What Were They Thinking?
Written: Apr 30 '07 (Updated May 01 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun, humorous book, Interactive chapter
Cons: No dates to see how recent some of the items were.
The Bottom Line: A fun book full of the wacky, weird and strange that shouldn't be...but are.
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| cmaw63's Full Review: |
The lack of common sense in people sometimes astounds me. Sometimes it amazes me. Other times it angers me. Almost always it amuses me. In Wacky Laws, Weird Decisions And Strange Statutes it definitely amused me. It, also, gave me pause that the people, in various times, showing such a glaring lack of common sense had, or have, a hand in running our government.
Wacky Laws, Weird Decisions And Strange Statutes
Chapter One: ON THE BOOKS: Outlandish Statutes was a perfect opener. It had wonderfully funny and unbelievable (yet true) laws. Even though some of them are beyond outdated, since they are still on the books if pushed they are still punishable today. I found everything from a horse needing a headlight & horn in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to in New York it is illegal to arrest a dead man. (so it's OK to arrest a dead woman?)
St. Louis, Missouri: It is illegal for an on-duty fireman to rescue a woman in a nightgown. If the woman wants to be rescued, she must be fully clothed.
Chapter Two: Ridiculous Lawsuits lead me into the strange. This chapter not only had lawsuits, but quick thinking lawyers that got their defendants reduced sentences or cleared of all charges. A woman shoplifted $101.49 worth of goods. Over $100 makes it a felony. Her lawyer points out that two of the items were on sale, making the total $97.37. She was slapped with a misdemeanor. Divorce Court, Erupting Toilets, Butchered Ice Cream and several more make for a fun, chuckle out loud read.
Chapter Three: Government Waste brings in the mild anger at the vast waste of funds on frivolous, if not out right stupid ideas of our elected officials. $225,000 spent to see what transportation needs we would have if our country hit another ice age, was taken over by a dictator or (gasp) overran by a hippie culture. $27,000 spent to find out why inmates try to escape prison? Heck, I would have told them that for half the price. Does it stop there? No...of course not. What would a chapter on Government Waste be without including the Pentagon? Obviously they felt a 22-page official brownie recipe was needed. Those better be some really good brownies.
Chapter Four: Courtroom Antics solidifies my certainty in the decline of common sense. It, also, scares me. Federal agents can seize your home, wallet, car, and other possessions, even if you are completely innocent of a crime...it can cost you tens of thousands of dollars in your own legal fees to recoup your possessions. There are more items along those lines, giving specific examples of innocent people still trying to get their items back after thousands of dollars and many years. I really didn't need to read this chapter. There is the humorous, though. An Italian wine, Colio, was banned by the ATF. Why? Because it had a large bosomed naked woman on the label. Colio wine changed it to a flat chested woman and the wine was once again allowed into the United States.
Chapter Five: What's The Verdict, Test Your Legal Knowledge is a great closure to the book. It gives a synopsis of various cases with the Trial Court and Appeals Court decision page numbers to look up to see if your verdict matches the actual one. It was an amusing way to test myself on my common sense. Of course, I found that the correct answers, usually, had nothing to do with common sense. An example: "The Unsuccessful Pickpocket": Connie put her hand in the victim's pocket. The victim grabbed Connie's wrist while her hand was in the pocket. The charge is attempted theft. There was no money in the pocket. Is Connie guilty? (answers can be found in comment section)
Overall Impressions
This book kept me amused and interested. I like the weird, unusual and silly, this book is full of it. I'm glad I bought Wacky Laws, Weird Decisions And Strange Statutes for my personal library. While I trade, lend or give away many books, this one will be sticking around for a long time.
The only problem I had was that the authors didn't give a date to most of the items. While some were, obviously, from the 1800's to early 1900's, others were recent and I would like to know just how recent. It was a small annoyance compared to the wonderful time I had reading about the wacky, weird and the strange.
Sidebar
I have found a new hobby. It's Database Diving. In an effort to gain reviews for items that have none, fellow Epinionator rkingfish brought a Database Diving Write-Off to life. Thank you rkingfish!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cmaw63
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 in Pets, Home and Garden, Books |
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Member: Julie
Location: Illinois, USA
Reviews written: 307
Trusted by: 73 members
About Me:
Looking forward to my first grandbaby. She's due November 24!
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