Category Archives: musing
A Liberal Paradox
The other day I overheard a guy I know who most certainly voted for Trump complain that a guy he knows has said he won’t do business with Trump supporters. Well, I wasn’t about to wade into that one. I … Continue reading
Do We Love Our Freedom?
I’ve written before about my ambivalence about Veterans Day. November 11 was the birthday of my uncle Neville, a gentle soul who came home shell-shocked from World War II, so the family story goes, and never really got his feet … Continue reading
Campaigning
I spent a couple of hours yesterday knocking on doors in Oak Bluffs on behalf of Dylan Fernandes, Democratic candidate for state representative from our district, and Julian Cyr, Democratic candidate for state senator. Knocking on strangers’ doors is way … Continue reading
In Praise of Career Politicians
Coming home from grocery shopping yesterday, I pulled in to down-island Cronig’s to see if I could find a few things that Reliable either was out of (stew beef and no-beans chili) or doesn’t carry (Brigham’s mocha chip ice cream … Continue reading
Anti-Delusional
“The Emperor’s New Clothes” has been my favorite fairy tale for a long, long time. Everyone identifies with the lone child who points out that the emperor is parading down the street in his undies. They’re sure they’d be brave … Continue reading
Ballot Box Exceptionalism
In the wake of last Thursday’s primary election, I’m thinking once again about Vineyard exceptionalism. This is nothing new. I’ve blogged about it, I rant about it, sometimes I obsess about it. But first here’s how my candidates fared: Paulo … Continue reading
Behind the Signs
In the early spring of 2014 I blogged about a new sign in the neighborhood. The sign — DRINKING WATER SUPPLY AREA • PLEASE PROTECT IT! — bugged me. It bugged me because it was completely unnecessary. Nothing was being … Continue reading
Prayer Vigil
Sometimes I get sucked into the not-uncommon belief that whatever unfolds on Martha’s Vineyard is not real life. I don’t lock my home either when I’m in it or when I’m out. My car keys are always in the ignition … Continue reading
3 Quotes, 3 Days: Day 2
For more about the 3 Quotes, 3 Days challenge, see Day 1. When I came to Martha’s Vineyard in 1985, part of me thought I was taking a year off to work on a novel. I never finished that novel, … Continue reading
My Vote in the Balance
I haven’t exactly been following the presidential primary campaign, but I’ve found it pretty hard to ignore, not least because I hang out on Facebook. My Facebook friends have interesting opinions and post links to interesting stuff. Massachusetts allows “unenrolled” … Continue reading
From the Seasonally Occupied Territories . . . 