Athol Daily News from Athol, Massachusetts • A6

I I ON A6 day, Mar ch 9, 2020 recor der.com Email My Turns and letters to: or mail them to: Letters to the editor, Greenfield Recorder, P.O. Box 1367, Greenfield MA 013 0 2. Word limit: 300 for letters; 750 for My Turns. One submission per 30 days. We reserve the right to edit or reject submissions.

Michael Moses ublisher Joan Livingston i to r- i i Chris Harris Supplements Editor Shelby Ashline News Editor Andy Castillo Features Director Syrup ceremony, HIP funding and classroom innovation ere are brief thoughts on recent happenings across Franklin County and the North Quabbin region. Welcoming Maple Month obvious to anyone driving around the county that sugar- ing season is in full swing. Metal sap buckets abound, for those maple sugarers using the charming old-fashioned method, and elsewhere, tubing zig-zags between trees, gathering the sap in a central location with the modern method. Though it may feel like old news, maple sugarers, state and local officials and others gathered on Friday for a little pomp and circumstance to celebrate the arrival of March, otherwise known as Massachusetts Maple Month. Undersecretary of En- vironmental Affairs Daniel Sieger led the ceremonial tapping of a maple tree at Sunrise Farms in Colrain and the Lively fam- ily showed guests around their operation.

season is a big deal for said state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton. is for my family. And, it will take all of us to support these farms and We hope for a successful season for our local maple sugar- ers. Hopefully, just as sweet for them as for all of us who en- joy the fruits of their labor on our pancakes, waffles and in the form of sugar on snow.

HIP is back The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) is back in business. The state Senate and House voted to approve another $2 mil- lion for the program as part of the supplemental budget, putting an end to the temporary suspension that went into ef- fect on Feb. 23. Gov. Charlie Baker signed the bill Wednesday.

The program provides an automatic rebate when shoppers use SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, for- merly known as food stamps), so they can buy produce from participating local farms. HIP provides those struggling with the ability to stretch their food dollars to buy produce, meats, dairy and more, and it provides farmers the opportunity to sell their products all year long. been great to see so many of my colleagues, advocacy groups, farmers and users of the program recognize the value of making healthy, nutritious foods available to more families and rally in support of said state Rep. Paul Mark, D-Peru. will have a positive impact on the daily lives of many peo- ple throughout Franklin Like Mark, thrilled to see our legislators rally around HIP, which makes all the difference for many of our residents as well as our local farmers.

And like Mark, we hope to see the state fully fund HIP in future years, as it has been suspended each year since it began in 2017, though it was originally in- tended as a year-round program. Looking ahead in the classroom Kudos to Ryan Copeland, a sixth-grade teacher at Sunder- land Elementary School who is thinking outside the box with his most recent class assignment. Copeland wanted to bring the traditional school report or es- say more into alignment with the way his students interact with information on the internet. So, instead of having his stu- dents write a report the traditional way, he is having them pre- sent their research by recording a podcast or building a web- site. The students have been working on their podcasts for roughly a month, and should be finished at the end of this week.

Part of their work has involved interviewing graduate students from the University of Massachusetts Amherst on topics like space exploration, disease and illnesses, mental health as it re- lates to other illnesses and the criminal justice system, and the use of nuclear weapons. questions the kids have developed are Copeland said. While, as a newspaper, we have a deep appreciation for the traditional class essay, we also understand the need to evolve with the times and learn new skills. This is such an innovative way for students to showcase their learning, especially during a time when podcasts are becoming increasingly popular. assignment is not only teaching students about their chosen topics, but also teaching them interviewing skills and technological skills that will no doubt be useful to them.

By CARL DOERNER Bernie defense of Democratic Socialism, which is currently the normal guiding political principle governing most successful countries of the world that Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare are So- cialist programs, that it is basi- cally a system in which the well- being of the people is of primary concern is not likely to im- press the close-minded folk who expect Donald Trump to im- prove their lives. Fox News guests label Bernie a Castro-loving Marxist communist, which of course he has never been. Historic capi- talist negative labeling of any who support labor and the poor is conveniently resurrected. Each of our political parties is dominated by what can be termed an a group of officials and office holders whose intent is to main- tain for their party an ideologi- cal direction conser vative, progressive or a host of other policy considerations, such as being anti-immigrant. Histori- cally, for Southern Democrats, segregation was such an estab- lished ideology.

