About 50 people in a town with a population of about 900 showed up for a meeting to save a forest. The meeting was in Wendell, Massachusetts on October 24. Wendell borders Montague, which borders Greenfield. A corporation wants to clear-cut 11 acres of forest to install a battery facility. The people who are fighting to save the forest can be reached via www.WendellForest.org.

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On October 25 in Amherst, 57 people were arrested for non-violent civil disobedience and about 600 marched. They were demanding UMass cut its ties with military contractors, and that Biden and congress stop funding Israel's war against Palestine. The protest organizers have a web page at www.instagram.com/umassdissenters/

A total of about 160 people attended rallies in Northampton and Greenfield calling on Biden and congress to stop giving billions of dollars to Israel's military. The USA does not fund Palestine's military. There were two Northampton rallies. They were on October 15 and 16. The Greenfield rally was on October 18. A dozen people were at the Greenfield rally, Anna Gyorgy told the Valley Post. She is part of a group that has a web site at www.traprock.org. The Northampton rallies were organized by the group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).

Seven people were arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience in Northampton on October 12. They were calling for peace. One of the people who was arrested was Paki Wieland. The Valley Post spoke with her by phone on October 11 about Israel and Palestine. “I don't condone any violence,” Wieland said. “What Hamas did was an act of desperation. I was in Gaza in 2009. The lives of (the 2.3 million) Palestinians there are terrible. It's like a prison. Now the Israeli army is killing civilians. In 2006, Hamas was elected to govern Gaza. Bush and Cheney refused to recognize them.

On October 4, 2023 eleven peace protesters were arrested for nonviolent civil disobedience at Bernie Sanders's Washington office. In Brattleboro, peace protesters presented Sanders with a petition on August 10, 2023. The October protest was over Ukraine and was organized by a group that has a web site at www.CodePink.org. The Brattleboro action was over Yemen and was organized by a group that has a web site at www.ActionCorps.org.

With 4 percent of the world's population, the USA spends as much money on war as the rest of the world combined.

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In Northampton about 110 people were at a union rally on September 21. “I was very pleased with the turnout,” Ellyana Stanton told the Valley Post in a voice phone interview on September 28. She was one of the organizers, and she is a member of the actors' union. Stanton grew up in Amherst and lives in the Pioneer Valley town of Belchertown, Massachusetts. The union has a web site at www.sagaftra.org.

Four buses, two from Northampton and two from Vermont, went to the climate march in New York city on September 17. In the city, 75,000 people marched. The number one cause of climate change is overpopulation. Details are at:

www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/

The group 350 Vermont organized the Vermont buses. The group did not reply to a September 18 email asking how many people from the county that's home to Brattleboro got on the buses.

On September 17 in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts about 35 people attended a climate rally.

In Holyoke on September 13, about 45 people attended a rally for tenants' rights. The event was organized by the group Neighbor to Neighbor. According to that group's web site, "An elite few have created a housing crisis here in Massachusetts. A handful of lawmakers -- and the real estate speculators, corporate developers and landlords that fund their campaigns -- jack up rents, destroy affordable options, and price us out of the neighborhoods we call home. No matter how much money you have in your wallet, you should be able to make a home in Massachusetts."

There will be a rally for tenants' right on September 13 at 3 p.m. outside Holyoke city hall. The event is being organized by the group Neighbor to Neighbor. According to that group's web site, "An elite few have created a housing crisis here in Massachusetts. A handful of lawmakers -- and the real estate speculators, corporate developers and landlords that fund their campaigns -- jack up rents, destroy affordable options, and price us out of the neighborhoods we call home. No matter how much money you have in your wallet, you should be able to make a home in Massachusetts."

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On August 25 in Hadley, Massachusetts, all the workers at the Barnes & Noble corporate chain bookstore walked off the job to protest the company's refusal to hire enough workers. Hadley borders Northampton. The walk-out lasted from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. Photos show dozens of people marching outside the store. The workers have a web site at www.ufcw1459.com.

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