Is It Weird Out There ....?: Or Is It Just Me?

Which part of the supermarket vegetable department should be rated "R"? What do you do if you're sitting in the driveway with a lawn mower on your lap when the neighbor's nasty pit bull appears? Should the death penalty be abolished, except for people who drive too slowly in the passing lane? Why do Iowa farmers hide their hogs and daughters every presidential election year? What do Colfax Mingo, Pablo McHorowitz and Marguarita Con-Tequila have in common? Life can throw a lot of questions, situations and decisions at a person, some more serious than others. Columnist Mike Deupree of The Cedar Rapids Gazette has been making observations on many of them for more than 20 years, often evoking a chuckle and from time to time stimulating a thought or two. Collected here are some of those observations, on topics ranging from the ACLU to zoology.