Letter: Williamstown Elementary School Committee & Side-by-Side Program

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To the Editor:

An Open Letter to the Williamstown Elementary School Committee:

In the School Committee meeting of June 8, 2016, I, speaking as a member of the public, said that town meeting had voted by about 75 percent urging the School Committee to continue full-day Side by Side, and that in the spirit of discussion to which we were referring in the meeting at the time, people in this town were waiting for an answer to the following question: Why is the answer of this committee "No, we won't do that?"

Your only answer was to tell me that you disagreed with the premise of my statement. The facts, however, are clear; there is no room for disagreement. I would ask you please watch Sam Crane's motion in town meeting on Willinet. It runs from time 27:21 to 31:47. He speaks clearly and plainly. There was no real room for confusion or misunderstanding on what the motion was meant to convey to the School Committee.

In June 8's meeting, I never received an answer to the fundamental question I asked above, which is essentially why the committee won't restore full-day Side by Side. I have attended many of your meetings, and I have paid close attention to what has been said. I have spoken with many people in the community on this issue. I have never heard an explanation of why full-day Side by Side has been cut that has not later been retracted by either the superintendent or the school committee.

I have not spoken with anyone who understands what the answer is, either. Many months into this process, we as a community still do not know why you as a committee are doing this. Town meeting has spoken. The facts in the video are clear. The town deserves an explanation as to why you will not restore full-day Side by Side; again on June 8, the committee spoke around the question for about an hour, but never actually provided an explanation.
We as a community need an answer.

Sincerely,

Erryn Leinbaugh
Williamstown, Mass.

 

 


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Letter: Vote for Someone Other Than Trump

Letter to the Editor

To the Editor:

I urge my Republican friends to vote for someone other than Donald Trump in November. His rallies are getting embarrassingly sparse and his speeches more hostile and confused. He's looking desperately for money, now selling poor-quality gold sneakers for $399. While Trump's online fans embrace him more tightly, more and more of the people who actually worked with Trump have broken with him, often issuing statements denouncing his motives, intellect, and patriotism.

Mike Pence is the most recent, but the list now includes William Barr, former attorney general (who compared him to a 9-year-old); former NSC Chairs Bolton and McMaster; former Defense Secretaries Mattis and Esper; former Chiefs of Staff Kelly and Mulvaney; former Secretary of State Tillerson; former Homeland Security chief Bossert; and former Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, who referred to Trump as a "wannabe dictator." This level of rejection by former colleagues is unprecedented in American politics.

Are these people just cozying up to the Establishment "Uniparty," as his fans would have it? No. Most of them are retired from politics. It's just that they see the danger most clearly. General Milley is right. Trump's most constant refrain is his desire to hurt his critics, including traditional conservatives. Although Liz Cheney lost her Wyoming seat in Congress, he now wants her jailed for investigating him.

This man should not be president of the USA.

Jim Mahon
Williamstown, Mass.

 

 

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