• Randy Young’s recent column “Not So Free Speech” brought to mind this quote: “…most people listen with the intent to reply, not to understand. You listen to yourself as you prepare in your mind what you are going to say, the questions you are going to ask, etc. You filter everything you hear through your life experiences, your frame of reference. You check what you hear against your autobiography and see how it measures up. And consequently, you decide prematurely what the other person means before he/she finishes communicating.” — Stephen Covey, American author

• I have no sympathy whatsoever for people who overdose on illegal drugs. Sure, they’re sick, but they were stupid before they got sick, and being stupid has consequences.