Lopez Island in the San Juans off the coast of Washington has long had a special reputation, which they advertise before you come.“Don’t be startled,” the visitors bureau cautions, “when people wave at you from their cars. This is the ‘Friendly Isle.’”But that nickname has become a rueful joke to some Lopezians this summer, as the bitter cultural and political fights of the nation suddenly broke out on the rural West Coast island.Somehow it’s gotten so tense that as the summer closes, small bands of islanders have taken to staying up all night holding vigils, by the side of the road, to guard ...
