At stake: Native American sovereignty
With the nation’s attention focused on abortion, gun safety, and religious liberty, and more recently the lengthy struggle in the House of Representatives to choose a new speaker, one issue that may have escaped...
Just how bad are things for teachers?
My wife and I had dinner in a Vineyard restaurant last week. Our waitress, a very pleasant young woman, appeared to be in her mid-20s. In a short conversation as we were finishing up,...
Equal rights, fair elections, and the court
This past June, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority made a huge mark: It ended the constitutional right to abortion, restricted the states’ ability to enforce gun safety laws, narrowed the federal government’s authority to...
The court and the death penalty
The Supreme Court, in the week of Nov. 13, declined to hear or halt the execution of four prisoners on death row in Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Alabama, respectively.This sets a record, allowing so...
Now comes the hard part
Five years ago, the leaders of our town energy committees came together to establish an all-Island energy committee to address the climate crisis. Focused on joint projects and sharing of best practices in furthering...
Ending affirmative action?
Like the debate over abortion rights, affirmative action in college admissions procedures is one of the most controversial political and cultural issues in the U.S. today. Most observers believe that the current super-majority of...
Will Martha’s Vineyard continue to ignore the future?
One year ago, this newspaper published my photo essay on the sad condition of the Island’s neglected bike and pedestrian paths, most of which have continued to deteriorate without intervention. The piece was intended...
The court: Narrowing voting rights
The bedrock principle of a democratic order is the right to vote. When election officials restrict an eligible citizen’s voting rights, they take the first steps toward authoritarian government. This is especially true when...
Transportation summit reports Island challenges and solutions
The recent Older Adult Transportation Summit (convened Tuesday, Sept. 20) shed a bright light on the challenges facing the Island's older adult drivers as they attempt to navigate the Island using alternate forms of...
Let’s keep things impersonal
The adult and child walking in front of me were complete strangers, people I had never seen before. The man, who looked to be in his early 30s, was casually dressed. He was holding...
Ron DeSantis’s good fortune, Greg Abbott’s reversal
“Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists.” –President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, address to the Daughters of the American Revolution, 1938
Two governors, Ron DeSantis...
SSA is performing ‘pretty well’
I am here to give you an update on the Steamship Authority at the end of a very busy summer. Through August 2022, 11,406 trips, of 11,677 scheduled and available, operated on the Vineyard...
Should the United States have a new Constitution?
The question posed in the title recently surfaced in the New York Times. A conservative House Republican from Texas, Jodey Arrington, introduced legislation directing the archivist of the U.S. to “tally applications for a...
Tackling the mental healthcare crisis
Founded in 1961, Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS) was one of America’s first rural Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC). The community mental health movement of the 1950s and 1960s had the dream that communities...
The postal service and abortion
Most women seeking abortions today now go about self-medication by ordering two pills through the mail. According to the Guttmacher Institute, medication abortion is the chosen method for women to end a pregnancy in...
The art of the career pivot
Instead of the Great Depression of the 1930s, we face the “the Great Resignation” of the 2020s, with millions of workers pivoting into new careers, adding part-time gigs, or learning new skills. Two years...
Let students make the rules
We’re well into August now, and Island teachers are feeling the familiar dread and excitement of a new school year. I suggest that educators spend the first few days easing into the school routine...
Abortion and the right of locomotion
The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly guarantee the freedom of movement. Law enforcement authorities may detain a person from leaving a state if they suspect that person of committing a crime. Alternatively, prosecutors can...
Guy walks into a bar
Guy walks into a bar. It’s clear he’s been there before. He pours himself into what appears to be his usual stoop at the tail end of a slab of burnt mahogany. Barkeep saunters...
A further reckoning: The Supreme Court’s next term
If last year’s Supreme Court term was full of blockbuster landmark rulings, next year promises more to come. To date, the justices have accepted 30 cases for full argument. They will add more over...