A major point for individuals in establishment considerations is also making certain their hold on office is secure that voters will continue to return an incumbent to his or her secure office in future elections. Democratic super delegates are the current 775 party offi- cials and office holders of the states, not bound to support the candidate chosen by voters of that state in a primary election. They can vote for whomever they choose. They are akin to the party bosses who controlled choice of presidential candidates, and for lesser offices, well into the 20th century. Money and trading of political and business favors en- abled their power.

Harry Truman was Kansas boss Tom selec- tion to be the senator from Mis- souri in 1935. William Tweed, known as Boss Tweed, began the organization Tammany Hall in New York, an elaborate sys- tem involving patronage, public offices, jobs, favors and the granting of business contracts, largely based on drawing off fi- nancial resources of the gov- ernment. Known to be corrupt, Tammany was invulnerable to change. By also helping the poor, to secure their votes, it re- mained the political force for over 150 years. From his of- fice as mayor for 21 years, Richard Daley held similar power in Chicago.

The first instance of the peo- ple voting in a primary was in 1910 in Oregon. By 1917, all but four states had a system for vot- ers to chose a candidate. Widely held primary elections to select candidates is a development dating back only to 1992. Judging the people to be un- reliable, the Founders left choice of presidents to chosen by the states. The historic struggle over state ver- sus central government power played a role.

Before 1824, pres- idents and vice presidents were chosen by state legislatures. Even with this beginning of vot- ing by the people, six of the then-existing 18 states did not allow for popular vote. Hillary 2.9 million popular vote victory was not re- flected in the Electoral College results. We remain locked in a 240-year-old un- democratic electoral design of the Founders. The first Democratic Na- tional Convention was held in 1832.

At the first such national gathering, three men were favored over Abra- ham Lincoln. He se- lected until the third ballot. Lin- coln brought the other three into his cabinet as what histo- rian Doris Kearns Goodwin called his of So that they might, in future, prevent such as Jimmy Carter from gaining a nomination as he did in 1976, the Democratic Party establish- ment devised its super delegate system. In 2016, nearly all the 713 super delegates supported the establishment candidate Clinton. She proved to be so un- popular that many Democrats i vote.

Many Democratic super del- egates announced in advance they would support Clinton, boosting her candidacy over Sanders. Had she not had es- tablishment support, there may have been a brokered conven- tion. Pressure within the party has forced the establishment to yield ground. When the conven- tion is held July 13-16 in Mil- waukee, super delegates will not be allowed to vote on the first ballot. But 2020 presents a challenge to the candidates.

There are so many with names even of those who have exited remaining on ballots that achieving a necessary ma- jority is likely impossible. Super delegates, representing 16 per- cent of delegates, can vote from the second ballot on, and are determined to select a less pro- gressive candidate than Sanders. Their fallacious argument is that Sanders would have a neg- ative effect loss of House seats and failure to gain Senate seats as if causing Democrats to choose the opponent or again stay home. Charlemont resident Carl Doerner is an author and histo- rian currently at work on a re- examination of and challenge to the prevailing narra- For popular Bernie Sanders, a brokered convention looms MY TURN Are we alone in the universe? never seen a flying saucer. Nor do I ever expect to see one.

But a lot of responsible people claim to have seen them. This raises a per- plexing question are we alone in the universe? Is there anybody or any thing else out there? Well, consider the mathematics. Conservatively, there are about a hundred billion stars just in our Milky-Way Galaxy (not my num- bers, folks!) a 100 with 9 zeroes after it and conserva- tively there are about two hundred billion galaxies in the known uni- verse (again, not my numbers ei- ther, 200 with 9 ze- roes after it. Multiplying the two, we get a 2 with 22 zeroes after it, or something that looks like this 20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars in the universe: or if a math- ematics geek like me, 2E22, using scientific notation (2 times 10 to the power of 22). Many of the stars have one or more satellite planets, which then kicks the count out of mind-boggling sight! So, again, I pose the question: are we alone in the universe? Or are we a 20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 to 1 accident? Personally, I like to think that mathematically, at least, somebody else (or some other thing) out there in the uni- verse, and maybe he or she (or it) is writing a piece for his or her (or its) newspaper, asking: we alone in the anxiously awaiting the day when one of those flying garbage can lids lands in my front field and a little green guy or gal (or thing) pops out and says: me to your So, again I pose the question: are we alone in the universe? I will not be able to sleep tonight while pondering this ponderous question.

RAY CASSIDY Ashf ield EDITORI AL Readers Write STAFF FRANZ University of Massachusetts Amherst graduate student Dooseok Jung talks about outer space with Sunderland Elementary School students Eric Larsson and Ben Ayotte for a podcast they are working on..