EASTHAM — My grandfather was a Congregational minister. I never met him. He died of pneumonia in the 1920s. Two stories I heard growing up about Robert Hillis Goldsmith: in […]
Op-Eds
OP-ED
Sharks and Viruses
Why Islamic terrorism scared Americans more than pandemics
WASHINGTON, D.C. — If I had to pick the one thing that has changed most in the 28 years I’ve been coming to Truro, it would be the fear factor. […]
OP-ED
Gimme Shelter
The wish to be both protected and at peace
IRVINGTON, N.Y. — New York is well stocked with uncertainty this week. I am sheltering in place and wish I were somewhere else. I covered wars in the Middle East […]
OP-ED
On Hunkering Down While Raising a Glass
The new social distancing normal calls for some amelioration
Looking for inspiration as we approach the end of Lent? Try L.B.J. for a change: “Sometimes you just have to hunker down and take it like a jackass in a […]
LOOKING BACKWARD
The Black Tiger: Lessons From the History of the Drug Trade
The laws of economics suggest that the cannabis bubble may burst
Edmund Burke, among others, warned that those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. So a bit of history is in order in these times when many people […]
Eight Solid Ideas for Reducing Waste
Shifting the way we think about trash and recycling
Throughout Barnstable County, the Commonwealth, and the country, municipalities are struggling with the very real issue of too much trash with no place to put it, and the accompanying increase […]
OP-ED
Time to Reverse Citizens United
Ten years later it’s clear that the Supreme Court decision was a bad one
Corporations may be run by people, and employ people, and be answerable to shareholders, but corporations are not people. For one thing, they command masses of cash and other assets […]
OP-ED
End the Travel Exemption in Ethics Rules
The questionable logic behind the defense of a trip to Israel
I commend reporter Sophie Ruehr for her incisive story on state Sen. Julian Cyr’s December trip to Israel (“Cyr Defends Trip Funded by Pro-Israel Group,” Jan. 9). I also commend the […]
OP-ED
It’s Time to Join a Global Conversation
The United Nations has issued a universal invitation
A “global conversation” has just been launched by the United Nations with a universal invitation to people all over the world to join. It’s called UN75, and it marks the […]
OP-ED
Fighting Darkness in the Season of Lights
Don’t underestimate the power of individual action
The holiday season surrounds us with all kinds of lights: from the soft glow of candles to colorful bulbs and pyrotechnics shot into the midnight sky. They embody the spirit […]
CLIMATE CRISIS
The Kids Aren’t All Right
Boomers boo from the stands as students protest inaction
The older generation has taken to saying how sorry it is to leave behind a climate crisis that young people will have to fix. I’ve been the recipient of this […]
OP-ED
An Alternative to the Police and Fire Substation Proposal
Providing for safety needs while preserving VFW for new housing
I do not doubt Fire Chief Michael Trovato’s list of needs required to keep the community safe. Those needs include a new fire substation, new trucks, more bunks, and more […]
OP-ED
A Failure in Our Local Health System
Don’t give up on providing prenatal care
Susannah Fulcher’s Aug. 9 article about childbirth on the Outer Cape in this newspaper exposed serious weaknesses in our existing medical system here. It also made me want to share […]
