The Outer Cape, we like to think, isn’t quite as scary this year as last year. At least our slowly reforesting landscape can’t be confused with the dark forest in […]
Op-Eds
REASONABLE RAGE
On Staying Angry
Because we need to find a way to keep fighting
PROVINCETOWN — I was making sandwiches at my market when I heard the news that the Supreme Court had overturned Roe v. Wade. I wanted to break down and cry, […]
ALL IN
Bob Costa’s Classic Oysters
A famous Wellfleet recipe from The Joy of Shucking returns
I was delighted to read in last week’s Independent that Bob Costa’s poker game is now up and running again after a two-year Covid pause (“Who’s Got the Cards?” page […]
THE HEAVENLY GAME
Who’s Got the Cards?
After two years of Covid, it was time for poker again
We waited more than two years to get through Covid so we could get together and play cards again. Covid took a lot from us, our game included. You can […]
THE PANDEMIC
When Covid Hits Home
As the number of cases surges, so do the unanswered public health questions
The U.S. reached a staggering milestone in early May — more than one million people have died from Covid. And around the same time, I tested positive for the virus. […]
PRIDE
Know Your Queer History
And ‘fly the flag that speaks to your soul’
The LGBTQ community continues to grow, continues to change. This progress happens even though we are living in an era backpedaling into conservatism and sanctioned homophobia. Sadly, states like Florida […]
GRAMMAR WATCH
Shrink, Shrank, Shrunk
The value of learning and agreeing to the rules
Browsing a New York Times newsletter, I have to stop and re-read several times before confirming, via Google, my sense that the writer has gotten it wrong. The line in […]
MOTHER’S DAY
Learning to Be the Parent My Child Needs
A mother’s call to stand up and stop the haters
It was four days before my son, who is transgender, was to have gender affirming surgery, and my insurance company, Aetna, informed me that it would not be covered. This […]
TRURO TOWN MEETING
For an Appointed Planning Board
The current elected board continues to advance an anti-housing agenda
As a lifelong Cape Codder striving to make a life in this community, I believe Truro must take bold steps to stem the housing crisis. That starts with fostering a […]
FLAG-WAVING
Stars, Stripes, and Sneetches
The ‘People’s Convoy’ calls to mind a Dr. Seuss classic
Barreling northeast on I-35 from Austin to Dallas in early March, my sister, husband, and I tried to ignore the flag-festooned caravan in the right lane. But we couldn’t avert […]
ON POLITICS
Why Rob Galibois Should Be the Next District Attorney
Balancing punishment and prison with intervention and treatment
The role of district attorney is crucially important in our civil society. It offers a unique opportunity to protect citizens, help people when they need it most, and build a […]
COUNTY LINE
Remembering Susan Quinones
An advocate for human rights who inspired by listening
Cape Cod lost a powerful leader last week, and I lost a dear friend and colleague. Susan L. Quinones, Esq., who was coordinator for the Barnstable County Human Rights Advisory […]
RIGHTS
Beyond Curb Cuts and Ramps
Fostering disability-affirming communities on the Outer Cape
The March 17 edition of the Independent had an important story about the Americans with Disabilities Act, “On the Outer Cape, the ADA Doesn’t Change Much,” by Michaela Chesin. Many […]
REFUGE
Children’s Worries About War
In Poland, a mother explains the politics of aggression
Many of my friends in Poland have families from Ukraine in their homes now. One friend, Marta Shaw, a philologist at the Institute of Public Affairs at the Jagiellonian University […]
COUNTY LINE
A Debate on Citizen Petitions
How many signatures should be required?
Basic issues of democratic process sometimes arise in the most apparently mundane proceedings. The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates recently held a hearing on an ordinance proposed by the Cape […]
