Essayist's view of strippers is moralizing, degrading

To the editor:

A.M. Dickinson had better keep in mind the maxim, "Judge not, lest ye be judged." In a Nov. 16 Opinion page piece entitled "Why Aren't Strippers Targeted For What They Sell?" Dickinson writes: "Strippers are women who are willing to cash in on their own degradation to men who are willing to part with the cash."

Was raid in proportion to alleged crime?

To the editor:

Towns have barely enough money to maintain basic requirements like schools and roads. The state is cutting millions from human services and education and the federal government is piling up huge deficits to keep the nation's infrastructure from crumbling - and, of course, so it can continue to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Florence landlord recalls earlier controversial mural

To the editor:

In the city of Northampton, murals are in vogue and attractive for all to see. Just a few years ago, though, it seems that was not the case.

Helping hand can be crucial to those who are in need

To the editor:

In a time where the legal section of the newspaper begins to spread farther into our local news, I want everyone to understand what our local community is doing to help those in need.

Correction

NORTHAMPTON - An article Tuesday about the naming of the new St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish should have said the name was chosen from among many suggested by parishioners at each of the city's five Catholic churches: Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of the Annunciation, Sacred Heart, St. John Cantius and St. Mary of the Assumption.

In Our Opinion: Good medicine

While the national debate over health insurance rages on, one point of consensus is that quality health care is at the top of the list of basic human needs. And quietly there are many local doctors who, for free, and in some cases at their own expense, provide treatment to those who desperately need it but can't afford it.

Conscience of juror offers guide to understanding sedition trial

AMHERST - When I last saw Ray Levasseur 20 years ago, he was on trial for seditious conspiracy, wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackles, in a federal courtroom in Springfield.