No Lie

The temporary mayor of Mount Sterling, Iowa, has heard one too many tall tales. Jo Hamlet is pushing for a ban on lying in the town of 40 residents. "People shooting 16-pound geese and catching 9-pound bass and 28-pound gobbler turkeys and over 200-point bucks.... There's some sentiment that hunting and fishing stories don't count" said Hamlet, a 69-year-old cattle buyer. But unsubstantiated claims of high corn yields and gossip might qualify as lies, he said. As for possible penalties, Hamlet was considering mouth-washing or a tongue-lashing. Now, if we could only get that kind of ordinance on the books for our nation's capital.