Quote of the Day: 31 December 2019

“YEAR, n. A period of three hundred and sixty-five disappointments.” -Ambrose Bierce
[366 in the coming year. Happy New Year's Eve!]

Quote of the Day: 30 December 2019

“This is going to be the most fun I’ve ever had!” -Calvin

Quote of the Day: 29 December 2019

“God sees things in their true perspective, and He shares that perspective with us through His commandments, effectively guiding us around the pitfalls and potholes of mortality toward eternal joy.” -D. Todd Christofferson

Quote of the Day: 28 December 2019

“Desire and action are not synonymous.” -Robert Burton

Quote of the Day: 27 December 2019

“He wasn’t exactly lost, because cats never get lost. He merely didn’t know where everything else was.” -Terry Pratchett

Quote of the Day: 26 December 2019

“Without the cultural prerequisites for developing natural resources into real wealth, the raw physical resources themselves are of little or no value.” -Thomas Sowell

Quote of the Day: 25 December 2019

“Would it not be well this Christmas to give first to the Lord, directly through obedience, sacrifice, and love, and then to give to him indirectly through gifts to friends and those in need as well as to our own?” -John A. Widtsoe
[Merry Christmas! May you find joy in your celebration of the birth of Christ.]

Quote of the Day: 24 December 2019

“I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future.” -Ebenezer Scrooge
[Happy Christmas Eve!]

Quote of the Day: 23 December 2019

“Let us be consistent, therefore, about Christmas, and either keep customs or not keep them.” -G. K. Chesterton

Quote of the Day: 22 December 2019

“Because Jesus is the Christ, he has the authority to call and to demand obedience to his word.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Quote of the Day: 21 December 2019

“When men exercise their reason coolly and freely on a variety of distinct questions, they inevitably fall into different opinions on some of them. When they are governed by a common passion, their opinions, if they are so to be called, will be the same.” -James Madison, The Federalist No. 50

Quote of the Day: 20 December 2019

“Air holes should always be cut before placing a mongoose into a box. This can help prevent ruining a perfectly good mongoose.” -Mike Chase

Quote of the Day: 19 December 2019

“[Y]ou don’t have to understand things for them to _be_.” -Mrs. Murry, A Wrinkle in Time

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 18 December 2019

This week's selection from the log of local police activity is about deception, criminality, firearms, and stupidity.

December 12
A medical center reported a man had come to the location with a gunshot wound allegedly from a stray bullet from hunters west of town. After a brief interview, officers deduced the man had accidentally shot himself in the leg and had fabricated the story to hide the fact that he, a convicted felon, was illegally in possession of firearms. An investigation is ongoing.

There's really a lot going on here. But it boils down to a stupid person doing stupid things with firearms. I'd rather follow the safety rules and "needlessly" check an empty gun, than end up with a hole in my leg.

Quote of the Day: 18 December 2019

“[T]he thing about the pity party is that no one else ever comes to your pity party.” -Terry Crews

Quote of the Day: 17 December 2019

“[N]iceness does not equal goodness.” -Gavin de Becker

Quote of the Day: 16 December 2019

“Once you admit that the individual is merely a means to serve the ends of the higher entity called society or the nation, most of those features of totalitarian regimes which horrify us follow of necessity.” -F. A. Hayek

Quote of the Day: 15 December 2019

“If God speaks in a still, small voice, you and I need to draw close to hear Him.” -Michelle Craig

Quote of the Day: 14 December 2019

“Pain is inevitable, suffering is not.” -Henepola Gunaratana

Quote of the Day: 13 December 2019

“The only way to become excellent is to be endlessly fascinated by doing the same thing over and over. You have to fall in love with boredom.” -James Clear

Quote of the Day: 12 December 2019

“Why mess about with a cunning plan when a simple one will do?” -Nobby, Thud!

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 11 December 2019

The selection from the log of local police activity for this week is about medical intervention and how it intersects with criminality.

December 2A caller reported their roommate did not assist them during a medical emergency and wanted to know if such action was criminal. It is not.

