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Show AggieLife Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2009 Page 11 Pucker up and kiss your liberties goodbye The truth behind the weird laws of the land By KASEY VAN DYKE staff writer Laws are a fundamental part of society. They keep us safe. They give us order. But some laws are just plain weird. According to www.dumblaws.com, it is illegal for a man to kiss his wife on Sundays in Hartford, Conn. In North Carolina it is illegal to sing off key. Odd laws are found in every state, reaching all the way to Logan, where it is illegal for a woman to swear. A system of laws has been in effect since mankind took its first step. Rules have always been a way of constructing a society out of chaos. The first written code of law was the Code of Hammurabi, which, according to Fred S. Kleiner, author of “Gardner’s Art Through the Ages,” is as old as 1780 B.C. Finally writing down the laws made them irrefutable, creating the first consequence as well. The Code of Hammurabi, as translated by L.W. King, had laws about thievery, slavery, taxes, among others. The consequences for breaking the laws included being thrown in water, jumping into the river, taking an oath and, in severe cases, imprisonment. The law today is, fortunately, different from that of 1780 B.C. Society no longer pays with corn or animals, meaning the laws had to change. As the means of transportation became faster, speed limits had to be erected. As the world becomes more dangerous, permits and restrictions are placed on weapons. Laws are vital to society, but could it really be illegal to sweep dirt from a person’s house onto the street in Idaho? Capt. Steve Milne, of the USU Police, said he believes most of these “dumb laws” are myths. When asked about the Utah law that states it is illegal to cause a catastrophe, he confirmed its validity. “This is a current law that can be found in the Utah State Criminal & Traffic Code (76-6-105),” he said. “An example would be if you start a fire that burns acres of land and home. Among other criminal acts, you have caused a catastrophe.” Milne also said unnecessary laws have been done away with. “I think they have gotten rid of the ones that are outdated and didn’t make sense,” he said. No matter the reasons behind laws, they will always be Playing the name game Protesters compare Obama to Hitler Let’s play the celebrity look-alike game: However, the overall theme of the proWhich celebrity or historically significant test is to emulate the Boston Tea Party, person do you think President Barack when early American colonists threw Obama is most like? three ship loads of tea into the Boston Over the weekend there was a protest Harbor in protest against the colonists’ against Obama and the federal govern- right not to be taxed without representament in Washington, D.C., where tens tion. of thousands of people were dressed as So what does of the Boston Tea Party American colonists and many played the in the winter of 1773 and the Tea Party name-game. protest held last weekend have in comSome Tea Party protesters felt Obama mon? Pretty much nothing. is most like Adolf The current Hitler, others adminis tration apparently see was elected Perhaps while trying to him more as the democratically Joker from the and voters have justify why some protestmovie “The Dark the opportunity ers would associate the Knight” and many to vote for new others seem to representatives president with a fictional think he is most every four and homicidal character, other like King George two years. III, the king of To compare protesters held signs rakGreat Britain durthe current ing the president across ing the American adminis tration Revolution. to a tyrannical the political spectrum ... Boy, did I miss monarch, is not the boat all togethonly insulting to er. I was thinking our governmenalong the lines of tal system, it is Denzel Washington. also insulting to the American revolutionPerhaps while trying to justify why ists that fought against real oppression. some protesters would associate the A good majority of the protestors at president with a fictional homicidal char- the Tea Party protests spoke out against acter, other protesters held signs raking the proposed health care reform and the president across the political spec- said they felt the current administration is trum calling him everything from a fas- unfairly oppressing them. cist – having ultra-conservative political I support a good old-fashioned proviewpoint – to a communist – having an test, but comparing President Obama to ultra-liberal view. Some insisted Obama is Hitler? Really? Hitler did his best to comworking with Muslim fundamentalists or mit genocide and orchestrated the deaths even in the pocket of the Saudi govern- of millions of people, Obama wants to ment. provide health care for all Americans. Street Speak How do you manage stress throughout the school year? “Yoga and good friends.” – Isidra Marquez, sophomore, bioengineering, “I make sure there is a separation between my school life and social life and make sure there is a healthy balance.” – Jean West, senior, journalism “I take a fun elective class to keep my mind off school.” – Blake Anderson , sophomore, business administration “I exercise.I play tennis or any sport. It calms me down.” – Sam Butterfield, freshman, pre-med biology photos and information gathered by Tyler Larson What am I missing here? I realize that every president since Truman has, at one point or another, been compared to Hitler. It seems the level of anger has risen to new heights this time. When CNN news anchor Lisa Desjardins tried to start asking protesters questions, rather than allow the reporter to speak, the protestors began chanting “Glenn Beck. Glenn Beck,” “go home CNN,” and “tell the truth.” Desjardins, who had apparently given up on giving any real coverage, asked the crowd what it thought of Joe Wilson, to which they responded with another chant, “Way to go, Joe.” Such tirades and protests do not help the country and I can only hope that if there really is such a large movement that demands a change in leadership that everyone who protested turns up to vote in local and national elections. Don’t forget to go to www.aggietownsquare.com to let me know what you think about the Tea Parties. Seth Bracken is a senior majoring in print journalism. Questions or comments can be sent to him at seth. bracken@aggiemail.usu.edu created, changed and broken. When asked what law students would instate if they had the power, they had a wide variety of answers. Parker Greene, sophomore in interior design, gave her suggestion to supermarket owners. “It should be illegal to leave your cart in the middle of the parking lot or you get a ticket,” she said. Annette Hogge, sophomore studying public health, says she thinks more about laws regarding her education. “It should be illegal for someone to be poor,” she said, “because then I would survive college.” A junior studying electrical engineering and pre-med, Ben Oman, thinks on swimwear. “A woman should need a permit to wear a bikini,” he said. Finally, Andrew Grewe, senior majoring in public relations, targeted a popular Web site. “Overly personal Facebook updates should be banned,” he said. –k.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu |