The Law Is Strange But It Is the Law

Here's a fabulous collection of Strange Laws in the United States that can date back very far. Most of these laws remain in the books today, even if rarely enforced.

Laws shown here have been collected from sources believed to be reliable, however, there are no guarantees. Some might have been repealed some time ago while others may have been amended to make them less ludicrous

I suppose a collection of Philippine strange laws would be longer than this considering the penchant of our legislators to be funny  wit or without.

 Here are some of my legal interpretations and juridical notes on these Strange Laws:

In Texas, it's against the law for anyone to have a pair of pliers in his or her possession. The way my dentist uses his pliers is criminal. In Philadelphia, you can't put pretzels in bags based on an Act of 1760.   Having a brick in your bag is considered a deadly weapon. They must have heard of my mother in law’s pretzels Alaska law says that you can't look at a moose from an airplane. It has to be face to face. In Corpus Christie, Texas, it is illegal to raise alligators in your home. Should apply to the Philippine Congress In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal. Should apply to Congress, too. It is against the law to mispronounce the name of the State of Arkansas in that State. Ang daming nahuling Pinoy dito who insist on pronouncing it as Arkansas as spelled  instead of Arkansaw In Illinois, the law is that a car must be driven with the steering wheel. This law is for the prevention of backseat driving. California law prohibits a woman from driving a car while dressed in a housecoat. In California the dress code is less is good. Bikinis are appropriate. In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman is not to drive a car unless a man warns approaching motorists or pedestrians by walking in front of the car that is being driven. This is chauvinist. Equal rights dictate that women should do the same for men drivers In Tennessee, it is against the law to drive a car while sleeping.  But I’ve always dreamt of driving a Ferrari In New York, it is against the law for a blind person to drive an automobile.  They must be accompanied by a seeing eye dog tethered to the hood In West Virginia, only babies can ride in a baby carriage.  Adult prams are still to be introduced in the market In Georgia, it is against the law to slap a man on the back or front.  In Italy it is considered a complement to slap a pretty woman’s butt but the front should be with consent A barber is not to advertise prices in the State of Georgia.   Try negotiating the price with someone holding a sharp razor In Louisiana, a bill was introduced years ago in the State House of Representatives that fixed a ceiling on haircuts for bald men of 25 cents.       Barbers should be allowed to charge more. It takes a longer time to cut hair of bald men because it takes time to look for hair to cut In Oklahoma, no baseball team can hit the ball over the fence or out of a ballpark. No wonder they don’t have a baseball team of note In Rochester, Michigan, the law is that anyone bathing in public must have the bathing suit inspected by the police  Some jobs have the nicest perks

In Kentucky, it's the law that a person must take a bath once a year. At second bath they issue a warning In Utah, birds have the right of way on any public highway.  Reduces highway pizza In Ohio, one must have a license to keep a bear. If you can’t afford one you just have to grin and bear it. In Tennessee, a law exists which prohibits the sale of bologna (sandwich meat) on Sunday. Gay parties...”never on Sunday” In Virginia, the Code of 1930 has a statute which prohibits corrupt practices or bribery by any person other than political candidates. How handy for politicians In Providence, Rhode Island, it is against the law to jump off a bridge. Your suicide letter must contain permission from your Mom In the State of Kansas, you're not allowed to drive a buffalo through a street. It’s okay to drive a Mustang In Florida, it is against the law to put livestock on a school bus.  An extension of the old segregation busing act In New Jersey, cabbage can't be sold on Sunday. Germans can’t have their favourite meals on Sundays...another racist law In Galveston, Texas, it is illegal to have a camel run loose in the street. But you could walk it a mile on a leash.

In North Carolina, it is against the law for dogs and cats to fight.  It causes a pandemonium when it rains cats and dogs In Singapore, it is illegal to chew gum. Betel nut is the chew of choice In Cleveland, Ohio, it is unlawful to leave chewing gum in public places. Sticking it in private parts is allowed In Virginia, chickens cannot lay eggs before 8:00 a.m., and must be done before 4:00 p.m. But chicks may be laid at anytime In New York, it is against the law for children to pick up or collect cigarette and cigar butts.   Adults should pick them up themselves In Massachusetts, it is against the law to put tomato e s in clam chowder. Clams are optional

In Washington State, you can't carry a concealed weapon that is over 6 feet in length. It would be difficult to carry and conceal anything that big anyway In San Francisco, there is an ordinance, which bans the picking up and throwing of used confetti. It would be unhygienic and can spread yellow fever (Cory’s confetti) In Kentucky, it is illegal for a merchant to force a person into his place of business for the purpose of making a sale. Their version of the anti-entrapment statute It is against the law in Connecticut for a man to write love letters to a girl whose mother or father has forbidden the relationship. But the mother is fair game In Michigan, married couples must live together or be imprisoned. It is a fate worse than imprisonment In the state of Colorado, a pet cat, if loose, must have a taillight    Makes it easier for tomcats on the prowl for loose cats

In Phoenix, Arizona, you can't walk through a hotel lobby with spurs on. You may with galoshes on In California, a law created in 1925 makes it illegal to wiggle while dancing. Wiggling your ears is just a misdemeanour In Utah, daylight must be visible between dancing couples. The guy who composed “Dancing In the Dark” must be from out of state In Michigan, it is against the law for a lady to lift her skirt more than 6 inches while walking through a mud puddle. They haven’t heard of the mini nor the micro-mini skirts In North Carolina, it is against the law for a rabbit to race down the street. But Hefner’s bunnies are allowed to parade in the streets In Georgia, it's against the law to spread a false rumour.  Ricky Lo can get away with it if it is a blind item In West Virginia, one can't cook sauerkraut or cabbage due to the odours and the offence is subject to imprisonment.  A racist law that must have been enacted at the height of WWII. Somewhere in the US a law against cooking “tuyo” in an apartment building must also exist In Missouri, a man must have a permit to shave. He must have a shaver too The law states that more than 3000 sheep cannot be herded down Hollywood Blvd. at any one time.   More applicable to Australia or New Zealand. Hollywood Blvd. has wolves in sheep’s clothing In Texas, it is still a "hanging offense" to steal cattle.  Texans love a hanging