Weird Laws Per State Part 1

Humor 6 Minutes

I stumbled across this article from Reader’s Digest listing the dumbest laws in each state (alphabetically). I thought I should pass it along…lol

Alabama: No stink bombs or confetti

If you’re a stodgy school principal from a 1980s film, consider moving to Mobile, Alabama: Stink bombs, “funk balls,” and any object “the purpose of which is to create disagreeable odors” are strictly illegal there. Also illegal: “spray string,” confetti, and bathing in public fountains.

Alaska: No getting drunk in a bar

In Alaska it is illegal to be drunk… in a bar. Per state laws, a person who is already drunk may not “knowingly” enter a bar to drink more, or remain in the bar that got them drunk in the first place. Confusing and cruel? Yes. Outdated? Sadly, no—police actually enforce it.

Arizona: No spitting in public

In the town of Goodyear, Arizona, it is unlawful to spit “in or on” any public building, park, sidewalk, or road. Offenders may be charged a fine of up to $2,500 and six months in prison. And in case you need a reminder, it’s also just lousy etiquette.

Arkansas: Must pronounce state name correctly

Visitors beware: it is strictly prohibited to pronounce “Arkansas” incorrectly. Per the state Code, the only acceptable pronunciation is “in three (3) syllables, with the final ‘s’ silent, the ‘a’ in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables.” So keep your Arkan-sass to yourself—and while you’re at it, make sure you’re pronouncing these common food words correctly.

California: No nuclear weapons, obviously

It is illegal to build, maintain, or use a nuclear weapon within Chico, California city limits. A law that began in the ‘80s as a serious anti-nuke statement has taken on a second life as an Internet joke, mainly due to the purported consequences: In addition to self-annihilation, the infraction also carries a $500 fine.

Colorado: No catapulting

Sure, you may be allowed to own a catapult in Aspen—but you better not try discharging it, buddy. Flaming arrows, alas, are also off limits.

Connecticut: Pickles must bounce

A pickle cannot be sold unless it bounces. According to a 1948 article, this law became a necessity after two scheming pickle packers tried to sell pickles “unfit for human consumption” on the sly. Connecticut’s Food and Drug Commissioner at the time proclaimed that a real pickle “should bounce” when dropped from the height of one foot, leading to a new state regulation.

Delaware: Strict trick-or-treating times enforced

To prevent “mischief of any sort,” children in the City of Rehoboth Beach may only go trick-or-treating between the hours of 6pm and 8pm on Halloween—UNLESS Halloween falls on a Sunday; in that case, “such going door to door and house to house for treats shall take place on the evening of October 30” instead.

Florida: No selling children

We know that kids can be annoying but please remember that in Florida it is a felony to sell your children. You’ve been warned.

Georgia: Can’t eat fried chicken with utensils

For chicken chompers in Gainesville, Georgia, “finger-lickin’” is not a suggestion—it is mandatory. Thanks to a 1961 law added to the city code as a publicity stunt, it is illegal to eat fried chicken in “the poultry capital of the world” with anything other than your fingers. A tourist was “arrested” for such a chicken-forking violation in 2009.

Hawaii: No billboards

Hawaii’s natural beauty is an advertisement unto itself. To keep it that way, the state has officially outlawed billboards (with some exceptions) and aerial advertising, part of an “urban beautification” initiative that dates to 1927. These aren’t so much “dumb laws” as “laws that make us feel dumb for not thinking of them first.”

Idaho: No cannibalism

Idaho is the only state to have an active ban on cannibalism. Technically not a crime in the rest of the nation, cannibalism is defined as the “nonconsensual consumption” of another human—meaning, we guess, if you can get your buddy’s permission to eat his tenderloin, the feds can’t stop you.

Illinois: No “fancy” bike riding

Listen here, city slicker: Galesburg city law strictly prohibits “fancy riding” of any bicycle on city streets, particularly riding with both hands removed from the handlebars, both feet removed from the pedals, or “any acrobatic” shenanigans on your fancy velocipede. According to a Galesburg police officer, “I suspect the trick riding ordinance came during a time or concern about bicyclist safety and perhaps crashes involving bicyclists.” It is seldom enforced.

