Talley's Laws

Talley’s Laws

 

Years ago I placed a list of Talley’s Laws on my office wall.  When I retired a couple of people asked for copies of Talley’s Laws.  When I returned on year I noticed that these laws were placed on yet another office wall.  Some are tongue-in-cheek.  Some are thoughtful.  Some are meaningful. 

I’ve added a few new laws since and I’ll share those later.

 

1.         Indecision is the key to flexibility.

2.         Some decisions are best left unmade.

3.         Some decisions left unmade will fall to the level where they belong and may be made.

4.         Some decisions just don’t matter.

5.         Some problems solve themselves.

6.  A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part; however,….

7.  Committees are created to evenly distribute blame and assure that no one has ultimate responsibility.

8.  Midnight tonight comes at the same time whether I walk fast or whether I walk slowly.

9.  The sun comes up whether I am awake or not.

10.  The way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.  But, who wants to eat an elephant anyway?

11.  The longest journey begins before the first step.

12.  Sometimes the dragon wins.

13.  Never lose weight.  Put it someplace where you can find it later on when you need it.

14.  There are two lies: never and always.

15.  People really don’t admire you when you admit you were wrong. 

16.       Some people are born mean, ugly, and spiteful.  Others learn it from those who were born that way.

17.       Honesty is rewarded in Heaven and taken advantage of in life.

18.       Good managers are neither made nor born.

19.       It may be better to give than to receive, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad to receive.

20.       Some people just need to grow up and get a life.  Others shouldn’t.

21.       If you take the time to stop and smell the roses you may miss a beautiful sunset.

22.       There are just as many sunsets as there are sunrises.

23.       Everything is relative, just not material.

24.       There are two kinds of people in the world: those who care and those who don’t.

25.       Some hurts you don’t get over.

26.       The mind is a marvelous wonder.  If left alone it will heal itself or drive you crazy.

27.       There is disgrace in failure.

28.       Yes, “they” can take your birthday away from you.

29.       It is better to have loved and won than to have loved and lost.

30.       It is better to have never loved at all than to have loved and lost.

PREFACE: The original Talley’s Laws consisted of 33 points.  After I retired from my law enforcement career and began teaching criminal justice it became apparent to me that some of my students were much too casual in their studies while others thought that policing would be nothing but fun and games.  In frustration one day, I blurted out what has since become #34.  My intent, of course, was to get them to learn in the classroom and not by accident on the job.  It seems the instant I said it that it became my by-line at the College.

31.       It is O.K. to get mad.  Get even so only you and the person who made you mad know that the score is even.

32.       Some people deserve to be publicly humiliated.  It just generally doesn’t happen.

33.       True power rests with the person who changes the batteries in the TV remote.

34.       In police work, anything less than 100% will get you fired, sued, or killed.

The New Talley’s Laws

I developed the New Talley’s Laws over a period of the last 18 years.  They are a little more serious than the previous Talley’s Laws.

I hope you enjoyed, chuckled, agreed, disagreed, or pondered over the previous set.  While I’m sure that you questioned some of them (O.K., maybe all of them), each has meaning to me.  Perhaps one or two will have meaning for you.

1. Pick and choose your battles.  Not all battles are worth fighting.  You don’t have to win all battles to win the war.
2. Pick and choose your words carefully.  Consider what road your words will travel and where they will go.  Not only may they hurt others, but they may come back to haunt you.
3. First listen.  Listen first.
4. Kindness and humility are not signs of weakness.
5. Win or lose, if you endure to the end, though you may be exhausted, you will have gained strength.
6. A good deal of our “doing” doesn’t live up to our “knowing” and “believing”.  I’m not sure that it makes us hypocrites.
7. Not every helping hand is helpful.
8. Nobody wants to hear how you did it with some other organization.  Instead, ask questions that will lead others (and yourself) to discovery and innovation.
9. Before giving advice, ask yourself these questions:
1. Is it any of your business?
2. Do you hold a position of responsibility and authority over the person you want to advise?
3. Do you follow your own advice?
4. Is the advice you want to give intended to make you feel better or the person you are advising feel better?
5. Did the person ask for advice?
10. People who like everything you do or say are either insincere or blinded by (fill in the blank).
11. Pick your friends as carefully as you pick your nose.

