The Funniest TShirts of Summer 1997

by Bob Levey

     With ruffles and flourishes, we unveil the long-awaited collection. Here, seekers of wisdom and truth, are the Funniest T-Shirts of Summer 1997, as reported by (and occasionally worn by) Levey's legions.

1.    "Mothers of Teenage Children Know Why Animals Eat Their Young" - Pat Koglin, of Warrenton, Va.
2.    "Somewhere Between 30 and Death." -Rita Rogers, Burke.
3.    "My Folks Slept in the Lincoln Bedroom and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt." - William Cossan, of Upper Marlboro.
4.    "She Met the Family and Married Him Anyway" - Thelina Montgomery, of Rockville, who says the groom's family was wearing it before and after a wedding in Fort Collins, Colo.
5.    "The Nest Is Not Empty Until They Get Their Stuff Out of the Basement" - Paufine E. Council of Rockville, and George Irwin of Gambrills
6.    "Help! I've Fallen and I Can't Reach My Credit Cards" - Cmdr. Pavlos Kaltsas
7.    "It's My 29th Birthday and I'll lie If I Want To." - Pavlos Kaltsas again.
8.    'Let Us All Be Happy and live Within Our Means - Even If We Have to Borrow the Money to Do It" - Mickey Gordon, of Fort Defiance, Va.
9.    "I Have Seen the Future and I'm Not Renting the Video" - Phil Frankenfeld, of Northwest Washington.
10.    "We Gave Away the Children - The Cat Was Allergic" - Mary Jane Wyatt, of Winchester, Va.
11.    "When God Made Me, He Was Just Showing Off" - Matt and Peggy Menard, of Hollywood.
12.    (Aboard a toddler) "I'm 2 Years Old and There's Nothing You Can Do About It" - Joyce Berkebile, of Lusby.
13.    "Just Give Me Chocolate and Nobody Gets Hurt" - Karen Reznek
14.    "Welcome to the '90s. Don't Drink the Water. Don't Breathe the Air. Don't Eat Fruit, Vegetables, Meat, Fish, Sugar, Salt or Fats. Don't Have Sex Ever Again. Have a Nice Day" - "Anonymous."
15.    "I Don't Suffer from Insanity - I Enjoy Every Minute of It" - Rebecca Goldstein.
16.    "I Got This T-Shirt for My Husband - Pretty Good Trade, Huh?" - spotted on the Atlantic City 'boardwalk by Mimi Hook.
17.    "I Fish, Therefore I lie" - spotted by Ed Driscoll on a man walking out of a Wal-Mart
18.    "Be Nice to Your Children - They'll Pick Your Nursing Home" - Barbara Beall.
19.    "When Your Dreams Turn to Dust, Vacuum" - Sharon Lockett.
20.    "'I'm Retired and This Is As Dressed Up as I'm Gonna Get" - Gilda Dickstein.
21.    "Growing Old Is Mandatory - Growing up Is Optional" - Dave Metzger.
22.    "Upon the Advice of My Attorney, My Shirt Bears No Message at This Time" - Spotted aboard a fellow middle-schooler (Lord help us) by an eighth-grader named Pauline Wu.
23.    Finally... "Nobody Knows - I'm Actually Elvis" - Gabriel Chavez, who saw it aboard a bookworm in a public library.