While I can imagine the situation that led to this query, I cannot formulate the thought process that led the asker to call the police about potential criminality.

Quote of the Day: 11 December 2019

“In pretty much any area of human endeavor, people have a tremendous capacity to improve their performance, as long as they train in the right way.” -Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool

Quote of the Day: 10 December 2019

“There is a limit to the legitimate interference of collective opinion with individual independence: and to find that limit, and maintain it against encroachment, is as indispensable to a good condition of human affairs, as protection against political despotism.” -John Stuart Mill

Quote of the Day: 9 December 2019

“We cannot calculate the chances of unforeseen consequences.” -Robert Burton

Quote of the Day: 8 December 2019

“By living the gospel of Jesus Christ, we develop within ourselves a living spring that will quench eternally our thirst for happiness, peace, and everlasting life.” -Joseph B. Wirthlin

Quote of the Day: 7 December 2019

“Despite these losses, it did not break the American spirit. In fact, it charged it.” -Adm. Phil Davidson

Quote of the Day: 6 December 2019

“Whatever else men have believed, they have all believed that there is something the matter with mankind.” -G. K. Chesterton

Quote of the Day: 5 December 2019

“You can’t take your clothes off and hide in the corner hoping no one notices.” -Allie Brosh

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 4 December 2019

The selection from the log of local police activity for this week is about a forgetful harasser.

November 28
A woman reported receiving harassing calls and texts from a man she was attempting to break communication with. Officers called the man and advised him to stop contacting her, to which he vehemently denied the accusations or even owning a phone; he promptly hung up when officers reminded him that they were, in fact, on the phone.

That's quite a lie to tell. How can you be so dense as to claim you have no phone after answering it to talk to the police who called you?

Quote of the Day: 4 December 2019

“If you don’t believe in brick walls, you will still be injured when you run headlong into one. Then you will curse reality itself for producing the wall.” -Jordan Peterson

Quote of the Day: 3 December 2019

“Freedom is a tenable objective only for responsible individuals. We do not believe in freedom for madmen or children.” -Milton Friedman

Quote of the Day: 2 December 2019

“Poverty—genuine poverty—has been the lot of most of the human race for most of the existence of the species.” -Thomas Sowell

Quote of the Day: 1 December 2019

“Being converted unto the Lord starts with an unwavering commitment to God, followed by making that commitment part of who we are.” -Dale G. Renlund

Quote of the Day: 30 November 2019

“All history up to this point has been spent preparing the world for my presence.” -Calvin
[The question is if that preparation was in dread or hopeful expectation.]

Quote of the Day: 29 November 2019

“Wherever the barriers to the free exercise of human ingenuity were removed, man became rapidly able to satisfy ever widening ranges of desire.” -F. A. Hayek
[I felt this an appropriate message to share on Black Friday.]

Quote of the Day: 28 November 2019

“There can be no genuine thanksgiving for the blessings of nation, family, history and nature without that heart-felt penitence which gives the glory to Christ alone above all else.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer
[Happy Thanksgiving.
I hope that we all take at least a moment to reflect on the blessings we have been granted in the past year. I am quite grateful for the birth of my daughter, and the development my son has shown over the past year.]

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 27 November 2019

The selection from the log of local police activity for this week is all in a panic.

November 18
Officers converged on a fast food restaurant after a panic alarm had been pushed numerous times. Police found an employee who admitted he did not know what the button was for, and pushed it out of curiosity. The manager was advised to ensure all employees were familiar with the alarm.

That's a pretty costly oversight for the employer to make.

Quote of the Day: 27 November 2019

“Being afraid of others is actually the fear that we are unprepared to protect ourselves.” -Gavin de Becker

Quote of the Day: 26 November 2019

“[J]ust because we don’t understand doesn’t mean that the explanation doesn’t exist.” -Mrs. Murry, A Wrinkle in Time

Quote of the Day: 25 November 2019

“For the sake of my mental health, I’m just going to walk away and let you be wrong.” -Marla, Retail
[There's no link to the strip that is the source of the quote, but the strip is fun anyway.]

