Laws that you don't follow

[Scottya21]

There are lots of laws that nobody actually pays any attention to . Speeding limits on the highways. Smoking laws in some cases. OSHA ( especially material safety data sheets for stuff you bought at the store down the street). There are laws here, but people don't follow them. And they never get called on it by the authorities.

What's going on with this? Is it right? Does it depend on the specific offense? Does it have anything to do with whether the law itself is a good law? How about all those ancient laws that noone bothers to take off the books? (in a town where I lived, "horseless carriages" were illegal. )

Discuss!

[MadMike]

I feel that it's not illegal if it doesn't hurt anyone, and you don't get caught.

[rahmota]

And as long as its between CONSENTING ADULTS who are willing and ready to accept the consequences of their actions then its all good.


Sorry about using the god voice but those two words are vitally important in this discussion.

[BusBus]

I jaywalk on occasion. I only do it if the coast is clear and there are no obvious cop cars around. I don't expect traffic to come to a halt because I am too lazy to walk 300m to the nearest crosswalk (I refuse to stop for jaywalkers when I'm driving).

[blas87]

I carry a knife and pepperspray on me. While it's not illegal to sell those items, if I were to get pulled over, both would be taken and I'd probably be up shit crick. Even if a guy attacked me and I peppersprayed him, he'd sue me and you know who'd win...

[rahmota]

Blas: Hmm thats interesting because around here (very rural part of SW ohio) CS Spray and Knives are allowed to be openly carried. I know because I carry a small canister of CS on my bike to deal with dogs and usually have a small (3" blade) on my belt to deal with other stuff and asked the sheriff about it to be sure.

Heck during deer season we have people walking down the street with all kinds of hardware on them and the cops don't say a thing about it unles syou are being stupid or something retarded about it.

[blas87]

I have never understood it either, but everyone I know that has ever been pulled over or searched by a cop has had their pepperspray and their knives taken away. Not just pulled aside by the policeman/woman for his/her own protection, but taken away completely. Not always does a "concealed weapon" fine ensue for the knife, it depends which cop you get and what mood he/she is in. But yes, very illegal around here unless it's hunting season. They recommend women carry pepperspray yet take it away from them.

Oh well, I'd just go back and get another bottle and another knife. It's not like I spray people for fun or I'm pretending to be Jason with a maschete....it's just a little knife!

[protege]

Quite a few people here have pepper spray. I have a small can I keep in the car--I drive through some unsafe areas to/from work, and even though I've never used it, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

In rural areas, many people are armed. Doesn't stop idiots from trying to break into houses though--usually not a good idea when some homeowners will shoot first and ask questions later!

[rahmota]

Blas: I'm sorry to hear that. That sounds downright stupidly wrong of the authorities in your area.

Protege: Yeah definately agree on that about the smith and wesson home invasion protection plan. I am one of those types. We have had someone out messing with the out buildings and a round or two (.22LR) into the ground nearby was quite motivational to cease messing. Not an uncommon condition. One of the reason that if you approach a person's house in the country make sure they get a good look at you and announce yourself so it dont look like you're sneaking up on them.

[blas87]

I might as well add when I first moved in (my roomate is a very big 2nd amendment fan and has his own artillery lol) my roomate told me that he left a loaded pistol under the couch for emergencies. Just in case I felt someone was breaking in. The first month I lived here I did take the gun outside with me when I left in the middle of the night on weekends.

Right around late September, my roomate's gf's car and his truck got broken into (she lives in a much worse neighborhood). Actually, almost any car parked on that street got broken into or attempted a few times, all within days of each other. Considering my roomate's gf has a baby, and my roomate doesn't tolerate theft or suspicious folk........he took the gun back. Fine with me. I just hope he never has to use it.

[squall]

I'd like to try a Cuban cigar.....I missed my chance when I went to Mexico and got too drunk.I believe that after Castro dies, an open door policy should begin with Cuba, allowing tourism and trade. It is a beautiful country mired by a communist dictator. It's only illegal to have Cuban cigars because JFK declared a trade embargo. That embargo is a little too dated now for anyone to give a hoot anymore.

[Ryu]

only problem is once castro dies his brother is expected to take over so things might not change
as far as travel goes, thats not on our side thats cuba
my professer was telling us about her friend who got stuck in cuba after deciding to visit it on his way home from some south american country

[Will-Mun]

The only law I knowingly and completely disregard? Pretty much every Anti-Piracy law related to digital media. The RIAA and MPAA can suck my co-... Finger!

But yeah, I download movies, songs, entire seasons of of television shows. But I'm broke! And can't afford the real stuff.

That and the RIAA and MPAA are such Nazi's about anti-piracy, they're making the legal stuff too much of a hassle to buy anyway!


Oh, and I LOVE to slurp soup...

(Look up unenforced New Jersey laws.)

[MadMike]

The only law I knowingly and completely disregard? Pretty much every Anti-Piracy law related to digital media. The RIAA and MPAA can suck my co-... Finger!

Agreed, although I prefer to buy it if I can. Trying to find something for download is a pain in the ass.

The only stuff I download is:

1. Unreleased rare demos (the industry isn't losing out on money if they're not selling it.)

2. Out of print material (see #1.)

3. Tracks that were released on a non-US version of what I already purchased (I'll be damned if I'm going to buy the same thing twice.)

4. Bonus tracks on re-releases of what I already purchased (see #3.)

Also, some of you may have seen my thread in the Tech Help forum of CS where I wanted help building a media center PC. Technically, what I want to do is not 100% legal, as I'm bypassing the copy protection to copy my DVDs onto the server I'm building. It's perfectly legal under Fair Use, which has been around for a couple decades, but illegal under the recently-enacted DMCA. Since I'm only copying them for my own use in my own house, and so I have all my movies at my fingertips and don't have to worry about wear and tear on this discs, and I'm not making copies to give out, the MPAA can bite my shiny metal ass.

[NightAngel]

There is a law in my city that you cannot smoke within 25 feet of any building...

Yeah... sure.

Guess how many people obey that law?