“As is so with every story, once the end reveals itself the beginning and the middle can be understood anew.” —James Carroll (Constantine’s Sword, 2001) I’m reading James Carroll’s fascinating […]
Op-Eds
ON THE BALLOT
A Question for the County
Amending the county charter to increase efficiency and transparency
Massachusetts voters will consider five statewide questions on the Nov. 5 ballot. Barnstable County voters will have a sixth question to consider in addition to the statewide questions. Question #6 […]
LISTENING
We and the Land
Learning from Wampanoag lifeways
It was a Native voice I heard say, “Settlers practice their religion by going inside and talking to God. Native people go outside and listen to God.” I like that. […]
LETTER FROM ACROSS THE POND
Some Things I Know and Don’t Know
Questions about the West End’s dying salt marsh
I know that when I enter Provincetown’s West End salt marsh softly, without shoes, I feel certain that I am welcomed by something alive, something that wants to live. I […]
EPIDEMIC
We Need to Talk About Drugs
Let’s kick the taboo surrounding substance use disorders
I joined the Provincetown Fire Dept. as a part-time emergency medical technician this year. Our job is to provide support to residents and visitors on what is often one of […]
COMING OUT
The Congressman Who Rescued Stellwagen Bank
It’s time for NOAA to acknowledge the role of Gerry Studds
Provincetown is the gateway to the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, but you’re forgiven if you didn’t know that. In 1995, Don Young (R-Alaska), chair of the […]
OP-ED
Free Speech and Student Protests
Was Leonard Cohen right about democracy coming to the U.S.A.?
Leonard Cohen’s 1992 song lyrics suggesting that democracy might be coming to the U.S.A. have been very much with me lately. Ever since I sat under the Payomet tent with […]
POSTCARD FROM THE BEACH
A Shadow Close to Shore
A fisherman’s late-August encounter at Newcomb Hollow
I walked north up Newcomb Hollow Beach, away from the lounging crowds packed together under brightly colored umbrellas. From extended families to old people pairs, nearly naked toddlers to equally […]
NURSING HOME REFORM
A Profit-Driven Health-Care System Is the Problem
Why not find a way to pay frontline workers more?
I had just returned from a visit with my sister, who has lived at the Seashore Point Wellness Center in Provincetown since 2018, when I saw the Independent’s July 25 […]
RULES FOR LIVING
Be Kind, Say Thank You, and Hold the Door, Please
An antidote for road rage and rudeness, which seem worse than ever
When I moved here as a kid a million years ago — OK, not a million, but it was a different century — it was a very different Cape Cod. […]
SOCIAL CAPITALISM
Discontent Comes to the Outer Cape
A pessimist asks why we still hate us
In the summer of 2008, I published a quickly forgotten book titled Why We Hate Us: American Discontent in the New Millennium. It was not optimistic. But it came out […]
CIVICS
Ten Nauset Students Try Out Practical Politics
After Girls and Boys State, bringing collaboration into the real world
EASTHAM — Ten Nauset Regional High School juniors spent the last week of school building a whole new government from the ground up. We were among a few hundred students […]
PENNY-WISE AND POUND-FOOLISH
An HVAC Fix That Might Have Been Avoided
Choosing not to spend can be an expensive mistake
At Wellfleet’s recent town meeting, a voter asked why we had to spend $350,000 to upgrade the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system for a fire station that’s only […]
HEALTH CARE
Leadership Transitions Take Time
Putting concerns about Outer Cape Health Services in context
A letter to the editor in the May 23 edition of the Independent expressed concern about “the high turnover at Outer Cape Health Services” and vacancies in key positions there. […]
KEEPING WATCH
Joy at Day’s End
A swimmer’s thoughts on the importance of ritual
From early June to mid-September, rain or shine, I go for a swim at each day’s end. At some point, my late afternoon swims became more ritual than routine, without […]
