Letters

Published on October 17, 2008

A heart-felt thanks

To the Bulletin: From Oct. 4 to 8, eight of our Navajo Pine High School students took a wonderful journey to Amherst from their home in Navajo, N.M., on the Navajo reservation. It was an eye-opening trip that broadened students' horizons, gave them self-confidence and showed them how college achievement and a fulfilling career go hand in hand. The trip was made possible by an extraordinary organization you have in your community called Reader to Reader.

Only around 10 percent of our students attend college and too few graduate, but with Reader to Reader's help our students are much closer to achieving their dreams. Thanks to this trip our students are now talking about studying robotics, Web design and law. Some are interested in the culinary arts after cooking alongside Chef Bill Collins. All are inspired.

Amherst is now a very special place to us. We loved the scenery, we loved the warm, friendly people, and we loved the passion that the people we met have for their careers.

We want to thank Reader to Reader and all the people and businesses that donated time, money and resources to make our trip possible. This trip involved the whole Amherst community.

Lastly, we would like to thank Reader to Reader founder David Mazor and his staff, Sara Aoyama and Corinna Lopez. They have been our guides, friends and partners. You have given us hope and inspiration.

Thank you, Amherst. We hope to visit you again soon.

Carla Clauschee
Librarian, Navajo Pine High School
Navajo, N.M.

Please donate to Shelter Sunday

To the Bulletin: The 20th Annual Shelter Sunday Fund Drive will take place this Sunday, Oct. 19. Canvassers will visit homes between noon and 4 p.m. throughout Amherst and in several neighborhoods in Pelham, Hadley and Shutesbury. The canvassers are volunteers from service and fraternal organizations at the colleges and from within our community.

As we contemplate global economic issues, we have this opportunity to act locally by contributing to the agencies that provide direct assistance to our neighbors in need of shelter and sustenance. All proceeds go directly to our local nonprofits.

We invite you to participate by welcoming the canvassers and/or sending a contribution to Shelter Sunday-Amherst at P.O. Box 1071, Amherst, MA 01004.

Aaron Bousel
President, Amherst Friends for the Homeless Inc.
Amherst

Vote yes on local Question 6

To the Bulletin: Residents of Amherst need to know of an important local initiative that will be on the ballot for Amherst residents this Nov. 4. It is called Secure Green Future and asks: "Shall the representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that, 1) reduces greenhouse gas emissions in Massachusetts by 80 percent by 2020, and 2) phases out tax incentives for energy-intensive projects, while expanding job creation programs for locally-owned business and cooperatives involved in renewable energy, conservation, and sustainable agriculture?"

We urge you to vote yes on ballot No. 6. Massachusetts and most states are currently only asking for some 10 percent to 20 percent reduction by 2020. This is way too slow to be attacking the problem according to the world experts, America's James Hansen of NASA and Rajendra Pachauri of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

At that rate, Boston could be under 3 to 6 feet of water from mile thick ice sheets suddenly falling into the oceans at both polar ice caps. (See the February 2008 issue of Scientific American on the rapidly moving ice sheets from empirical annual measurements.) The politicians at the state capitals are lobbied by the large corporations to go slowly in fighting global warming, and as we know from Detroit to Wall Street the large corporations are in foot-dragging denial on many fronts.

The corrupt, incompetent Bush administration has been lying to the public about global warming. And one of the continual lies they tell is that going green will cost jobs. And that is why the initiative articulates the second point about expanding job opportunities for local green jobs: to counter the globalization that has been the core of the problem in making an energy hog of the world.

Please note that this initiative will be No. 5 in Granby, Hatfield, Montgomery, and the Hamptons. Tell your friends. See www.securegreenfuture.org for more information.

Larry Ely
Amherst