Absurd Laws

I had a conversation with my son a few days ago and one of the topics was setting boundaries for kids. It’s natural for kids to not like rules, but they’re necessary to live in an organized society. Even I agree that today we seem to live in a society where rules and regulations sometimes just seem too much. But that’s the way our society operates, and as a society grows, so do the number of rules and regulations. 

Well, anyhow, I was thinking about some of the kind of strange laws that are still “laws.” I imagine that a lot, or probably most, still exist because no one has gotten around to changing them. I did a search on “strange or stupid laws” and here’s some that I came up with. Some are pretty funny and a lot of them make you wonder where the heck they came from — what was going on to prompt such a law. And some of them makes you wonder if when they were written, the legal power had landed in the wrong hands…..

Impotence is grounds for divorce in twenty-four states.
In Illinois, it is illegal to speak English. The officially recognized language is “American.”
In Oxford, Ohio, it is still illegal for a woman to undress in front of a picture of a man.
In Indiana, during the 1950s, anything to do with Robin Hood was prohibited. Robbing from the rich to give to the poor was considered communist ideology.
In Finland, Donald Duck was once banned because he doesn’t wear any pants.
In Thailand if you drop gum on the pavement, you can be fined up to $600. You are not permitted to leave your house without wearing underwear — and — all those who attend a cinema show must stand up during the national anthem before a film begins.

The United Kingdom has some strange laws on the books…
It is illegal to die in the House of Parliament. The reasoning behind that is that technically anyone who dies within the walls of Parliament is automatically granted a Royal state funeral.
The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King. The tail is the property of the Queen so that she can use the bones for her corset.

In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow. 

And if you’re planning to travel to Australia, be aware that…
Although it is against the law for children to buy cigarettes, condoms, or alcohol, they can legally use all of them.
It is illegal to wear black clothing, felt shoes, and black shoe polish on your face while roaming the streets. These items are the tools of a cat burglar.
And if you’re down-under, it is illegal to dress up as Batman. 

Singapore is one of the cleanest cities I’ve ever visited…. the reason is probably because littering is a serious offense. If caught littering, your punishment includes a fine of several thousand dollars, hours of litter collection, state-sponsored counseling, and your picture in the local news. 
It’s also illegal to carry a Bible or talk to someone about Jesus.

And then there’s them French….
In France, it’s illegal to call or address a pig as Napoleon.
Between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., 70 percent of the music on the radio must be by French composers.
It is against the law to sell a doll with a face that’s not human.

Maybe you should save this list and pull it out and re-read it before you go to vote in the next election…..
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