That'll Get You Arrested

Radley Balko | August 1, 2007

Two Brits tore across America on a petty crime spree, attempting to get arrested for conspicuously committing obscure crimes such as peeling an orange in a Los Angeles hotel room, or fishing in Chicago while wearing pajamas.  They then wrote a book about it.

The book page doesn't say if they managed to get arrested. 

Comments

VM|8.1.07 @ 11:49AM|#

just love the smug fucking euros.

let's just all air drop K-FED starter kits across the isles and the continent and be done with it...

thoreau|8.1.07 @ 11:52AM|#

Did they go to Wisconsin and eat apple pie without a slice of cheese?

|8.1.07 @ 11:57AM|#

Did they blow each other in Georgia?

|8.1.07 @ 12:00PM|#

these are all dumb laws, sure, but are they any dumber than, let's say, denying someone dying of cancer the right to use a plant to help relieve their pain? well i guess that law is less dumb and more disgraceful.

|8.1.07 @ 12:00PM|#

Use dildos in Texas?

Episiarch|8.1.07 @ 12:01PM|#

Hey, they came up with a novel idea that would be fun to execute and might make them some dough. Good for them.

But are such laws actually "only in America"? Maybe they should go to Quebec and try to open a store with a big fucking sign only in English and then try and yuck it up, or go to Saudi Arabia and suck down some whiskey in public.

|8.1.07 @ 12:07PM|#

yeah It's harmless and I can't say I'm really insulted, but it does sort of feel like they came to America to poke fun at our wacky laws. As if all laws on the books in Europe are strictly logical. I'm sure they could have done this anywhere.

|8.1.07 @ 12:08PM|#

I really, really wish I thought of this

Abdul|8.1.07 @ 12:08PM|#

hey, when England finally gets around to abolishing feudalism, they can laugh at us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sark

SIV|8.1.07 @ 12:09PM|#

But are such laws actually "only in America"?


Take the Ferry across the channel and sell some mid-century modern military antiques at a boot sale.

thoreau|8.1.07 @ 12:11PM|#

Pinette-

They wanted to go to France to violate wacky laws, but the French said they couldn't spend more than 35 hours a week violating wacky laws. There was no way they could stay in their production budget if they only violated laws for 5 hours per day.

|8.1.07 @ 12:21PM|#

So, isn't the WO(s)D chock full of stupid laws? These guys are weak. I'll bet the late Dr. HS Thompson violated way more laws regarding the uses of various substances and his books are probably way funnier. These guys are perpetratin', go break some real stupid laws.

paul|8.1.07 @ 12:32PM|#

while it makes for an amusing webpage, I'm not sure how you can turn this into a book that's worth its weight in paper.

boot/face/forever|8.1.07 @ 12:38PM|#

I'm sure they could have done this anywhere.

In some places they could have done it only once.

Ayatollah Usoe|8.1.07 @ 12:47PM|#

Sure, they could have done this anywhere, but this is the place where government was formed to protect our liberties. Most of these laws are designed to do quite the opposite.

|8.1.07 @ 12:47PM|#

Good for them! It funny, it's entertaining, and it serves to illustrate (however inconsequentially) the excesses of power.

Only in America? Sure, these stupid laws are all American. Could you find stupid stuff elsewhere? I'm sure you could, but so what. They're making fun of us and we deserve it. In other words, It's a fair cop.

Don't like a couple of Euro-punks making fun of the at the expense of the red, white, and blue? Go make your own movie.

My biggest hang-up is only that, I wish these were the stupid laws we could afford to worry about.

|8.1.07 @ 12:57PM|#

They better not be planning on taking a flight with a connection through the States...

Minion of URKOBOLD|8.1.07 @ 1:02PM|#

Don't like a couple of Euro-punks making fun of the at the expense of the red, white, and blue? Go make your own movie.

FIRST YOU HAVE TO JOIN THE FILM ACTORS' GUILD.

NOW DRAG YOUR BALLS OVER THE GLASS TO HOLLYWOOD, SIGN UP, AND WE'LL START FILMING NEXT WEEK!!!!

jgray|8.1.07 @ 1:09PM|#

HEIL URKOBOLD!

is the URKOBOLD a member of F.A.G. (the Film Actors Guild)?

|8.1.07 @ 1:21PM|#

It's a funny gimmick, but I agree with whoever said it was a better idea for a web page. Maybe a bathroom book.

Minion of URKOBOLD|8.1.07 @ 1:28PM|#

URKOBOLD IS THE F.A.G.

URKOBOLD FREELY TAKES ON AN ALTER EGO AT THE MEETINGS.

DEMAND KURV!!! MATT DAMON!!!!!

|8.1.07 @ 1:44PM|#

The problem with this concept is that while it is funny to read that you can't sleep on a refrigerator in Pittsburgh, it's not at all funny that they actually did sleep on a refrigerator in Pittsburgh.

|8.1.07 @ 1:45PM|#

No bathroom book is complete without a certain crustacean-smooching bikini-wearer...

|8.1.07 @ 1:47PM|#

Judging by many of the comments, it looks like only Americans can make fun of America.

VM|8.1.07 @ 2:03PM|#

some silly laws

more

even more

more

|8.1.07 @ 2:14PM|#

Judging by many of the comments, it looks like only Americans can make fun of America.

The domestic gross for Borat begs to differ.

|8.1.07 @ 2:16PM|#

Not on topic, but this story struck me as very Balkoesque.

Enjoy.

http://www.mountainx.com/news/2007/flagged_down_activists_arrested_in_row_over_protest_flag_allege_abuse_by_bu

Mcgcruiser|8.1.07 @ 3:03PM|#

Who was the hot chick they hunted whales with in Utah? Are there more like her there?

|8.1.07 @ 4:50PM|#

I think they should head over to anyplace on the Arabian Peninsula around Sept. 12 and take a swig of water on the street in full view of the public.

That ought to be fun.

|8.1.07 @ 4:50PM|#

...during daylight hours.

|8.1.07 @ 5:02PM|#

The LBC isn't the only roundabouts in the US. There were 2 in the bustling metropolis of South Bend, IN. Wankers.

They didn't even try to break wacky old blue laws, like a female smoking in public in VA. Considering the wacky American laws beat has been covered by a board game and a bathroom book, I give them -5 points for originality.

VM|8.1.07 @ 5:05PM|#

What Mo said!!

(this theme was also used by Denmark's TV2 during the 1996 olympics where the stated goal was to expose how America is the most ignorant culture in the world)

And Mo - isn't the "rotary" a fixture in every block in Boston?

StupendousMan|8.1.07 @ 5:14PM|#

There are roundabouts in Illinois as well.

VM|8.1.07 @ 5:24PM|#

Stupendous:

that's just cuz the road contract bribe was shared by two companies :)

|8.1.07 @ 5:59PM|#

You know, whenever I've tried to research these "silly laws" or "dumb laws" to see if they really existed, I've always come up short.

The reason these guys didn't get arrested is because most of the stuff simply wasn't illegal.

wayaway|8.2.07 @ 9:01AM|#

Thanks to the people who convinced me you don't have a dangerously low level of roundabouts....what a relief.

|8.2.07 @ 10:34AM|#

Perhaps these jokers could go back home and say something about racial issues which pisses off the government, just like in this case:

http://lonewacko.com/blog/archives/000240.html