Tag Archives: politics
May License Plate Report
There were plenty of cars on the road, especially in the second half of the month, but the only new state on the map is Illinois. Not a toughie. The eastern third of the country seems to be moving westward … Continue reading
Voter Seeks Information
In the midst of what has to be hands-down the most bizarre presidential election campaign of my lifetime, I’ve had a “compare and contrast” track running in my head: How are national and regional politics like and unlike politics on … Continue reading
Post-Primary Day
On our morning walks, Travvy and I usually head toward the state forest, via Pine Hill, Halcyon Way, or the Dr. Fisher Road. Yesterday we struck out in the opposite direction, across the Island Farms subdivision to State Road and … 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
Resolutions
I did make a New Year’s resolution once. When I was working on my first novel, The Mud of the Place, and desperately afraid that I’d never finish it, I resolved that I would work on it every day until it was done. Note … Continue reading
Political Packaging
“What is a fascist — other than someone you don’t like?” That’s how the great Jack Reece (1941–1997), my Modern European History professor at the University of Pennsylvania, opened his lecture on Nazism and Fascism. Nervous tittering rippled through the … Continue reading
November 11
Veterans Day 2015. Blustery and wet on Martha’s Vineyard: the parade was cancelled, and the annual ceremony was moved inside to the VFW hall in Oak Bluffs. November 11 was my uncle Neville’s birthday. He was a gentle, soft-spoken guy, … Continue reading
Undercover in the Summerland
Ta-Nehisi Coates might be the best, most challenging, most important writer I’ve read in years. I’ve been following his blog on TheAtlantic.com for a while now. His Atlantic essay “The Case for Reparations” is must-reading for anyone on the verge of rage … Continue reading
Sonnets on a Planning Board Meeting
In “Small-Town Journalism in the ’80s,” guest blogger Eileen Maley recalled covering “West Tisbury’s planning board meetings, where much of the action took place. Overflow crowds showed up to hear proposals to chop up large plots of land for housing … Continue reading
Memorial Day
Memorial Day on Martha’s Vineyard is the quasi-official beginning of “the season,” which is to say the season of crowds, traffic, and unaffordable housing. As elsewhere in the U.S., schools, banks, government offices, and many businesses are closed. Parades are … Continue reading
From the Seasonally Occupied Territories . . . 