While my sister and her husband were vacation in Hawaii, my

brother-in-law, a very observant guy, asked his wife why are there

interstate highways in Hawaii. And she, in turn, asked me.

Never having been west of Las Vegas, I had no earthly idea. However, his

question did remind me of some imponderables that sound like they came

from the mind of comedian Steven Wright:

Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you can't drink and

drive?

Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?

Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?

Why are cigarettes sold in gas stations when smoking is prohibited there?

Do you need a silencer if you are going to shoot a mime?

Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?

How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?

If the 7-11 store is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there

locks on the doors?

If a cow laughed, would milk come out its nose?