talkpolitics | Laughter in a crowded parliament

We hear and laugh so often about the bunch of weird and outdated local laws around the US states, but if you thought they're a monopoly of the Land of the Free, you were mistaken. Society is built upon loads and loads of chaff that passes for legislation, which could call lots of raised brows. And mind you, beside the written laws there are also lots of "unwritten" ones. So if we try to split laws into several groups, we'll eventually get three types of laws: useful, unjust and... here we go... hilarious. So here's a photo gallery which will take a walk around the labyrinth of the weirdest legislation around the world.

Hanging by a thread. In the German province Mecklenburg-Vorpommern there's a law against suspended bridges. A clause stipulates the way you can walk on such facilities - it's forbidden to "march" on them in large groups. The strangest thing is that there's not a single suspended bridge in that province. However, due to the efforts to harmonize local laws with the EU legislation, this law had to be added, although it doesn't serve any purpose.

A deadly kiss. In France, couples are barred from kissing on the railway station platform. The argument: too many hugging couples have been careless enough to fall on the rails and be killed by the coming trains. Today if you wanna kiss your dear one, you'll have to move away from the trains or you'll be fined.

Last home. In September 2000 the town of Le Lavandou at the French Riviere forbade its people to die without a prior booking at the local cemetery. The absurd situation emerged when the cemetery got overcrowded and the environmentalists protested against the building of a second one.

Censorship À-la-France. The pig owners in France are strictly forbidden to name their livestock Napoleon as this is considered inappropriate as per the requirements of PC.

Old tradition. The tradition-crazed Britain forbids its citizens to stick post marks depicting the Queen with their bottom up. Disregarding this decree is considered state treason.

Dying forbidden! The Westminster palace has been a royal residence before it became house of the Commons of UK. And everyone who died in this royal residence had the right of a state funeral. This led to the absurdity that dying in the palace was forbidden, and whoever didn't respect the requirement would be carried out of the building before being granted a death certificate.

No hay, no way. Another outdated law from the time of horse carriages says that every London taxi cab should be supplied with a fresh bale of hay. This law was valid until as late as 1976.

Juristic conundrums. Many of the most absurd US laws are from the period of the peak of the Puritan influence. Thus, in Cleveland women are still barred from combining polished leather shoes with a skirt. The reason: men could peek underneath the skirt by looking at the reflection of the shoes.

Harry the Evil. An elementary school in Florida banned all Harry Potter books from its library because they were promoting un-Christian pagan rituals. After ensuing lawsuit initiated by a 4th grader and his parents, the court overruled the decision and Harry Potter could be read again in the lib, but this time only after a written permission by the parents.

Armed pilgrims. The visitors of a church in Maine can forget about anything else but not about bringing their gun - it's compulsory if you want to enter God's house. Why? Just in case savage Indians decide to drop by and interrupt the sermon.

Caveman manners. In Michigan, a law dating back to 1897 is still in place today, which explicitly forbids the use of vulgar language by men in the vicinity of women and children. Say 'fuck' and you're getting to court.

Expensive vices. In the Montgomery district, since 2001 there's a ban of smoking at home. This could result in a $ 750 fine. The fine is due as soon as the nose of your neighbor senses the smell of smoke.

Caution, umbrella! Again in Montgomery (!), it's forbidden to draw your umbrella open in the street. This "maxim" dates back to the time of the horse carriages and is explained thus: the abrupt opening of an umbrella could scare the horses...

Peaked hats are a must! In UK the parking tickets are valid only if the cop has his peaked hat on, while they're putting the fine notification on the windscreen. If it's too hot outside, the cop could remove his hat but at the moment they're sticking the ticket, they should have their hat on. It's the ultimate condition for the validity of the fine.

Chewing gums. In Singapore, chewing gums are a taboo. For hygienic and aesthetic reasons the legislators have imposed draconian measures. In the tiny Asian country there's a complete ban on the production and import of chewing gums because they pollute the city. Non-sugar chewing gums are only sold in pharmacies and cannot be chewed in public.

Long live the cactus! If you chop down a cactus in Arizona you could face 25 years in jail. The law was adopted because many citizens of Arizona were killing time by... shooting at cactuses.

Forbidden temptation. In Carmel, California, selling ice-cream on the street had been forbidden for a long time. The new mayor Clint Eastwood eventually put an end to this madness.

Moral À-la-Uzbekistan. In Uzbekistan, playing pool is a crime. The legislators believe that it is bad for morality.

Satan go out! In 2002 the mayor of the town of Inglis, Florida, banished Satan from entering the town borders. The restriction has led to nationwide and even international discussions on the role of the state and church. Eventually the rule was removed and the Evil One is free to roam the streets of Inglis. Poor Inglisians!

:)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

3fgburner.livejournal.com

Re: Mecklenburg,
"A clause stipulates the way you can walk on such facilities - it's forbidden to 'march' on them in large groups."

That's actually got a rational basis. A large enough unit of soldiers, marching in step, could theoretically set up a harmonic that would shake the bridge apart.

From:

a-new-machine.livejournal.com

They'd have to change their step to adjust to the harmonic. As you add energy, the harmonic changes, so destructive resonance requires adjustment of the frequency to continue hitting it. Like jumping on a trampoline opposite someone else, to throw them higher and higher - the further up they go, the more you have to space out your jumps to hit at the optimal moment. That's why Tesla's "earthquake" machine probably didn't actually work.

From:

raichu100.livejournal.com

This may all be true, but the blatant absence of such a bridge in the area makes it rather moot, don't you think? :D

A place to discuss politics without egomaniacal mods.

Laughter in a crowded parliament

Credits & Style Info

Links

Summary