Left Behind Laws

By Jacqueline Sit, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Many outdated laws remain on the books all across the county and Oklahoma is not short on strange, left behind laws.

"There are a lot of laws that you go through, I imagine there are several hundred laws originally someone had some good intentions for, but just aren't because the changes in our society, they're now not workable or forcible," NEWS 9 legal analyst Irven Box said.

Lessons from ‘The Christmas Story' probably helped stave off profanity for the lovable little 'Ralphie,' but in Oklahoma, having a potty mouth could cost you $1 for every offense.

"Now I don't think there's enough soap in the world to wash out the mouths of what we hear on T.V., in sports programs and every day. The world has changed," Box said.

Believe it or not, cursing in front of women and children is a crime, and it's still on the books in the Sooner State, but it's hardly enforced.

"If somebody charges a buck for every time somebody said one, they'd make a lot of money," Box said.

Do not use God's name in vain isn't just in the Ten Commandments, in Oklahoma, breaking that commandment is also breaking the law.

"It's a statute to use blasphemy, God, Holy Scriptures, we still have laws in the books," Box said.

Another law on the list; doing anything useless besides going to church and praying on the seventh day is breaking the Anti-Sabbath Law.

"We had some people who were pretty strict religiously when this state was formed," Box said. "These laws came from some of the early English laws as I said that are still on the books. But to be enforced, of course, they're not enforced,"

If the Anti-Sabbath Law was enforced, you'd have to pay $25 for missing church each Sunday.

Doing your own hair is also forbidden unless you're licensed in the state.

A funny law that thankfully isn't a crime, but can be found on some Web sites as an Oklahoma law, is being fined or jailed for making ‘ugly faces' at dogs.

"These are still laws that haven't been taken off, that aren't enforced, simply because society has changed. Culture has changed and so as society changes, these laws have become outdated," Box said.