Warning: Many of this book's contents previously offended certain people when they were first published on the op-ed and commentary pages of various newspapers, and may still pose a threat to cherished credos and deeply entrenched beliefs. Those who come into contact with them may thus risk having their assumptions assaulted, opinions upended, and prejudices pummeled. Many readers, however, may be both entertained and enlightened by the challenge to conventional wisdom and platitude-plagued attitudes that this collection of essays offers. Who knew, for example, that the FDA is championed by the very industries it regulates, that a certain "Mr. Quaker" once was going around delivering a militaristic message to high-school assemblies, or that committing small, random acts of benevolence could land you in jail? But just keep in mind that these dissertations are still every bit as dangerous to various dogmas and delusions as they were when they first appeared in print - and are fully capable of offending again.