To the Editor:
As usual, I take issue with your painfully bad editorials. Here is a line from the last one regarding the whines of Alan Dershowitz: “Dershowitz would do well to look around and see how real Islanders — year-round and seasonal — take care of each other.” The town of West Tisbury’s exclusive beach policies at Lambert’s Cove Beach, a town park, which denies the public walk-on access, is a great example of why that statement is total BS. The town of West Tisbury has also said that the public is unwelcome at Lambert’s Cove at the soon-to-be-open adjacent Land Bank property. The town select board also had a “diversity statement” where they said everyone will be treated the same in all dealings with the town, and then didn’t. As far as the West Tisbury diversity task force, which is supposed to help the town with its goal of equality, that board is a joke. If I have this wrong, let me know when I can park my car at Lambert’s Cove Beach.
If Oak Bluffs did anything near that, you would be all over it. Recent editorials have chastised Oak Bluffs for being insensitive to the flying of the Pride flag and the Juneteenth flag, while the town comes up with a coherent flag policy. This is nothing compared to what West Tisbury does, and you turn a blind eye to it. I also predict that there will be an editorial about yoga on the beach, and Oak Bluffs blowing it again because it fits in with your anti–Oak Bluffs attitude.
Other recent editorials have encouraged the youth to get involved with Island issues and how we need to come up with new ideas, but don’t offer any yourself. Here is a new idea that could be fun. We could set up a remote meeting where you read your editorial about “the Island community.” I would then explain why it’s BS. Then, students from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School paper could weigh in on the subject and judge. Just quit with your editorials that you refuse to back up.
Erik Albert
Oak Bluffs