Indiana: Proper black cat etiquette on Friday the 13th

In the municipality of French Lick Springs, all black cats must wear bells around their necks on Friday the 13th. The rule was introduced on October 13, 1939, “as a war measure to alleviate mental strain on the populace,” and has technically been in effect since.

Iowa: No faking your butter

I Can’t Believe It’s Not A Misdemeanor! Any person who attempts to pass off margarine, oleo, or oleomargarine as real butter is guilty of a simple misdemeanor in the state of Iowa, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $625 fine.

Kansas: No snowballs

It may still be illegal to throw snowballs in Topeka, Kansas. Thanks to a weirdly-worded law in the city Criminal Code, it is unlawful to “throw any stones, snowballs, or any other missiles” at any person or property in Topeka, an ordinance that former mayor Bill Bunten publicly flouted by tossing a whopper at a snowy tree in 2005. “I’m going to have an ordinance drawn up to repeal this Dumb Law lest our already-crowded prisons are filled up with children who, while making a snowman, got carried away and had a snowball fight,” he later claimed.

Kentucky: No dueling

All public officials and attorneys in Kentucky must swear an oath that they “have not fought a duel with deadly weapons” nor acted as a second in another person’s duel. Good to know now; unfortunately, when the oath took effect in 1848, many would-be duelists turned to murderous street brawls instead.

Louisiana: No catfish stealing

In Louisiana it is illegal to steal someone else’s crawfish—like, really illegal. Meriting its own state law, crawfish theft in excess of $1,500 can land the offender with up to ten years prison time or a $3,000 fine. But mostly, they will have to endure the humiliation of being called shellfish for the rest of their life.  [Pat’s question: Are catfish and crawfish the same thing?]

Maine: Don’t advertise on tombstones

It is forbidden to post advertisements on another person’s tombstone in the city of Wells. Part of a lengthy list of cemetery regulations, this ordinance is really a favor to would-be marketers; nobody is a worse customer than a corpse.

Maryland: No cursing while driving

Making road rage even rage-ier, it is illegal to swear or curse upon any street or highway in Rockville, Maryland. Anyone caught swearing faces a misdemeanor charge, effectively having to add $100 to the city swear jar.

Massachusetts: No dancing to the national anthem

It is prohibited to dance to the “Star Spangled Banner” in Massachusetts, thanks to an excessively patriotic 1917 law. While you try to ponder what such a dance would even look like, find solace in the fact that this law could never actually be enforced, thanks to a slightly weightier document called the First Amendment.

Michigan: Bounty hunting encouraged (then not)

Until 2006, every citizen of Michigan was encouraged to be a bounty hunter. A 1941 act titled “An act to provide for the payment of bounties for the killing of starlings and crows,” offered any citizen a bounty of three cents per each starling killed and ten cents per crow—so long as they were presented in “a state of good preservation.” The law was repealed in 2006.

Minnesota: No pig greasing

Long winters can be boring, but that’s not a good reason to hold a greased pig contest in your parlor. Since 1971, it has been considered a misdemeanor to operate, run, or participate in any activity where a pig is oiled up and released with the object of being recaptured—and the same goes for “turkey scrambles.”

Mississippi: No limits on Big Gulp size

Mississippi believes in a person’s inalienable right to consume Big Gulps. Following former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s contentious attempt to restrict the size of soft drinks sold throughout the city, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a law preventing his state’s lawmakers from enacting rules that limit portion sizes. Thanks in part to the “Anti-Bloomberg Bill,” one in three Mississippians remains obese.

Missouri: Tarzans not welcome

Prankish Tarzans, be warned: In University City, Missouri, it is illegal to “swing upon” another person’s motor vehicle and honk their horn for them.

Come back tomorrow for Part 2 and the rest of the states!

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Published by pat frederick

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202 thoughts on “Weird Laws Per State Part 1”

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  4. whoa…killer whale learns to ram boats and passes it on to younger whales.
    never piss off a Gladis.
    entire article
    A vengeful killer whale called Gladis is teaching gangs of orcas to attack yachts around Gibraltar, and has already struck three boats – sinking two of them.

    It may read like something out of Moby Dick, but in this case the truth is stranger than fiction.

