Strange Laws in the US: New Mexico

Some of the strange laws in the United States are great for comic relief, particularly when they make sense but aren’t enforcible or when they make totally no sense at all.

There are a few of both of these kinds of laws on the books in New Mexico. For instance:

* In New Mexico, it is the law that idiots are prohibited from voting. The idea doesn’t sound bad, but I’m thinking that there might be a better result if the law actually prohibited idiots for running for office. Of course, then there might be very few politicians.

* In New Mexico, public nudity is legal, as long as men keep their genitals covered. Whoever came up with this law clearly didn’t have a firm grasp of what nudity is.

* In Albuquerque, New Mexico, women are permitted to walk around in public topless, as long as they cover their nipples. This rather sounds like a compromise between women who wanted to walk around topless and those who didn’t want them too. The result is a law that doesn’t make a great deal of sense. It could bring in money for businesses that sell pasties, though.

* In New Mexico, it is illegal for women to change a flat tire or to pump their own gas. The idea is easy to understand; it is to get men to do those things for women. However, I can think of a number of instances when this would be extremely impractical and the way the law is stated, it is the women who are punished if there are no men who are willing to step up and help out.

* In New Mexico, it is against the law to gamble on camel or ostrich racing. However, it is legal to gamble on bicycle races. There seems to be a pattern in the southwest US. They seem to have a fixation on camels. I sort of wonder about the ostriches, though. It rather sounds like the opening of a joke. “A bicycler, a camel, and an ostrich were in a race…”

* From the absurd: New Mexico state officials ordered 400 words to be cut out of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet because they were considered sexually explicit material. I’ve read the play a number of times and have seen the play a couple more times, but I don’t recall anything that was sexually explicit. Anyway, New Mexico issued such an order. There is no word yet on whether Mr. Shakespeare is appealing the law.

* In Las Cruces, New Mexico, it is illegal to carry a lunchbox down Main Street. I guess that they have to ‘brown bag’ it.

* What makes the law regarding Shakespeare’s play even more absurd is this New Mexico law, which is actually quite specific. In Carlsbad, New Mexico, it is legal for a couple to have sex in a parked vehicle during their lunch break, provided that the windows are covered to prevent people from watching them. Okay, then. Unwanted mental image.

* In Carrizozo, New Mexico, it is against the law for women to appear in public, unshaven. Not only does this give some rather unappealing mental images, but the law is also rather vague and doesn’t specify what part of the anatomy must be shaven. I’m assuming that there aren’t many bald women in Carrizozo, but it could just be that there are a lot of women breaking the law.

* Also in Carrizozo, New Mexico, it is against the law for any person to attempt to teach their cat to sing. Apparently, the law is specific to cats and doesn’t apply to dogs, hamsters, rabbits, or other pets.

* In New Mexico, it is illegal for a bearded man to bend down to tie their shoes in public. I have no idea what the reasoning is behind this one.

* In New Mexico, it is illegal for a man to marry his donkey…unless they’ve lived together for over 8 years. I guess that they want to make sure that there are no issues with incompatibility. But then, if they’ve lived together for more than 8 years, wouldn’t that sort of be a “common-law” mare-age?

Not even New Mexico is immune by silly, crazy, strange laws. Is it any wonder that lawmakers are often not held in high esteem?