Curious About Laws

PODCAST 222: CURIOUS ABOUT LAWS

RELEASE DATE: SUNDAY, JANUARY 1ST, 2023

D:  HELLO, AND WELCOME BACK TO THE CURIOUS KID PODCAST. WE WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR.  IF YOU ARE LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE ON RELEASE DAY, IT IS JANUARY 1ST, 2023.

O:  WE HOPE THAT 2023 IS YOUR BEST YEAR YET.  

D:  WE SURE DO, AND WE ARE DELIGHTED THAT YOU’RE SPENDING A FEW MINUTES OF THE NEW YEAR WITH US.  IN OUR HOUSE, WE HAVE RULES.  YOU PROBABLY HAVE SOME RULES YOU NEED TO FOLLOW AT YOUR HOUSE TOO.  ONE EXAMPLE OF A RULE OLIVIA AND NOAH FOLLOW IS THAT THEY NEED TO DO THEIR HOMEWORK WHEN THEY RETURN FROM SCHOOL BEFORE THEY GET TO PLAY.  THAT’S NOT THE ONLY RULE THAT OLIVIA AND NOAH ARE SUPPOSED TO FOLLOW.  THERE ARE QUITE A FEW RULES.  ALSO, OLIVIA AND NOAH KNOW THAT THEY MIGHT GET PUNISHED IF THEY DON’T FOLLOW THE RULES.  BUT WHAT ABOUT GROWN UPS?  DO WE NEED TO FOLLOW RULES?  IF WE DO, WHO MAKES THOSE RULES AND HOW DO WE GET PUNISHED IF WE BREAK THE RULES?  LET’S LEARN ALL ABOUT IT.

O:  MAILBAG!

D:  MAILBAG!

“HI JACOB AND OLIVIA,

WE ARE SOLEIL, 8, AND ARCHER, 6, FROM AKRON, OHIO.  WE LOVE YOUR PODCAST AND LEARNING ABOUT NEW THINGS!  SOLEIL IS CURIOUS ABOUT LOVE AND FOXES.  ARCHER IS CURIOUS ABOUT ROADS, CLOTHES, HOW LAWS ARE MADE, AND LOGS.  WE HOPE TO HEAR ABOUT ONE OF THESE THINGS SOON.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

SOLEIL AND ARCHER”

O:  WOW, THAT WAS A GREAT EMAIL SENT TO US ALMOST A FULL YEAR AGO.  WE CAN’T WAIT TO FINALLY GET CURIOUS ABOUT LAWS FOR SOLEIL AND ARCHER.

D:  LAWS ARE REALLY INTERESTING, AND MANY OF THEM ARE VERY LOGICAL AND REASONABLE.  THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS THOUGH, AND WE WILL DISCUSS A FEW OF THOSE STRANGE LAWS LATER.  ONE STRANGE LAW IS ALSO THE ANSWER TO OUR QUESTION OF THE WEEK.    

O:  THE QUESTION OF THE WEEK IS, THERE IS A LAW IN HAWAII THAT MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO PUT A CERTAIN OBJECT IN YOUR EARS.  CAN YOU GUESS WHAT OBJECT YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO PUT IN YOUR EARS IN THE BEAUTIFUL STATE OF HAWAII?

D:  WHILE YOU’RE THINKING, LET’S START THINGS OFF BY LEARNING WHAT LAWS ARE.

O:  LAWS ARE A SET OF RULES THAT ARE CREATED THAT PEOPLE NEED TO FOLLOW.  THE COURTS AND THE POLICE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE FOLLOW THE LAWS WHERE THEY LIVE.  PEOPLE WHO DON’T FOLLOW THE LAWS CAN BE PUNISHED FOR BREAKING THE LAW.  THERE ARE LOTS OF DIFFERENT PUNISHMENTS THAT CAN BE GIVEN FOR BREAKING THE LAW, BUT TWO COMMON ONES ARE THAT THE PERSON BREAKING THE LAW NEEDS TO PAY A FINE OR THAT THE PERSON NEEDS TO GO TO JAIL.  

D:  A WRITTEN SYSTEM OF LAWS IS CALLED A LEGAL CODE.  SOMEONE DOING LEGAL THINGS IS SOMEONE THAT WOULD BE FOLLOWING THE LAWS.  IF SOMEONE DOES SOMETHING ILLEGAL, THAT PERSON IS NOT FOLLOWING THE LAW.  

O:  IN THE UNITED STATES, LAWS START OFF AS BILLS, BUT EVEN BEFORE THAT, THEY START WITH AN IDEA.  THE IDEA CAN COME FROM ANYONE, INCLUDING YOU.  