    Her attacks are now being copied by the rest of the nearby killer whale population, which has learnt how to ram vessels from their ringleader.

    The matriarch is tutoring younger whales in the art of sinking boats; raising the prospect of future generations continuing the war on humans for years.

    On May 2, six of the apex predators slammed into the hull of a Bavaria 46 yacht, which was sailing in the Strait of Gibraltar, near Tangier in Morocco.

    The hour-long attack left Cambridge couple Janet Morris, 58, a business consultant, and Stephen Bidwell, 58, a photographer, who were on board for a sailing course, in awe.

    The couple were below deck, when the cry of “orcas!” went up.

    “It’s an experience I will never forget,” Mr Bidwell told the Telegraph.

    “I kept reminding myself we had a 22-ton boat made of steel, but seeing three of them coming at once, quickly and at pace with their fins out of the water was daunting.”

    “I couldn’t believe it when I saw them,” said Ms Morris, 58, “We were sitting ducks.”

    “A clearly larger matriarch was definitely around and was almost supervising,” Mr Bidwell told the Telegraph before conceding he could have come face to face with White Gladis herself.

    “The experience left us in awe of nature and her power”.

    Skipper Greg Blackburn, from Leeds, was already dealing with “heavy weather” of 25-30 knot winds and a rolling swell of six to 10 feet when the whales hit his rudder with two large blows.

    He said. “I thought ‘oh dear’ when I saw them. After reading reports and knowing what has been going on, I just thought we were in for a ride now.”

    The skipper dropped the main sail and tried to make the boat “as boring as possible”.

    The whales eventually lost interest, but not before causing extensive damage worth thousands of pounds, leaving the boat to limp back to port.

    Mr Bidwell and Ms Morris are going back to the Straits of Gibraltar again in just two weeks to recoup the missed sailing hours, rather than an Ahab-style quest to face Gladis again.

    The attack in the Straits, a vital travel route to reach the Mediterranean from Gibraltar, followed a similar incident in November last year off the coast of Portugal.

    The French-crewed vessel sank off the port of Viana do Castelo after orcas “cracked” its hull and it took on water.

    A pod of three orcas attacked and sank a third sailboat, piercing its rudder, off the coast of Spain, just two days after Mr Bidwell’s brush with the bully whales.

    Werner Schaufelberger, the captain, said he saw the two smaller whales imitating the ramming tactic of the largest orca.

    “The little ones shook the rudder at the back while the big one repeatedly backed up and rammed the ship with full force from the side,” he told Yacht, a German publication.

    “The two little orcas observed the bigger one’s technique and – with a slight run-up – they, too, slammed into the boat.”

    Spanish coast guards rescued the crew of the stricken vessel but the boat sank at the port entrance of Barbate after it was towed to shore.

    “That traumatised orca is the one that started this behaviour of physical contact with the boat,” said Alfredo López Fernandez, a biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal and representative of the Atlantic Orca working group.

    This “critical moment of agony” made Gladis aggressive towards boats, and that aggressive behaviour is now being copied by other orcas, he told LiveScience.

    Mr López said Gladis’ behaviour was not revenge but a behaviour learnt “as a reaction and precaution”, which the other whales were imitating.

    Orcas are social animals and can learn from each other. David Attenborough’s Frozen Planet II captured footage of orcas working together to cause waves to knock seals off icebergs and into the water,

    Other theories are that the whales are exhibiting territorial, defensive, or play behaviour.

    The first reports of aggressive orcas off the Iberian coast began in May 2020. In September of that year, Spanish authorities banned boats from setting sail from the country’s northwestern tip after 29 orca attacks were registered.

    The assaults have become increasingly frequent. The orcas approach from the stern and hit the rudder before losing interest once they have stopped the boat.

    https://t.co/RMsQx3menV

    Liked by 1 person

    1. That reminds me of a movie I watched many years ago about an orca exacting revenge after he watched a whaling ship harpoon his mate – movie was from 1977 “Orca,” with Richard Harris.

