Did you know that in Washington, it is illegal to paint polka dots on the American flag? This is just one law among the many that may force you to stifle a chuckle. Stifle your sneezes too if you have a cold in public, it's simply not allowed.
Weird laws are not limited to Washington. There are plenty to giggle about throughout the Pacific Northwest. If you live in Oregon, refrain from using canned corn as fish bait, or you could be in trouble. Do you like to juggle? It's impermissible in Hood River, unless you have a license to do so. How do you cool off on a hot Sunday in Oregon? Not with ice cream. It's an offense.
Oregon isn't the only state to have restrictions regarding Sundays. In Idaho, you won't catch anyone riding a merry-go-round on this day. It's considered a crime. Don't frown about it either. It's prohibited to be seen in public without a smile. Oh, and if your family likes onions, do your grocery shopping during the day. It's unlawful to buy them after dark unless the sheriff grants you a permit. How many of those do you think the poor guy has to write out?
In Alaska, it is against the law to attempt to break any law. I guess they put it in writing to remove all possible doubt! When flying over this cold state, any attempt to push a live moose from your plane is punishable. As silly as that sounds, how about another law forbidding flamingos from entering a barber shop. One last thing for you to remember, don't, even for a second, consider waking a bear to take a snap shot. If the bear doesn't get you, the police might!
I love fishing. When in Montana, I would be free to use canned corn, if it weren't illegal for unmarried women to fish. Married women can't fish on... you guessed it, Sunday. Also in the treasure state, if you take your pet sheep for a ride, make sure you don't leave him in the car unsupervised. I would understand this statute for our canine companions, but how many unattended sheep suffered before this law went into effect?
You might wonder how these crazy laws get made and why they are kept on the books. While some of these laws may seem silly to us now, they made sense to the people who created them. Take Washington's law about not going out in public if you have the common cold. This law was created way back in 1909. Why is that important? Because in 1909, there was an outbreak of the bubonic plague in San Francisco. Washington's lawmakers were worried that sick persons could spread illness throughout the state.
Plus, it takes a lot to remove a law once it's been passed. Even if a judge declares a law invalid in court, it doesn't mean that that law is taken off the statutes. It takes a special act of the legislature to do that.
One might wonder how some of these other crazy statutes made it into the books. A better question might be—how many people had to throw a live moose out of an airplane before someone thought it was a problem that needed to be addressed?
Resources
Remington's Revised Statutes of Washington. Hon. Arthur Remington. Bancroft-Whitney Company, San Francisco, 1932.
"Washington Code." Justia, 2009.
Washington State Courts: State Law Library. Washington State Courts. Olympia, WA, 2009.