Before I came to the States, like any responsible citizen should I did a little research as to the laws of the land. It hasn't stopped me suffering from a little Sheer Ignorance from time to time, but I did try to know what I was letting myself in for. For example, I know that the USA occasional decides to murder it's citizens, so I wanted to know what affect that might have.
Apparantly,
Virginia executes a larger percentage of its population than any other state over 1 million in population
But I'm not planning on committing first degree murder, so it doesn't matter.
I also investigated laws relating to alcohol consumption, and found out not only that the legal drinking age is 21, but it's enforced! You don't need to be burnt too many times to religiously take your passport everywhere, but it does seem rediculous that people over the age of 30 are required to prove their age. No worries though, adapt.
Since I've been here then, I've learnt far more about the laws of the land than I could have ascertained remotely. Even in such seemingly straightforward issues, you need to be on the ground to really understand how to behave.
That said, I've just learnt of another law that I was wholly oblivious of:
If any person carnally knows in any manner any ... any male or female person by the anus or by or with the mouth, or voluntarily submits to such carnal knowledge, he or she shall be guilty of a Class 6 felony, except as provided in subsection B.
source
And what's a Class felony? the jury or court may choose imprisonment for one to five years or jail for up to 12 months and a fine of up to $2,500, either or both. (Emphasis mine).
Ah! The land of the free. You can be middle-aged and unable to buy a pint without a passport, you can be executed if you're mistaken for a murderer, and you can go to jail for a little fallatio!
Also: Thanks to Joe Grossberg for pointing me to the sodomy laws of Virginia. In 2003 the US Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional to jail consenting males engaged in private sexual acts. It came about because a spurned man phoned police claiming "breaking and entering", and when they arrived at the house they discovered his ex-boyfriend making love to another man. Regardless, Virginia continues to arrest and prosecute acts of sodomy.
Poor show, but at least it's better than making sodomy compulsory, eh?
Posted by: dearieme | October 03, 2005 at 02:10 AM