In Florida, if an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.
In Louisiana, it is illegal to rob a bank and then shoot at the bank teller with a water pistol.
In Nebraska, it is illegal for bar owners to sell beer unless they are simultaneously brewing a kettle of soup.
In North Dakota, it is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on.
In Pennsylvania, a person is not eligible to become Governor if he/she has participated in a duel.
Okay, so what’s the point of law-related education if the laws (like those above) don’t make sense or seem out of touch or (you think) the people who are responsible for making them don’t seem to know what they’re doing?
For one thing, law-related education will help you find out how government works: how laws are made, who has the authority to make them, and how laws are applied. From that beginning, you can (usually) figure out what is unlawful. You might notice that some laws don’t make sense and believe a change is warranted. You may even be compelled to serve as a catalyst yourself for that change. All the better. You are becoming that involved, aware citizen that our democracy needs to stay alive, dynamic, and relevant.
You could make your case to the courts, where the fine nuances of the law are interpreted; to the Legislature, where laws can be amended, removed, or replaced; in the public forum or through the media, where you can use your freedom of expression to rally a group of like-minded souls to make your concern known. Never underestimate the power of this choice. Even one person, standing—or sitting—alone, can move mountains. Recall the change in the segregation laws brought about by one woman, Miss Rosa Parks, who had the courage to refuse to sit at the back of the bus at a time when African Americans were not allowed to sit up front.
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