If you've been using the internet for even just a few years, you've probably had a friend forward you a list of allegedly "strange laws" from different states. These are really bizarre laws that are too weird to enforce, but have still somehow made it into the books.
Unfortunately, like many mass-forwarded stories, these "strange laws" lists are often completely bogus. This list for example claims a whole host of weird things about Massachusetts. For example: all men must bring a rifle to church on Sunday, it's illegal to go to sleep without taking a bath, and (one of the many ones that I heard growing up) it's illegal to eat peanuts in church.
Again, most of these sorts of laws are completely untrue. To verify this, I went to the official on-line coy of the General Laws of Massachusetts and did some searching.
Still, given Massachusetts' history of pilgrims and witch-hangings, it should be no surprise that there are a few strange laws that we still have in the books. So here are some I did find on the site, along with the associated link.
- It's illegal to sell baking soda unless you print the maker's name and address on the label.
- It's illegal to misuse a milk crate.
- While there are no specific rules against peanuts, it is apparently still illegal to interrupt a church service.
- Adultery? Still illegal!
- Actually, never mind adultery. Good ol' fornication is illegal. Not that it's ever stopped some of this state's Catholic priests. Did any of them interrupt Sunday mass while getting it on with an altar boy? Actually, don't answer that. Let's just move on to the last one.
- And although I'm sure any court case would escalate to a federal case and get thrown out of court for being a violation of the first amendment, the fact remains that blasphemy is illegal in Massaschusetts. God damnit, what are we going to do?
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