      From Wiki: “Captain Nolan is an Irish Canadian living in South Harbour, Nova Scotia who catches marine animals in order to pay off the mortgage on his boat and eventually return to Ireland. Nolan’s crew is currently looking for a great white shark for a local aquarium, but a marine biologist named Ken is targeted by the shark. An orca intervenes and kills the shark, saving Ken’s life. This switches Nolan’s target to the orca. Later while hunting with his crew, Nolan tries to capture what he believes to be a male orca, but mistakenly harpoons a pregnant female. Nolan and his crew get the orca on board, where she subsequently miscarries. The captain hoses the dead fetus overboard as her mate looks on, screaming in anguish.

      Seeking release for his near-dead mate, the male orca tries to sink the ship. One of Nolan’s crew members, Novak, cuts the female off the ship, but the male leaps up and drags him into the sea. The following day, the orca pushes his now-dead mate onto the shore. Al Swain, representative of the local fishermen’s union, berates Nolan for his actions after finding the dead whale. Nolan denies responsibility, but Swain and the villagers eventually find out his involvement. The villagers insist that he kill the orca, as the whale’s presence is causing the fish that are vital to the village’s economy to migrate. The orca terrorizes the village by sinking fishing boats in broad daylight and then breaking pipelines, thus destroying the village’s fuel reserves.”

      Liked by 1 person

  5. chinese citizens are suing Florida because of new law that doesn’t allow them to buy land close to military installations.
    FTA
    A similar law was passed in Montana in May as concern about the CCP’s initiative to buy land near U.S. military installations increases. Chinese ownership of U.S. farmland has increased from $81 million in 2010 to $1.8 billion in 2020, according to Department of Agriculture data.

    “When [the CCP has] interests that are opposed to ours and you see how they’ve wielded their authority — and especially with President Xi, who’s taken a much more Marxist Leninist turn since he’s been ruling China — that is not in the best interest of Florida to have the Chinese Communist Party owning farmland, owning land close to military bases,” DeSantis said in January.

    DeSantis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    https://dailycaller.com/2023/05/23/chinese-citizens-sue-florida-over-law-banning-them-from-purchasing-land-near-military-installations/

    Liked by 1 person

      1. the responses from liberals are typical–isn’t this a free country…
        it is, until the chinese buy it all up and throw us all out

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Liked by 1 person

  8. WJT
    WJT
    May 24, 2023 12:59 pm

    I see over on Truth Social that DJT has pondered on perhaps E Jean Carroll is a stalker and includes her facebook post from 11 years ago where she declares herself a massive fan of The Apprentice. He hasn’t posted her other stuff where she asks her followers would they have sex with him.

    Anyway I followed the trial a bit, at the time a reporter was live tweeting it. And she confirmed she had his photo up on a wall for about 10 years, she also has been doing walking tours in NY around places that she knew he frequented in the past such as Studio54 (apparently she did get in there a few times back in its heyday), her walking tour starts and ends at Trump Tower where she is accompanied by people dressed up as Donald Trump with Trump facemasks.

    You really can’t make it up.

    He should have taken out a restraining order on her when she started all this nonsense about 5 years ago.
    1
    Reply
    Troublemaker10
    Troublemaker10
    May 24, 2023 1:09 pm
    Reply to WJT

    ….And the judge shamefully wouldn’t allow any evidence about such behavior in the trial.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Well, here I got all excited, thinking I had received my Trump 2024 flag and the bowl for the oriole feeder but no….it was my yellow Lilac, which I planted in a pot with fresh Miracle Gro soil for a month or so – until I see new growth – then I will put it in the ground. I’m having to re-evaluate the spot I had planned on, tho, since the instructions say full to partial shade, and there is none in that spot. Bummer! I wonder if I could plant it inside my tire tower? I wonder….as the base of it expands, think it would eventually break the tires? Hmmm….this will take some planning, for sure.

