‘It Is Up to Each of Us’
To the editor:
We are witnessing the seizure of power in the relentless and lawless persecution of the perceived enemies of the man who would be king.
The collapse of the rule of law is nowhere better illustrated than in the case of Mahmoud Khalil, an immigrant of Palestinian descent and a legal resident of the U.S. A green card holder whose pregnant wife is a U.S. citizen, Khalil exercised what we have assumed to be his First Amendment right to free speech when he organized protests at Columbia University against the killing in Gaza. He was kidnapped in the night and whisked away to a private prison in Louisiana, far from any possible support, to be deported. He has not been accused of any crime.
Khalil’s case is not unique, as several others involved in protesting the nightmare in Palestine have been deported for speaking out.
These people are among the most politically marginalized in our society. That is precisely where Hitler began: with those whose persecution would arouse the least outcry. Normalize the process, then move on to other enemies. Anyone who impedes the president’s quest for unfettered authority is a potential target.
In his second term, he is unconstrained by the “adults in the room” of his first term. It is up to us, the people, to resist. That resistance is growing as it becomes increasingly apparent that the ongoing coup is bent on destroying government agencies vital to the health, economic welfare, and survival of millions of people.
It feels overwhelming. But each of us can find ways to do what we can: small acts of comfort for those most affected, of support for those who are leading the opposition, and of resistance wherever possible.
It is up to each of us now. That is the lesson of history.
Brian O’Malley
Provincetown
Condolences and Hope
To the editor:
My spirit lives on Cape Cod. Ever since my first visit in 1982, I have been back every year minus one. I always went to the Lobster Pot and Napi’s and brought all my friends there. I started getting the Independent here in New York to keep up with what’s happening in Provincetown, since I have had to give up my dream of living there.
I love the newspaper, and I loved Helen and Napi Van Dereck. I asked regularly for Helen at the restaurant and heard that she was living down south. My heart broke when I opened the paper this evening and saw Helen’s obituary. Then I saw that Lobster Pot owner Mary Joy McNulty had also died and the story of Stephen Nonack’s death. Coupled with Dennis Minsky’s column “I Walk Alone,” about losing his dog, the Feb. 27 edition of the paper had me in tears.
The last time I saw Helen and Napi was when I brought friends to the restaurant, as always, and introduced them. We were so lucky to run into them ending their day at work. Napi suggested that we come back another day, and he would take us on a tour of his antique collection.
That night, in the midst of our conversation, Helen said to him, “I will always love you.”
I’m so grateful for my two dogs here and that I am coming to Provincetown in April to collect myself, recharge my weary activist battery, and grieve for these folks, for the victims of war and famine, and for our beloved nation and environment.
Condolences to all who have lost loved ones and hope to all who are suffering. May peace and sanity prevail and our fragile democracy survive.
Wendy Dwyer
Canaan, N.Y.
Eastham’s Beaches
To the editor:
Parking at either of Eastham’s ocean beaches was impossible last season. Most attempts were futile because the parking lots were full — even the few spaces reserved for Eastham residents. The only alternatives were to go home exasperated or pay to park at Marconi and navigate 65 stairs.
Why can’t I, as an Eastham resident, get to our ocean beaches? Because over 60 years ago, the town government sold our beaches. But our current select board has an opportunity to revisit a narrowly defeated measure to use land Eastham owns on Ocean View Drive. A parking lot could be established there for Eastham residents to use when the two Cape Cod National Seashore lots are full.
It is evident the National Seashore doesn’t have the funds to expand or even maintain what they have. The Nauset Light parking lot continues to shrink due to erosion. That means even less parking in the future.
Our select board should provide the access to our beaches that was thoughtlessly sold. We have the land. Why not use it?
Charles Gatti
Eastham
Letters to the Editor
The Provincetown Independent welcomes letters from readers on all subjects. They must be signed with the writer’s name, home address, and telephone number (for verification). Letters will be published only if they have been sent exclusively to the Independent. They should be no more than 300 words and may be edited for clarity, accuracy, conciseness, and good taste. Longer pieces (up to 600 words) may be submitted for consideration as op-ed commentary. Send letters to [email protected] or by mail to P.O. Box 1034, Provincetown, MA 02657. The deadline for letters is Monday at noon for each week’s edition.
