Weird Laws: Ban of Foie Gras in Chicago, "Zero Tolerance" from Maryland's Attorney General Candidate, and Paris Hilton's Singing

Our judicial system is made of people, driven by people and there for the people. While the people make our system what it is, they are also the ones who make for some of the weird laws that we look at and wonder about each and everyday. Face it, weird laws are a fact of life and weird laws are something we have to deal with.

Sometimes when I look at a case I think how hard the people had to work to make such a mess. I guess it goes to show that truth really is stranger than fiction. I've found this is particularly true when you talk about weird laws. However we need to remember that people are behind the weird laws. Without people, we'd have no weird laws. So, when at election time it might be a good idea to take a close look at the messages candidates are sending. If we look close, we might start to pick up on some of these weird laws before they actually come into being.

For instance, we have an ad for one of the candidates for the office of Maryland Attorney General. This particular ad had a couple of points that are just a bit to obvious and perhaps could be viewed as a harbinger of things to come if this candidate is elected.

Let me explain.

The office of Attorney General is generally thought to be the head law enforcement officer in a state. Given this, shouldn't it be obvious that any serious candidate would be tough on crime? Apparently not for this candidate. He has two particular campaign positions that, while comforting, make one stop and wonder why they needed attention. The first position is the candidate's "Zero tolerance" for child abuse. The second slogan sends home his "Zero tolerance" for criminals that use guns while committing crimes. Isn't this just a bit obvious? Are there other candidates in Maryland that have less than zero tolerance for these crimes? Are there other issues, say traffic violations or bank robberies that this candidate has some tolerance for? If you are going to be the Attorney General of a state, shouldn't you simply have a zero tolerance for crime? Perhaps he would be an advocate for less restrictive laws for those criminals who elected not to use a gun when committing a crime. If we pay attention to political campaigns, we might avoid more weird laws.

This will come as a surprise to many readers - the lawyers are at it again, spinning facts and words to ensure their place in the universe of weird laws.

A Michigan man was arrested after he and his wife were in an argument. However, it wasn't the argument that got him arrested. Seems the argument took place in, gasp, a bar. And, yes, I know this will be hard to believe, both were drinking. Wanting to get away from the argument the man got in his pick up to leave. The woman, wanting to have nothing to do with the man, tried to get her cell phone out of the car - after it was moving. Alas, her arm was caught in the seatbelt. The result? Her arm was torn off below the elbow. The man was arrested and he retained an attorney. The argument when the man went to court? His attorney decried his being charged at all. The attorney said rather than a criminal he was a hero since he drove her to the hospital. Fortunately the court didn't buy this and the man was convicted of variety of charges. I can see the argument this attorney would make for an arsonist. "This man is not a criminal. He's a philanthropist. His work creates business opportunities for contractors and keeps the firemen's skills polished!"

Now for an update on weird laws or at least the latest of the weird laws. In Chicago, the city council recently voted to ban foie gras. However, the Chicago gourmands have not reacted well to this ban. A group of renegade chefs has made it known they will defy the ban and will continue to serve the dish, it just won't appear on the bill. Of course, it will likely look a little fishy when the bill has a charge for a $25.00 glass of water!

Another group has taken a different approach more old fashion approach. They have filed a lawsuit. The law was passed as the city council was convinced that the process of force feeding ducks and geese to increase their liver size is inhuman. It probably is, but the Illinois Restaurant Association's suit has argues that while the city aldermen may agree that the process is inhumane they cannot ban foie gras because the force feeding doesn't occur in Chicago. Meanwhile, in a show of solidarity, many Chicago area restaurants have taken to serving foie gras in non-traditional ways - foie gras sandwiches or even foie gras pizzas. Careful, you may want to check your ice cream! While a preliminary injunction is expected to halt the application of the law, neither side appears ready to concede their position. Talk about a weird laws! I'm stumped on this one. Why would you even need a law saying you can't eat liver?

Finally, I wanted to mention a tidbit that I stumbled across last week. While not a situation of weird laws, I firmly believe that this is a situation that calls for immediate prohibitive legislation. Paris Hilton's first effort as a singer is upon us. In an interview she was quoted as saying that her music is so good she cries when she hears it. Really now. I think we need a law and few would call it weird, that keeps this woman in check.

Have fun and see you next week!