Bob Layne News Today

Layne: “The bittersweet symphony is life”

Layne: Views and cues on the news and from the pews by the slightly reverend Bob Layne With all the horror, hate and hell that daily surrounds us, perhaps a little fantasy, beauty and love might offer a blessed respite.  How about we share a trek “Down the yellow brick road” from OZ to the Emerald City. Come on: let’s take a stroll. It’s been 82 years since I first met Dorothy Gale. It was 1939 when the world first was introduced to the little girl from Kansas, whose spunk and love c...

Layne: The Longest Day

Layne: Reading between the lines Bob Layne In the days of our isolation, many of us have found a friend in books, music, movies, and of course, television shows.  The side effect, however, is the commercials between programs. Some are fun, refreshing, and enlightening, but more often than not, they end up on the obnoxious side. Have you seen the ones I mean?  Im easily frustrated by those lawyers who tell us how effective and benevolent they are. The pair brags that they always win, but who ...

Layne: Remembrance and gratitude There must be a bit of irony in this, but two weeks ago I commented on May Day, with is May 1, as well as International Workers Day.  Now today, I’d like to offer a few thoughts on the last day of May - May 31, which is Memorial Day. These two days in May mean so much to so many.   On the first, we remembered “current” service with our gratitude - all those faithful and often unknown laborers who daily keep our world working and prospering.  Then...

Layne: Why do we keep killing each other? Bob Layne From whence comes such horrible violence? Why do we keep killing each other? The seedbed of all this violence is a constant message that permeates American life: “violence solves problems”.  From the Saturday cartoons to cheering fans of Ultimate Fighting in cages, through movies and television shows, we celebrate, sensationalize, and reward acts of violence as the means to solve all our troubles.  The message declares if one’s aim...

Layne: Three days of American wonders

Layne: Resolutions for 2021 I think most of us are glad to bid farewell to the year 2020. During these past 12 months, we suffered through a horrid presidential election. Then the trump tantrum further besmirched our democracy. There was increased violence on our streets, and with disproportionate deaths of young male black Americans.  This resulted in the BLM movement and its vitriolic demands for justice and official accountability and removal of “qualified immunity” for police.  Of cou...