train cars falling into the Deerfield river releasing chemicals. Ohio is dealing with a train derailment and toxic chemical spill. Every other day there is a train accident in America. Northstar (Corporation) had a transport truck used to carry nuclear waste go off the road a couple of years ago; it was empty and still took days to remove. Toxic generators are putting our communities at risk. With Northstar's plan to put its high level nuclear waste on our rails, we need greater oversight and accountability."
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A labor rally is set for UMass Amherst on March 6. Details are available from the organizers. They have a web page at:
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The city of Holyoke last month posted on its web site an independent expert study of its police department. It is at
From the report:
Holyoke is 58 percent people of color, according to the report. The city's population is about 40,000.
One member of the Holyoke city council is a convicted felon (page 12).
Eight employees of the police department had heart attacks in the past two years (page 13).
Morale among police lieutenants is “dismal” (page 15).
Domestic violence “calls are a constant” (page 17).
“Mental health in the department is an issue.” (page 18)
Homelessness is widespread in Holyoke (page 20).
In conclusion, “the Holyoke police department represents a substantial threat to the city.” (page 93)
Massachusetts is home to dozens of billionaires. In the USA many billionaires pay no taxes. If they did, the government could use the money to provide homes for homeless people.
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