Dancing in North Carolina

The Ahoskie, North Carolina Municipal Code (Secs 34-211 et seq) provides that anyone who wants to hold a dance must have a permit. All dances must end by midnight, Saturday night. No permit will be issued for a dance on Sunday, unless New Year's Eve falls on a Sunday. (New Year's Eve dances may end at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday.)

Not only that, but unless the dance is held by "any bona fide civic, patriotic or fraternal club, church, private or public school or any other charitable organization," the permit fee has to pay for three police officers to supervise the dance! Interesting that dancing on Sunday is bad, but a church-sponsored dance is okay.

Novelty Lighters

Want a gigarette lighter shaped like a pistol, or an animal, or with a flashing light on it? New ones are no longer available for sale in Mississippi. According to Miss. Code Ann. Sec. 45-10-3, "A person may not sell at retail, offer for retail sale or distribute for retail sale or promotion in this state a novelty lighter."

So what is this offensive "novelty lighter?" It's a lighter "that is designed to resemble a cartoon character, toy, gun, watch, musical instrument, vehicle, animal, food or beverage, or similar articles, or that plays musical notes, or has flashing lights for entertainment or has other entertaining features." (Miss. Code Ann. Sec. 45-10-1) Antiques are okay, since ones produced prior to 1980 are excluded.

Aren't we glad that government protects us from such evils as cigarette lighters that play music?