D:  THE IDEA WOULD BE SENT TO CONGRESS, WHICH IS A GROUP OF ELECTED OFFICIALS THAT ARE SELECTED TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE.  A MEMBER OF CONGRESS WOULD LOOK INTO THE IDEA TO SEE IF IT WOULD MAKE A SENSIBLE LAW.  IF THEY THINK IT WOULD, THEY WRITE A BILL EXPLAINING HOW THE IDEA WOULD WORK AS A LAW.  

O:  AFTER THE BILL IS WRITTEN, IT IS PLACED IN SOMETHING CALLED A HOPPER.  THE HOPPER IS LIKE A SUGGESTION BOX.  FROM THERE, THE BILL IS SHARED WITH THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF 435 ELECTED OFFICIALS.  

D:  THE MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WOULD THEN DEBATE THE BILL, AND THEY MAY EVEN ARGUE ABOUT WHETHER IT SHOULD BECOME LAW OR NOT.

O:  AT THE END, A VOTE IS TAKEN USING AN ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINE.  HOUSE MEMBERS PLACE THEIR VOTING CARDS INTO A SLOT INSIDE THE MACHINE, AND ALSO PRESS A BUTTON TO LOCK IN THEIR VOTE.  

D:  THEY CAN PRESS “YEA” IF THEY WANT THE BILL TO BECOME A LAW, “NAY” IF THEY DON’T THINK THE BILL SHOULD BECOME A LAW, OR “PRESENT”, WHICH MEANS THAT THEY HAVE CONSIDERED THE BILL, BUT WOULD PREFER NOT TO VOTE FOR OR AGAINST THE BILL BECOMING A LAW.  

O:  A BILL NEEDS A MAJORITY OF THE HOUSE, OR MORE THAN 50%, TO VOTE FOR IT.  IF THAT HAPPENS, IT THEN GOES TO THE SENATE, WHICH IS ANOTHER GROUP OF ELECTED OFFICIALS.  THERE ARE 100 SENATORS, WITH 2 REPRESENTING EACH OF THE 50 STATES.  THEY WILL ALSO VOTE ON THE BILL.  

D:  IF THE SENATE VOTES IN FAVOR OF THE BILL, WITH MORE THAN 50% IN FAVOR, THERE IS JUST ONE MORE STOP FOR THE BILL TO MAKE BEFORE IT COULD BECOME A LAW.  THAT WOULD BE TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.  

O:  ONCE THE PRESIDENT APPROVES THE BILL, IT BECOMES A LAW, AND NOW IT IS A RULE THAT ALL AMERICANS HAVE TO FOLLOW.  DADDY, THIS SEEMS LIKE A REALLY COMPLICATED PROCESS FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD PROBABLY BE A LOT SIMPLER.

D:  THERE IS A VERY GOOD REASON WHY IT’S SO COMPLICATED.  IT’S PART OF WHAT WE CALL CHECKS AND BALANCES.  IT’S A SYSTEM THAT’S DESIGNED TO MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT NO SINGLE PERSON, OR GROUP OF PEOPLE, CAN HAVE TOO MUCH POWER.

O:  FOR EXAMPLE, THE PRESIDENT IS THE MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN THE UNITED STATES.  EVEN WITH ALL OF THAT POWER, THE PRESIDENT ALONE CANNOT MAKE A LAW.  THE PRESIDENT NEEDS A THUMBS UP FROM THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND FROM THE SENATE IN ORDER TO CREATE A NEW LAW.  

D:  NOT ONLY THAT, BUT THERE IS ANOTHER CHECK TO THE PRESIDENT’S POWER IN THE WHOLE PROCESS OF CHANGING A BILL INTO A LAW.  LET’S SAY A BILL IS APPROVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AND THE SENATE, AND THEN THE PRESIDENT DECIDES HE OR SHE DOESN’T WANT TO SIGN THE BILL.  THAT WOULD BE CALLED A VETO.  IF THE PRESIDENT DOESN’T LIKE A BILL AND VETOES IT, IT WILL STILL GO BACK TO THE HOUSE AND SENATE.    

O:  FROM THERE, A BILL CAN STILL BECOME A LAW, EVEN WITHOUT THE PRESIDENT’S APPROVAL, IF TWO-THIRDS OF THE HOUSE AND TWO-THIRDS OF THE SENATE VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE BILL.  

D:  LAWS ARE VERY IMPORTANT BECAUSE THEY CREATE RULES FOR HOW PEOPLE SHOULD ACT AS A PART OF SOCIETY.  WITHOUT LAWS, PEOPLE MIGHT JUST DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, WITHOUT CONSIDERING THE BEST INTERESTS OF EVERYONE AROUND THEM.  THAT COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS.

O: IT’S IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THERE COULD BE CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT FOLLOWING THE RULE OF LAW, AND THAT THERE ARE LIMITATIONS TO WHAT PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO DO.  

