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 […]
Op-Eds
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 […]
LOCAL HISTORY
When Horses Roamed on Main Street
And all the Wellfleet kids had their own
The articles about keeping horses by Jack Styler and Katherine Rossmoore in the May 2 edition of the Independent brought back so many pleasant memories of a simpler time in […]
TRURO TOWN MEETING
The Rise of Misinformation
An online newsletter and Facebook work to fool voters
Over the past year, I’ve seen a rise in misinformation on Truro’s Facebook community pages, especially regarding affordable housing at the Walsh property. Some of it comes from the TruroNews.org […]
OP-ED
What Species of Creature Must We Be?
Kandiaronk, a 17th-century Native American statesman, speaks to us
Sitting in my cozy kitchen with the sun streaming in, I find myself torn up by the terrible state of our world and the unconscionable brutality of the wars raging […]
HOME RULE
Get Your Land Off Drugs
Eastham and Wellfleet will vote on town control of toxic chemicals
Is your land-maintenance program laced with synthetic chemicals that scientists say travel a foot a day on average through our sandy soil? Is it time to quit cold turkey and […]
OPEN SPACE
Don’t Pave Our Natural Paradise
Turning the Old Colony Pathway into a bike thoroughfare is a bad idea
The Old Colony Nature Pathway is only 1.5 miles long, but its value to Provincetown visitors and residents is immeasurable. The pathway bisects what is known as the Provincetown Greenway, […]
CONSENT OF THE GOVERNED
Choosing Between Democracy and Theocracy
The U.S. is in danger of abandoning its historical secular ideals
The Wellfleet Community Forum met on Feb. 26 to discuss how we might bring more civility and efficiency back to our town. Moderator Dan Silverman reminded us that conflict and […]