Quote of the Day: 24 November 2019

“Society should focus anew on the headwaters—the family—where values can be taught, lived, experienced, and perpetuated. Otherwise, brothers and sisters, we will witness even more widespread flooding downstream, featuring even more corruption and violence.” -Neal A. Maxwell

Quote of the Day: 23 November 2019

“We can strive for objectivity; we cannot reach the shores of dispassionate observation.” -Robert Burton

Quote of the Day: 22 November 2019

“I can see we’re going to get along like a house on fire. There may be no survivors.” -Miss Tick, The Wee Free Men

Quote of the Day: 21 November 2019

“Most days, we’d rather be wrong with the crowd than be right by ourselves.” -James Clear

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 20 November 2019

The selection from the log of local police activity this week is about an apparent adherent of Somnus.

Nov 10
A caller reported an elderly man sleeping on the sidewalk along Pacific Avenue. Officers contacted the man and advised him to move along. Police contacted the same man later in the day after receiving a call about a man lying in the middle of a roundabout. He declined any medical attention and advised he was fine, just taking a nap.

I have enough difficulty sleeping in my bed, that I don't think I'll ever be in the same position as this individual. Nor would I call the police about someone sleeping in public unless it was interfering with my business in an ongoing manner. But I am confused why the man chose to sleep in the center of a traffic circle. That seems an odd place to do anything, let alone nap.

Quote of the Day: 20 November 2019

“[I]f there’s one thing that’s popular in Washington, it’s lack of accountability.” -Mike Chase

Quote of the Day: 19 November 2019

“Governments can only print money; they can’t make it worth anything. They CAN make it worth nothing.” -Imaginosis1892

Quote of the Day: 18 November 2019

“EDUCATION, n. That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding.” -Ambrose Bierce

Quote of the Day: 17 November 2019

“When we covenant all we are, we can become more than we are. Covenant belonging gives us place, narrative, capacity to become. It produces faith unto life and salvation.” -Gerrit W. Gong

Quote of the Day: 16 November 2019

“[T]he moment when you’re broken is the moment when you can see what’s really happening.” -Terry Crews

Quote of the Day: 15 November 2019

“You’ll misunderstand moral reasoning if you think about it as something people do by themselves in order to figure out the truth.” -Jonathan Haidt

Forest Grove Police Log excerpt, 14 November 2019

The log of local police activity was rather light on humorous entries this week. But here is the selection from those that were available.

Nov 4
A caller reported two men kicked down his door in the middle of the night and promptly fled in a vehicle. Police found that no entry had actually been made, detected a strong odor of marijuana, and received somewhat convoluted stories from the occupants. Officers who were already in the area advised they had not observed any vehicles leaving the vicinity.

I do not know what the caller hoped to gain by calling the police over an event that, by all appearances, did not occur. However, given the high likelihood of chemically induced impairment, I'm not sure the caller knew either.

Quote of the Day: 14 November 2019

“An unborn child is not a potential person, but a person with potential. Every human life matters.” -Roy Blunt

Quote of the Day: 13 November 2019

“Risk is always specific to the time at which a decision is made. ‘Hindsight is twenty-twenty,’ but risk always involves looking forward, not backward.” -Thomas Sowell

Quote of the Day: 12 November 2019

“It’s all there, sir. I didn’t make it up. It’s the truth. It will remain true whether you believe it or not.” -William De Worde, Monstrous Regiment

Quote of the Day: 11 November 2019

“It is important to neither romanticize war nor to demonize it. War is a function of being human.” -Sarah Hoyt
[Enjoy your commemoration of Veterans Day.]

Quote of the Day: 10 November 2019

“[I]t could be regarded as a small sacrifice to keep the Sabbath day holy, to read the scriptures daily, or to pay our tithing. But these sacrifices cannot be easily made unless we have the mind and the determination to make the sacrifices that are needed to be able to keep those commandments.” -Won Yong Ko

Quote of the Day: 9 November 2019

“The combination of economic and political power in the same hands is a sure recipe for tyranny.” -Milton Friedman

Quote of the Day: 8 November 2019

“[T]he only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” -John Stuart Mill