As many Americans attempt to make sense of Justice Roberts’s convoluted decision, we are reminded that in at least one recorded interview, Mr. Obama insisted in his own words and voice that the penalty phase of the deceptively-misnamed Affordable Care Act was not a tax. Despite the president’s previous assurances, now the main premise of the law has just been upheld on the grounds that it most certainly is a tax.

On behalf of the Animal Shelter of Martha’s Vineyard, thank you to all those animal lovers who attended our recent garden party. All proceeds from this lovely event will be used in support of the direct care of Island animals, because all the food, beverage, auction items and other associated costs were donated by a long list of generous sponsors.

This is written from a Nantucketer to Vineyarders. Maybe you do not want to hear this due to simple petty rivalry but I am coming as a fellow Islander (as a Nantucketer) with so much in common. I love your special place and if I could live there, I would. I am your home-birth midwife, and I have had the pleasure of being part of your community in such a positive way for the past seven years.

Before Meals in the Meadow this past Saturday night, I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know all that much about the Farm Institute — mostly that a friend’s daughter was involved and loved it. But I left Saturday’s event with a sense of amazement and appreciation for all the Farm Institute does for the Island and, really, the world.

The Menemsha harbor dock project is on the warrant for the Chilmark’s special town meeting scheduled for August 6 at the Chilmark Community Center. The town received a grant from the Massachusetts Seaport Advisory Council to repair, rebuild and build docks in Menemsha. The proposed plan is to change the solid wood transient dock to concrete floats. I am passionately in favor of keeping the transient dock (the section that runs parallel to the jetty) solid wood.

Under construction for the last two years and on the drawing board far longer than that, the new emergency services building in Tisbury cannot accurately be called new anymore, although it remains unfinished and unoccupied. One deadline after another for completion of the problem-plagued building has passed in the last year. And still the seven million-dollar project drags on.