D:  THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAWS THAT NEED TO BE FOLLOWED.  HERE ARE A FEW EXAMPLES.

O:  CONTRACT LAW INCLUDES RULES AND AGREEMENTS FOR BUYING AND SELLING DIFFERENT ITEMS AND SERVICES.  

D:  TORT LAW HELPS PEOPLE GET COMPENSATED IF SOMEONE ELSE HURTS THEM OR THEIR PROPERTY.

O:  CRIMINAL LAW GIVES POWER TO THE GOVERNMENT TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BREAKING THE LAW, AND TO PUNISH THE PEOPLE THAT DO BREAK THE LAW.  

D:  THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF LAW THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT GO TO SCHOOL JUST TO LEARN ABOUT A SPECIFIC TYPE OF LAW.

O:  THOSE PEOPLE ARE CALLED LAWYERS, AND THEY ARE EXPERTS ON THE LAW.  THEY HELP GIVE PEOPLE ADVICE, AND THEY MAY ALSO HELP REPRESENT PEOPLE IN COURT.  

D:  LAWS ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING, AS NEW LAWS ARE ADDED, OLD LAWS THAT ARE NO LONGER NECESSARY ARE REMOVED, AND SOME LAWS ARE CHANGED OVER TIME.  

O:  LAWS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOR A VERY LONG TIME.  THE OLDEST RECORD OF LAW GOES BACK TO THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS AROUND THE YEAR 3,000 B.C.

D:  IN 1760 BC, THERE WAS A KING NAME HAMMURABI, AND HE TOOK SOME OF THE ANCIENT BABYLONIAN LAW AND HAD IT CHISELED INTO STONE.  THE STONE WAS THEN PLACED IN THE MARKETPLACE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE.  THESE LAWS WERE GIVEN THE NAME “THE CODE OF HAMMURABI”.  IN TOTAL, THE CODE OF HAMMURABI CONSISTED OF 282 LAWS WRITTEN ON 12 TABLETS.   

O:  ONE FAMOUS CONCEPT FROM THE CODE OF HAMMURABI IS THE CONCEPT OF “AN EYE FOR AN EYE, A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH”.  

D:  FOR EACH CRIME LISTED IN HAMMURABI’S CODE, THERE WAS A CORRESPONDING PUNISHMENT.  HAMMURABI WANTED TO BE SURE THAT THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME.  THAT’S WHY LAW 196 OF THE CODE STATES THE FOLLOWING - “IF A MAN PUT OUT THE EYE OF ANOTHER MAN, HIS EYE SHALL BE PUT OUT”.  LAW 200 STATES “IF A MAN KNOCKS OUT THE TEETH OF HIS EQUAL, HIS TEETH SHALL BE KNOCKED OUT”.  THERE IS ANOTHER LAW IN THE CODE THAT SAYS “IF HE BREAK ANOTHER MAN’S BONE, HIS BONE SHALL BE BROKEN”. I THINK YOU GET THE IDEA.  

O:  HIS PUNISHMENTS WERE CONSIDERED PRETTY HARSH, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE PUNISHMENTS USUALLY GIVEN TODAY FOR SIMILAR CRIMES.  LAW 195 OF HAMMURABI’S CODE SEEMS PARTICULARLY HARSH.  IT SAYS “IF A SON STRIKES HIS FATHER, HIS HANDS SHALL BE CUT OFF”.  THAT SEEMS LIKE A BIT TOO MUCH.  PERHAPS NO SCREEN TIME FOR THE REST OF THE DAY MIGHT BE A BETTER PUNISHMENT THAN CUTTING HANDS OFF… I’M JUST SAYING.

D:  I TOTALLY AGREE.  ANOTHER ANCIENT TEXT, CALLED THE TORAH, ALSO INCLUDES A SET OF LAWS.  MOST FAMOUS AMONG THEM, ARE LAWS THAT ARE CALLED THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.  THE TEN COMMANDMENTS INCLUDE REALLY IMPORTANT LAWS, LIKE “THOU SHALT NOT STEAL”.

O:  OR MY PERSONAL FAVORITE, “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER”.  THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF HISTORY, MOST LAWS ARE PRETTY REASONABLE, AND AS LONG AS YOU ACT IN A CARING AND LOVING WAY, AND TREAT OTHERS THE WAY YOU WANT TO BE TREATED, IT SHOULD HELP YOU FOLLOW THE LAWS PRETTY WELL.  

D:  THAT BEING SAID, THERE HAVE BEEN SOME VERY UNUSUAL LAWS, EVEN SOME THAT STILL EXIST TODAY.  IN HAWAII, IT’S ILLEGAL TO PUT A SPECIFIC OBJECT IN YOUR EARS.  OLIVIA, WHAT ARE YOU FORBIDDEN FROM PUTTING IN YOUR EARS IN HAWAII?