The Second Seven Deadly Sins

The Second Seven Deadly Sins

(An Introduction to the Second Seven Deadly Sins)

From the Holy Bible

These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:

A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.

Proverbs 6:16 – 19, KJV

The Seven Deadly Sins

(An Introduction to the Second Seven Deadly Sins: Part II)

The following is a list of the commonly recognized Seven Deadly Sins.  I invite you to compare these to the Seven Deadly Sins as listed in Proverbs 6: 16-19, which I listed on 5/14/2014

1.      Wrath:  Anger, Rage, Fury, Ire

2.      Greed:  Insatiability, Self-indulgence

3.      Sloth:  Laziness, Idleness, Lethargy, Inactivity

4.      Pride:  Arrogance, Conceit, Smugness, Self-importance, Egotism

5.      Lust:  Desire, Yearning, Covetousness

6.      Envy:  Jealousy, Bitterness, Resentment, Spite

7.      Gluttony:  Excess, Superfluous

The Second Seven Deadly Sins

As you look at the two above lists you see that there is some overlap.  Also, as you look at the second list, the one that is “widely recognized”, you will notice that there is overlap within the list itself.  For example, Greed, Lust, and Gluttony are very closely related.  I have also come to the conclusion that PRIDE is at the root of the other six.

I have often wondered what the Second Seven Deadly Sins are.  I’ve searched and have found no such list.  Therefore, I’ve created my own list.  Here for your enjoyment is my list.

The Second Seven Deadly Sins

1.      Debt: Obligation, Liability, Requirement, Onus

2.      Gossip: Chatter, blather, rumormongering, scandalmongering

3.      Ingratitude: Ungratefulness, rudeness, Insolence, Disrespect

4.      Impatience: Annoyance, Irritation, Exasperation

5.      Indifference: Unimportance, Irrelevance, Inconsequence

6.      Intolerance: Bigotry, Prejudice, Fanaticism, Racism

7.      Revenge: Retaliation, Vengeance, Reprisal, Retribution

Questions on Political Correctness

It is time for me to stir the pot again.

I have observed a trend over the past few decades that has caused me to ask the following questions.  Please don’t take me to task.  These are honest questions.  I’d like to know what people really think.

How much is too much?  Where does political correctness end?  Just how careful must a person be in speaking to not offend another?  Because one person is, or a large number of people are offended, does that mean that everybody should be offended?  Are people with views that are different than others to be silenced?  Do we socially punish people for what they believe or think or say?  If so, how far should social punishment go?  Must there be formal sanctions against those whose opinions differ from a majority or a minority population?  Have we come to expect, even demand politicians of every ilk to step to the podium’s microphone to condemn those who have expressed an opinion that is not “politically correct”?  If we are to judge a person by character and not skin color, race, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, weight, or political affiliation, should we be judging and then condemning people by what they say instead of what they do?

On the Issues

On the Issues

 

I.                I believe abortion is wrong; however, in certain circumstances it may be an acceptable option in cases where the mother’s life is in danger or as the result of rape or incest.

II.                I believe that marriage is a union of a man and a woman, that abstinence prior to marriage and fidelity during marriage is a show of honor, love, and respect to the person married.  I have no objection to same-sex unions and all the legal standings afforded married couples; however, I do not believe such unions are entitled to the term “marriage”.  A separate term should be created or used to identify various forms of legal unions between partners.

III.             I believe in the free expression of religious beliefs and that these expressions should apply equally to individuals, businesses, and corporations.

IV.             I believe the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution was put into place to protect the people from all threats, foreign and domestic, criminal and political.

