Loopy Laws

The Beeb has a fun article about the silliest laws on the books. I found both the list for the UK and the “foreign” list quite funny, and educational. For example, I will never again be “caught short” in Scotland, knowing that all I have to do is knock on someone’s door, and he is legally required to let me use the facilities. And if he doesn’t, well, I can murder him without fear of an uncomfortable stay in Her Majesty’s Royal Prison. (Provided I can get him to York, and get him to carry a bow and arrow.)

And if you’re thinking about taking a trip to Milan, strap your smile on. Of course, I’m more worried about the people living there. My guess is they’re ready to snap by now. They probably have to kill or maim someone every once in a while, just so they can go to the funeral or visit them in the hospital.

The Ministry of Silly Laws

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament
2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British king or queen’s image upside-down
3. It is illegal for a woman to be topless in Liverpool except as a clerk in a tropical fish store
4. Eating mince pies on Christmas Day is banned
5. If someone knocks on your door in Scotland and requires the use of your toilet, you are required to let them enter
6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a pliiceman’s helmet
7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen
8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing
9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armor
10. It is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls of York, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow

When in Rome

1. In Ohio, it is illegal to get a fish drunk
2. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation
3. A male doctor in Bahrain can only examine the genitals of a woman in the reflection of a mirror
4. In Switzerland, a man may not relieve himself standing up after 10pm
5. It is illegal to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle in Alabama
6. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on a Sunday could be jailed
7. Women in Vermont must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth
8. In Milan, it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits
9. There is no age of consent in Japan
10. In France, it is illegal to name a pig Napoleon

BBC article about the most ludicrous laws.