Laws reflect our changing times
By GEORGI DAVIS
Published February 18, 2007
February 22nd is the birthday of George Washington. For those of you who have forgotten, he was the first president of the United States. I like George Washington's birthday. As a matter of fact, it's my favorite day of the year. This is because it is also my birthday, which is why I was named Georgeanna.
My parents had a keen sense of humor. My name also rhymed with my older sister's name, Deanna. So it all worked out very well.
Times have changed since George led our country. Mail is no longer delivered by horseback, and white wigs are no longer in fashion. Back then, adultery was illegal and Hester was made to wear her scarlet A in public.
Public drunkenness was forbidden, and those who broke the law were made to stand in the town square in a wooden contraption with their heads and hands unable to move. Other crimes were punished the same way. It was not only humiliating but also painful.
Today, lawbreakers could not be treated this way. We would be taking away their civil rights. Public humiliation would not be allowed. The American Civil Liberties Union would bring lawsuits against the law enforcement agencies.
But I was really thinking about how laws change over time because of the times in which we live.
Way back then, as I said before, adultery was illegal. There was even a law that men staying overnight in an inn could not have their horse sleep in their bed with them. Strange, but true. I suppose the horse would make for unclean sheets, or maybe because horses make strange bedfellows.
Recently, I heard on the news about some pretty strange laws. In California, one lawmaker is trying to make incandescent light bulbs illegal. He proposes they all be replaced with those little, curly florescent bulbs that supposedly last longer and use less energy.
Who is going to be the light bulb patrol? Will someone come to your home to make sure you have the correct light bulbs?
According to another story, in one community, a law would make stoning women illegal, make covering your face in public illegal and give women the right to vote (I thought that already was a law).
One brilliant politician wants to pass a law that says married people must produce children within three years or their marriage will be dissolved.
Now, this brings up many questions. Suppose the people don't want children. Suppose the couple is older and can no longer have children. Suppose you try to have children, but it doesn't happen. No matter what, you can no longer be married if you don't beget.
The theory is that marriage was constituted for the sole purpose of procreation. I do believe that was the original intention.
Maybe we could learn from our animal friends. They mate to produce more of their kind, not for pure pleasure. Most animals have a certain mating period and that is the only time they get together.
In Ohio, like in many states, they have banned smoking in public places. The law goes so far as to say you can smoke only in your yard if it doesn't offend your neighbor.
There is even more to this law. It states that if you are constructing a new building where smoking will take place, the building must be three-sided. Woe to those smokers building a new home.
I know for a fact that recently the chill factor in Ohio has been 20 below zero. Now how are the lawmakers going to get around this one? The theory could be that smokers will freeze to death and then there will be fewer of them.
One senator has proposed banning smoking, eating, drinking, talking on your cell phone or interacting with other passengers while driving a car. I can understand part of this proposed law, but the trip back home will be very long if I can't talk to my husband in the car.
I suppose we'll have to take my dad's stand on this one. To avoid fighting in the car, my dad allowed us kids to sing. We sang on many long trips. To this day when riding in a car, I want to burst into song. Maybe that will be illegal also - especially if you have ever heard me sing.
In New York, trans fats are now illegal, smoking is illegal, and the fine mayor wants to make walking across the street with any contraption such as iPods and cell phones that attach to your ear illegal.
His contention is that you can't hear the traffic if you have something in your ear. I was taught to look both ways while crossing the street. Maybe that will become illegal since you might walk into the person in front of you if you are looking to the left or the right instead of straight ahead.
All of these laws remind me of a rule instigated by my principal. In my opinion, she wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. We had a sixth-grade boy who was rather well endowed for his age. He came to school in sweatpants that showed off his endowment. Our principal decided to solve the problem.
She made a rule that stated that if you were going to wear sweatpants to school the pants had to be part of a matching outfit. Her theory was that this child could not afford a matching set.
Lo and behold, he came to school the next day with a matching top and bottom. So she made another rule: You could wear sweatpants only between November and March.
None of these rules solved the original problem. Why didn't she just go to the child and explain the situation? I'm sure his embarrassment would have quickly solved the problem.
Like my principal, men and women make rules that have few results. They are made because that person has his or her own agenda.
What really bothers me is that in this country, it feels as though Big Brother is watching us. We can't protect everyone from everything, not even ourselves. Laws came about from codes of morals: Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery and so on.
I recently watched again the movie Inherit the Wind. The story is set in a small town. The community and school board were trying to fire a teacher for teaching the theory of evolution.
The town fathers thought it was not what should be taught. They believed that the Bible version of the beginning of mankind was the only theory that children should learn. How times have changed!
This just all goes to show that times change, and we do have to change with the times. Laws change because circumstances change.
We must be careful that the changes are beneficial, not just rhetoric from those who want to be heard or have their names written down in history.
I propose a law that bans cooking other foods in the same oil as seafood. I am allergic to seafood and must ask if my fries are fried in the same oil as the fish. Many of us out there are allergic to fish. Could someone out there please get this law started?
Thought for the day: It was once said that laws are made to be broken. Some laws don't need to be made at all.