V.                I believe in helping the poor and those who cannot take care of themselves either through illness, age, or disability.  I believe in assisting those who want to provide for themselves by providing training and education that will allow the person to lift themselves up, but that it should not be a free ride.  Those who receive assistance to lift themselves up should be required to repay, either interest-free or minimal interest, for the assistance given them.

VI.             I believe in providing financial aid to students who are in financial need and who demonstrate consistent academic progress through course attendance and maintenance of a minimum grade.  Financial aid should be given upon completion of coursework each semester of enrollment to guarantee a student’s completion of the financial aid contract.  Financial aid should be given by the course and not dependent upon full-time or part-time status.  A student should be able to qualify for financial aid for a single credit or full-time status.  Financial aid should be for academic work only (tuition, lab fees, books, etc.) and not for living and travel expenses.

VII.          Immigration

a.       I believe in immigration reform that secures the borders, provides a stringent pathway to citizenship for those already illegally in the country, and sets quotas on immigration based not on nationality, but on the employment and economic needs, current and future, of the United States.  Such needs would include agricultural, educational, manufacturing, research and development, medical, business, science, technology, engineering, the arts, civic, and cultural needs.  Those who do not possess skills, knowledge, ability, and education in needed areas should be denied entry into United States except by contract to acquire such needs within a reasonable period of time.  In the event that a person did not demonstrate annual progress toward contract completion, that person would be deported along with his/her family.  There would be no such thing as “anchor babies”.

b.      Illegal immigrants not registered to participate in a pathway to citizenship within a specified period of time would be charged with felonious entry into the United States and immediately deported.  Those who bring immigrants illegally into the United States would be charged as felons and deported to the country from where he/she brought the illegal immigrant, after serving a prison term.  The United States would provide a passport to that person to enter the foreign nation and would be permanently denied entry into the United States.

VIII.       All citizens wishing to vote will be provided, free of charge, a voter registration certificate that will allow that person to vote in his/her voting or polling location.  The certificate would include either a picture or fingerprint of the voter.  Voter fraud would be designated as a felony and result in disenfranchisement of the person.

Washington and Oregon 2014

We left Binghamton, NY, at six in the morning on April 15, 2014, for Seattle.  Traveling through Detroit on Delta Airlines, we spent eight hours on airplanes, just under two of those hours simply sitting and going nowhere.

We arrived in Seattle in the late morning and drove around on US 101 to Port Angeles where we had a great view of ocean-going ships coming into the harbor.  The next day we went into Olympia National Park up to Hurricane Ridge and Elk River.  We encountered snow as we went up the mountain, which I suspect could be expected since there were several feet of snow on the ground from the winter.  Susan took a picture of me standing next to a section that had been plowed out and the snow was well above my head.

On the way down the mountain we stopped a few times just to take pictures and take in the view.  The first time we stopped we heard a low-pitched “who” like sound.  It definitely was not an owl.  We checked at the visitor center at the park and we learned that what we heard was a grouse.

We continued on down the coast on 101 and stopped at the first opportunity to look at the ocean.  What a view.  There were large volcanic outcroppings into the ocean, the waves were breaking high against the rocks, and it was foggy.  It was beautiful.

We spent our second night at Long Beach, Washington, and had dinner at a nice little restaurant.  We continued our journey on April 17 crossing the bay into Oregon and following the Lewis and Clark scenic route.  We tried to see Mount Hood, but it was just too rainy and cloudy.  It rained the entire day.  We spent the night in Bend, Oregon.

On the 18^th we went to Crater Lake (where there was also snow) and spent the night at North Bend, which is located by Coos Bay.  The lake was beautiful and the snow was deep.

We found a restaurant at North Bend that had to be “the” place to eat.  As soon as we walked in I knew we had found a gold mine.  Many of the men had white beards, and were wearing plaid shirts and suspenders, and had seaman caps.  Seems that we chose well.  I even had a cup of clam chowder!

