Commentary
Before arriving on the Island in July, I drove through National Military Park where monuments from northern and southern states dominate centuries-old fields of brilliant green, soon to turn golden, and where wild native plants populate the fields buffered by rock walls and split rail fences, looking much as they were in 1863.
We always think of success as being an achievement to some higher status, but Bob Lee fought for his place in the world from the very beginning, his achievement was life itself. We will miss his warm smile, wit and intellect, his musical knowledge and joie de vie. This was his heart home, he belonged, he was one of us and he will be missed by so very many.
I have heard it said about the Martha’s Vineyard branch of the NAACP that it is the most ethnically mixed chapter in the entire country and indeed, since its inception 50 years ago its sense of mission has been equally appealing to both black and white Americans.
This is not just a story, it's a love story. In 1799 President John Adams commissioned the building of an eight-sided wooden lighthouse which marked the birth of the Gay Head Light.
Rumor spread shortly after noon that the president was playing golf at Farm Neck, which is less then a mile from here.
Several years ago I worked with a highly intelligent, sophisticated couple who were severely addicted to heroin. Month after month they struggled to stop, but over and over they found themselves “chasing the high” by taking larger amounts of intravenous heroin or scoring smaller amounts just to keep themselves functional. Finally, they left the States and moved to a kibbutz for a year. They went through a difficult and painful withdrawal syndrome but then lived a drug-free but isolated life for over a year.