O:  IN HAWAII, IT IS AGAINST THE LAW TO PUT COINS IN YOUR EARS.  WHEN HAWAII BECAME PART OF THE UNITED STATES, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ISSUED AN ORDER TO DESTROY ALL OF THE NATIVE MONEY THAT HAWAII HAD USED BEFORE BECOMING A PART OF THE UNITED STATES.  THE NATIVES IN HAWAII DECIDED TO HIDE THEIR COINS IN THEIR EARS.  THAT’S WHY THE LAW WAS CREATED, AND IT IS STILL A LAW TODAY.  

D:  FOR THE RECORD, NOTHING REALLY BELONGS IN THE EARS BESIDES ESSENTIAL THINGS LIKE EAR DROPS FOR AN EAR INFECTION.  

O:  MY MOM IS A NURSE PRACTITIONER, AND SHE TREATS PEOPLE WHO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THEIR EARS, NOSE, AND THROAT.  YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE THE TYPES OF THINGS SHE HAS HAD TO REMOVE FROM KIDS EARS.  THE LIST INCLUDES LEGO BRICKS, BEADS, AND PENCIL ERASERS.  

D:  THE LAW AGAINST PUTTING COINS IN YOUR EARS IN HAWAII IS FAR FROM THE ONLY STRANGE LAW HAWAII HAS.  

O:  IN HAWAII, IT’S AGAINST THE LAW TO KEEP MORE THAN 15 PETS AT HOME.  TECHNICALLY, WE WOULD BREAK THAT LAW, BECAUSE WE HAVE 20 FISH, A BIRD, AND A DOG, FOR A GRAND TOTAL OF 22 PETS.  

D:  IT’S ALSO ILLEGAL TO CAUSE A DISTURBANCE TO BIRDS IN A PUBLIC PARK.  SO, IF YOU STARTED RUNNING AFTER BIRDS IN A PUBLIC PARK IN HAWAII, YOU COULD BE IN TROUBLE WITH THE LAW.

O:  AND, FOR THE MOST RIDICULOUS LAW WE WERE ABLE TO FIND IN HAWAII, IT IS ILLEGAL TO SINK ISLANDS IN HAWAII.  I MEAN, HOW WOULD ANYONE EVEN GO ABOUT SINKING AN ISLAND?  MAYBE MAUI FROM THE MOVIE MOANA.  

D:  OUR BEAUTIFUL STATE OF NEW JERSEY ALSO HAS IT’S FAIR SHARE OF STRANGE LAWS.  FOR EXAMPLE, CARS CAN’T BE BOUGHT, SOLD, OR EXCHANGED ON SUNDAYS.  DRIVERS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO PUMP THEIR OWN GAS IN NEW JERSEY.  AND THEN, THERE ARE ALSO STRANGE LOCAL LAWS IN NEW JERSEY.  IN RARITAN, NJ, YOU CAN GET A TICKET FOR SAYING A SWEAR WORD, IN BERNARDS TOWNSHIP, NJ, YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO FROWN.

O:  THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS.  HOW CAN THEY STOP PEOPLE FROM FROWNING?

D:  I’M NOT SURE, BUT THAT’S A LAW.  IN CALDWELL, NJ, YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO DANCE ON MAIN STREET.  THAT’S ANOTHER ABSOLUTELY ABSURD LAW.  WELL, THAT’S A WRAP FOR THIS WEEK’S EPISODE.

O:  222 - LAWS.

D:  GREAT JOB OLIVIA, AND GREAT JOB SOLEIL AND ARCHER FOR THE EPISODE TOPIC SUGGESTION THAT RULES… GET IT?  BEFORE WE GO, WE HAVE AN AMAZING LISTENER TO THANK. 

O:  WE WANT TO THANK USERNAME PANICMOOSE FOR THE 5 STAR REVIEW.

D:  IT SAYS “GREAT SHOW FOR KIDS (AND I’VE LEARNED A THING OR TWO TOO!) - MY SON LOVES TO LISTEN TO THIS IN THE CAR TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND WILL ASK FOR IT BY NAME.”

O:  THAT’S AWESOME.  WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THE 5 STAR REVIEWS WE HAVE.  THE REVIEWS HELP US SO MUCH.  

D:  JOIN US NEXT WEEK, WHEN WE WILL GET CURIOUS ABOUT OCTOPUSES, AN ANIMAL WITH EIGHT ARMS, ON THE 8TH OF JANUARY, 2023 FOR LISTENERS IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA, OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, LOGAN, UTAH, AND ROTORUA, NEW ZEALAND.  AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND GETTING CURIOUS WITH US.