I’m Under Arrest for What? Fifty Bizarre U.S. Laws


Vermont
Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.

Virginia
Tickling a woman is unlawful.

Washington
It’s illegal to pretend that one’s parents are wealthy.

West Virginia
If you make fun of someone who does not accept a challenge, you risk a six-month prison sentence.

Wisconsin
Unless a customer specifically requests it, margarine may not be substituted for butter in a restaurant.

Wyoming
Unless you have an official permit, you may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April.

This Court Is Adjourned
Whew! With all this legislation, it’s a wonder we’re not all sharing a prison cell right now. Granted, something tells me the Los Angeles Police Department has bigger fish to fry than popping people who dare to eat oranges while bathing, and that most people who saw me catching some shut-eye on top of a fridge in Pennsylvania wouldn’t call the cops on me, but you never know when you might come across that rare whistle-blower who wants you persecuted to the fullest extent of the law, so it’s probably better to be safe than sorry. The next time I tie up my elephant at a parking meter in Florida, I’ll be sure to bring a pocket full of quarters.


159 readers liked this story.
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04.09.2012
Bev James
Some of these laws make sense, for example, not cutting down cacti in Arizona. I well remember visiting the outskirts of Phoenix in 1966 to see Taliesen West, the famous Frank Loyd Wright building. It was in the desert, surrounded by cacti, but apparently it is now part of suburban Phoenix. America and Canada allow too much urban sprawl. I believe this comes from the mistaken notion that they can never run out of open country. They should revisit the story of the passenger pigeon to understand how abundance can become scarcity and then extinction through profligacy. The law about keeping a promise to marry was one which existed in British society until relatively recently, so this society cannot mock that one. I always think of this with regard to head coverings in Islam. How many people remember when a respectable woman in our society was not seen with an uncovered head? In the 50s the Queen on informal occasions always wore a headscarf.
03.13.2012
Heather
Wow..it's supposed to be funny. I read a book about all of these several years ago. We got a chuckle out of it. Believe me, I haven't gone to jail for cutting my hair and I'm sure if someone had a goat in a bathtub, they wouldn't either. It's funny. Get over yourselves and learn to laugh. There's more than enough to complain about these days.
after reading some of the comments i have to agree. you people are to uptight, relax and just enjoy a good laugh. yes they may be untrue and even silly but its still funny. bet the ones complaining would gripe if hung with a new rope. i live in arkansas and have heard them all before along with all the hill billy jokes and even tell the best ones. if we cant laught at ourselves who can we laugh at. the world is becoming to serious, will all the media outlets. if you dont like what you read here go else where for the serious stuff.
02.23.2012
D Langhorne
I have to add another comment, I kept reading earlier comments and came across one from Jeze Beth, who says among other things " Who cares if they're even true?". I care, yes this article is whimsy, but what if this author submitted another article on a more serious topic and did no fact checking, she could be making egregious errors. This author has written 127 other articles on this site, given her treatment of this article I would say her entire body of work is now suspect. There is an assumption when you write an article that factually at least it is accurate, Reporters have lost their jobs and carreers over things like this as well they should because it erodes trust.
02.23.2012
D Langhorne
i checked 2 of these, The Indiana "law" and the Ohio "rule". With regard to Ohio, I checked the Ohio drivers education manual and there is no mention of what is posted here. With the indiana one, it was a bill that was submitted, but it did not pass so it is in fact not a law and never was, there is a wikipedia article on that in fact. So, you should get your facts straight before you print untruths, which you have. A little bit of journalistic integrity would be nice. I can only assume all of these are suspect.
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