    The other package was a neat little gadget I ordered from PCH – I got 2 of them and will send one to my sister. It looks like a pen but it is a spring-loaded device – when you push the plunger, 4 prongs come out the end to grab small screws, bolts, etc. Release the plunger and it pulls it up. It will especially come in handy when I have to change the rechargeable AAA batteries in my solar lights – they are super tiny and really hard to get ahold of. This will help a lot! PCH has a lot of (yes, over-priced) cool gadgets! LOL

    Liked by 1 person

    1. “And just like that in lockstep the UK Media now pushing for domestic flights to be banned. Inverness or Aberdeen to London? Gone! Also the trains here are useless and RIDICULOUSLY overpriced like France…”

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Just in case someone needs to know…..
    “In 34 U.S. states, women are legally allowed to go topless anywhere a man can. The practice is only explicitly illegal in two states, with the remaining 14 having ambiguous legal situations…”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. Picked up my case of jelly at the local grocery store – dang, that’s heavy and it feels even heavier this year! Had a heck of a time getting it out of the truck and inside. We’ll see if the case lasts thru the oriole season. Ran into someone I used to see at SP all the time, altho I never knew her name. I also set my list down someplace (I do that a LOT!), then couldn’t remember where. I commented about getting old to an older woman working there and she said it happens to her, too. So I re-traced my steps and found it in the garden section (butt of course I’m in the garden section!) where I was trying on gloves – the child’s size fits me perfectly! Less than $5 each pr so I grabbed 2 of them. They are coated in rubber, giving me more gripping power.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. You know, it’s one of those things – it was in my hand when I tried on the gloves, which is where I put it down. LOL – thankfully, I had only been 3 places in the store at that point. Any more than that and I’d have just said forget it and try to remember!

        Liked by 1 person

        1. oh that NEVER works for me…I go blank and we end up buying goodies and snacks–cuz that’s all hubby remembers was on the list…LO

          Liked by 1 person

  15. The Men Behind the Curtain – Part 4
    The Bilderberg Group

    RYAN DELARME
    MAR 9, 2023
    EXCERPT: “So far in this series, we’ve discussed the Council on Foreign Relations, the Trilateral Commission, and the World Economic Forum. In this edition, we’ll be going over another highly influential, clandestine faction of the Cabal: the Bilderberg Group.

    The Bilderbergers, as you might have guessed, are yet another group of extremely powerful men and women—many of them belonging to royal European bloodlines—who convene annually in semisecret to discuss the ‘issues of the day.’ Naturally, the more conspiracy-minded observers claim that the group conspires to manufacture and manage world events; they may not be wrong.

    The Bilderbergs came about in the wake of the creation of the European Union, which some believe had been the goal of several ancient orders dating as far back as the era of Merovingian King Dagobert II. This alleged brotherhood, concealed within Freemasonry, but hidden from lower-degree Masons, is the supposed progenitor of what we call “globalism” today. Their goal throughout the ages has been to dominate all of Europe and eventually the world (more on these claims in future installments).”

    https://badlands.substack.com/p/the-men-behind-the-curtain-part-4

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Oh, yeah – my router issue….I haven’t lost connection yet. I called OmniTech to let them know I would be going to Norfolk and I didn’t want to miss them. He informed me they still didn’t have any service calls so wouldn’t be bringing it until then. You can guess my reaction….and the thought crossed my mind that they could just mail a replacement power cord but that would take 3 days at least. While I was driving to Norfolk, he called me back and said he would FedEx it to me so I should have it within 2 days max. I told him to make sure THAT plug wasn’t also defective. So, I’ll try it when it arrives…we’ll see.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. leaving in about 45 minutes to do a banana run.
    the winter pear trees came in, so we will pick those up on Saturday or Monday.
    which works out really well. we are loaning our augur to our son–he’s putting in a fence. this way we can use the auger to dig the holes for the trees before loaning it out to him.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Kaylene, Marilyn’s son-in-law’s mom (he’s the one who killed himself in the garage) had winter pear trees in her back yard a few houses east of me – she brought me some and they were very tasty.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. mostly…
      but the weirdness was abounding at walmart…
      story in the morning…LOL
      ‘btw kalbokalbs at wolf’s said he (i think) tried to post condolences for Marica at her site but couldn’t get a dialog box…???
      wonder if that’s stopping folks who don’t post a lot?

      Liked by 1 person

  22. Tim Scott’s team is setting up for him in IA and Pence is in IA, too. Trying to get in touch with Rodney – both Yahoo and Google e-mails were returned so I called and left him a VM.

    Liked by 1 person

  24. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

    2. as for the Trump video…I often mistake the “O” for the “I” key on my keyboard–they’re right next to each other…think the President is doing the same thing…
      he’s SHIT…not shot…LOL

      Liked by 1 person

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