From Coos Bay/North Bend we traveled up the Oregon coast and viewed four different lighthouses.  I have pictures of these on Facebook.  Susan was literally buzzed by a golden eagle at one of the lighthouses!

We then headed up to Tillamook, Oregon, where we toured a visitor center of the Tillamook Cheese Factory.  They even handed out free cheese samples.

From Tillamook, we headed to Longview and Kelso, Washington, where we spent the night and went to church.  After church we went to Mt. St. Helens and headed down to see Mt. Hood.  This time we were able to see it.

We had planned to spend the night in Mitchell, Oregon on Sunday night.  It is located right next to the John Day Fossil Beds Painted Hills, but when we got to Mitchell we saw that the motel was a hotel and looked to be of the Bates Motel variety.  We turned around and drove back to Prineville and made our way back to the Painted Hills Monday.

We spent Monday evening and the next morning with Roger and Gail Wickers in Umatilla, Oregon.  They showed us the McNary Dam and the visitor center there, which was interesting.  Actually, it was just good to be with friends.

Tuesday we headed toward Seattle, but stopped at Mt. Rainier.  We were led by our GPS to an entrance of the park that was closed.  Luckily, we had been following park employees to the locked gate.  When we got to the gate I got out to ask for directions to the visitor center.  Instead of turning us around, they unlocked the gate and let us follow them to the park headquarters.  What a blessing that was.

We then made our way to Seattle and our final night on our trip and at least six more hours on a flight back home.  Flying time was shorter going west to east than it was east to west and we didn’t spend nearly as much time on planes boarding, deplaning, and waiting.  We also had a couple of hours of free time in Detroit, which was nice on our sit-downs.

We got home around 11:30 at night, dead tired, but gratified for the great trip that we experienced.

Honoring Those Who Gave

We buried a local police officer today who was killed in the line of duty this past Monday. Two police officers were killed in the United States on Monday. On average, a police officer in the U.S. dies in the line of duty about once every 54 hours.
Hundreds of police officers from around the state lined our streets in tribute to the fallen officer. The funeral was covered by a local television station. The whole community, it seems, mourned the loss of this officer’s life that had been recognized by his department 12 years ago for an act of heroism. I’m not sure anybody knew, remembers, or cares.
Isn’t it odd how we recognize the contributions of police, fire fighters, and other first responders only when they’ve been killed. Oh, we may give them a piece of paper that says thank you and some type of service recognition pin or ribbon. We might even donate a column inch on page 12 of the lifestyle section recognizing the officer’s contributions.
How fun it is to criticize and ostracize the men and women in dark blue, light blue, brown, black, gray, white, and Park Service green and gray when a broad brush stroke paints them all for the malicious acts of a few. Media repeatedly publicize and nationalize the misdeeds of a handful of bad apples in the profession, yet rarely recognize the daily heroic efforts of the majority. A reporter friend of mine once told me that only the tragic stories get covered because they are out of the ordinary and that when we start seeing front page reports of the good that people do that our society is in deep trouble.
There are numerous tragedies associated with this officer’s death. First and foremost, of course, is that a police officer was killed in the line of duty. Of course there are the tragedies associated with the families of the victim officer and yes, the families of the suspect who killed the officer, who incidentally, was also shot and killed by another officer. But, I find tragedy in the fact that it takes the murder of a police officer to pay him the honor and respect that he so richly deserved before he was killed.
God bless and comfort the family (and police family) of Officer David Wayne Smith of the Johnson City Police Department. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

I have been going to BOCES all week to help with student assessments. We contnue next Monday.

Susan is in Dallas watching Josh and Megan's kids while the tow of them are sightseeing in Europe. That leaves me at home, a lone man in this wilderness. I've been trying to write this week, but have only been able to crank out two chapters. I'm writing a novel surrounding the events of the Mormon Battalion.

I'm sleepy and tired today.

I've been riding my bike for the past two days. I'm trying to get into shape for a serious bike ride this summer, serious being just 200 miles

General conference begins tomorrow. I'm looking forward to that.