Just Sayin' Now

Bob Laycock
Bob Laycock
@blcomblog@justsayinnow.com
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  • Cuba’s Odd ‘Dictatorship’

    I hadn’t planned another post on Cuba after marking the revolution’s 60th anniversary on Friday. Then today I came upon a column in the New York Times that begged for comment. Jon Lee Anderson writes in “Cuba’s Next Transformation” about a nationwide referendum to be held next month in Cuba to adopt a new national Constitution.…

  • The Cuban Revolution: 60 Years & Counting

    The first week of 2019 is drawing to a close. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a huge milestone this week. New Years Day marked the 60th anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. It’s still going strong despite many challenges, including the 56-year embargo. You have to know that Cuba’s tenacity just rankles the…

  • Single-Payer Healthcare

    President Trump wrote an op-ed column in USA Today this morning. I certainly didn’t expect this — and he even used words like “eviscerate.” I’m impressed! Regardless who really wrote the column, the piece attacked ‘Medicare for All,’ a proposal put forward by Bernie Sanders and apparently endorsed by 123 Democrats in the House (H.R.676)…

  • That Curious Word, “Homophobia”

    I’ve never liked the word “homophobia.” It implies fear, and I honestly don’t think most people who are anti-gay fear us. They don’t jump when they see us like we’re a bee or spider. Their hearts don’t pound and their palms don’t get clammy. We don’t evoke the same response as flashing lights in the…

  • Remembering College

    Remembering Kent State University (1975-1979) Frank Bruni’s column today in the New York Times — How To Get the Most Out of College — got me to thinking. First I thought of the kids we know who are going off to college this month: neighbor kids on both sides, our friend’s son Andy, and my…

  • Will you still love me when I’m 64?

    “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I’m sixty-four?” The Beatles released “When I’m 64” on the Sgt. Pepper album just two weeks before I turned 14 in 1967. That was fifty years ago — a half century almost to the day. Being 64 was unimaginable. My parents were 50 and 52. Now th‍‍‍at‍‍‍ was…

  • The Abominable Health Care Act

    Republicans have hated Obamacare from the start. The term “Obamacare” was initially coined as an epithet against the Affordable Care Act (ACA). And it worked to a degree. For years “Obamacare” rated poorly in opinion polls. If polls asked about the “ACA,” however, responses were better. And when polling asked about specific provisions of Obamacare/ACA,…

  • “Gay is Good!”

    My husband David and I have recorded and are slowly watching the ABC mini-series When We Rise about the gay liberation movement. The story follows the lives and events of some well-known figures in our movement including Cleve Jones, Roma Guy, Del Martin, Phyllis Lion, and Larry Kramer. It’s interesting the power this program holds for me.…

  • Conversations with Trevor Noah

    Trevor Noah took over for Jon Stewart at Comedy Central 17 months ago. I thought I would post several interviews that Noah has done. He has a unique perspective in observing Donald Trump’s conduct as a candidate and now as President. Noah was born biracial in South Africa in 1984 during apartheid, when interracial relationships…