Showing undies could cost Virginians $50.

[Andy_Stephenson]

RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- Virginians who wear their pants so low their underwear shows may want to think about investing in a stronger belt.

The state's House of Delegates passed a bill Tuesday authorizing a $50 fine for anyone who displays his or her underpants in a "lewd or indecent manner."

Del. Lionell Spruill Sr., a Democrat who opposed the bill, had pleaded with his colleagues to remember their own youthful fashion follies.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/02/09/low.pants.ap/index.html

[BurtWorm]

1. There are some serious fascists in that legislature!

First the miscarriage mess and now this!

PS: underpants, get out that state you're in!

[DulceDecorum]

16. It is a new tax,

the state needs the money.

[BurtWorm]

17. The underpants tax?

:eyes:

Time for a Boston UP Party?

[KurtNYC]

2. And what if I "go commando" ?

Does the law apply to TV repairmen?

[texastoast]

13. That will be a new bill introduced

The anti-crack law for all service people driving vans into your driveway.

[burythehatchet]

3. drip...drip...drip...

watch freedom drip away.

[ultraist]

4. State mandated dress codes for adults that go beyond obscenity?

WTF? What about halter tops or low cut shirts? It's not ok for guys to show their boxers but women can let their breasts show?

Black rappers started this fashion trend of showing boxers....hmmmm...

[Ravenseye]

15. Do this and next your tshirts will go

How any libertarian can vote for these fascist morons just confuses me.

No more underwear, then no more t-shirts, next thing you know you'll get arrested for having a bad haircut.

That's the primary hypocracy with the right wing. They LOVE the free market as long as it doesn't apply to the things they want to ban.

[Charon]

32. State Mandated Dress Code

Bet my half interest in hell, the only people ever cited under this statute will be young African American males.

[greatauntoftriplets]

5. Does the law apply to plumbers???

:hi:

[Andy_Stephenson]

7. If you see a sign that says "Just say no to crack and...

it reminds you to pull up your pants". You prolly are a redneck.

[KamaAina]

36. If you see a headline reading "Virginia may ban low-riders"

and you think, "I didn't know Virginia had that many tricked-up cars; I thought that was a SoCal thing", you might be over 40...

[DrWeird]

6. Did Virgina recently elect Mullah Omar?

Fucking Taliban bastards.

[Pushed To The Left]

8. The right wing as fashion police

Things seem to be getting worse instead of getting better. Is anybody fighting this?

[AnnInLa]

19. Is anyone fighting this?

Yes...saw a VA reporter on TV yesterday who said the ACLU has gotten involved. I think it is blatantly racist.

[Pushed To The Left]

25. Excellent news!

I'm glad to see the ACLU getting more active. We need them now more than ever! This is why many people, including me, became monthly donors after the elections.

[ohio_liberal]

31. I don't know about Virginia

but here in my part of Ohio, everyone under the age of 25 (and me at 37 lol) is wearing low rise pants. All the guys have pants belted below the top of their boxers. This is just a ridiculous law.

[texastoast]

33. I don't know about racist

But it is certainly sexist. Is there going to be a law against girls exposing their belly buttons while wearing low-rise pants or showing a bra strap? Somehow, I doubt it.

But then again, with shrub in office, we should have all set our clocks back to the Victorian era.

[AllegroRondo]

9. Only one small step away from burkas for all women

[donheld]

10. Underpants Police - What a fun job

Is there new job openings?

[Ezlivin]

11. It's better to sell them in the women's restroom

I've heard that you can sell girl's panties pretty easily.

[The Doctor.]

12. I've always thought the underpants thing was kind of funny...

Coming from a martialist background, I was always amused at these 'tough kids' who would wear their pants around their buts.

Once I got to show a kid what a major tactical disadvantage that was.

I was at a subway station at the University at Buffalo about 15 years ago when the trend was catching on, and a group of 'intimidating' young men had made a point of 'casually' surrounding me.
(No - they weren't going to 'do' anything - it was just to try and intimidate me... he he he.)
I was standing against the wall reading a book as they situated themselves around me. One of them was leaning against the wall within an inch of me to my right.

Very surreptitiously, I shifted my toe onto the cuff of his pants, pinning his pant leg to the floor... the pants were hanging so low he didn't notice.

I did a sudden 'yawn and stretch' which caused the lad to shift away from me just a little bit... with nice results... HIS PANTS FELL DOWN!

As he scrambled to keep his pants up, he bent over and a little throwing spike fell out of his hat.

I said, "you really should keep that more secure." :wink:

His friends laughed at him, and the whole 'intimidation thing' was over.

It was great.

Low pants = tactical disadvantage.

[Vladimir]

14. Another place my skater-jeans wearing ass ain't gonna be visiting again...

[Ian David]

18. I am so glad Virginia has all the extra time to spend on this

Even my parents made sure all MY homework was done before they let me go out and PLAY.

[Vladimir]

22. Next step, fines for excess skin area on display! n/t

[GRLMGC]

20. I personally think showing your underwear is stupid

but its everyone's right to do stupid things as long as they aren't hurting anyone. This is so unnecessary.

[KansDem]

24. I agree...

I work in a library and we constantly have young males come in with the crotch of their pants down around their knees. It's very stupid; these kids have surrendered the use of one hand to hold their pants up at the requisite height dictated by the fashion so they don't fall down around their ankles. Any fashion statement that requires you to give up the use of one hand is stupid. Very stupid.

But as you say, stupidity that harms no one should not be the crux of legislation.

[Freebird12004]

21. Define "lewd or indecent manner"

This leaves too much room for interpretation ... white cotton trousers can allow undies to show through.

[Johonny]

28. I was thinking

the same thing. It would seem to me the law doesn't outlaw underwear wearing on the outside as long as it is decent or not lewd. Of course even worse one wonders what happens if you wear say unerwear under your underwear. Thus making your underwear not your true underwear. In Virginia when showing underwear make sure you got a spare on underneath... In a normal USA this law would quickly get wiped from the books but in todays America I weep for the future...

[Chalco]

23. I live in Maryland just across the line and try to avoid Virginia

at all costs. 99% of the time that I do go over there I get hopelessly lost because of their street sign system. The same street changes names or numbers or whatever. It's impossible to get around unless you're inbred. They are also very right wing, of course. This latest bill is just the icing on the cake.

[WoodrowFan]

26. phhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhttttttttttttttttt

Arlington County, Alexandria City, Falls Church and (Eastern) Fairfax County are blue to the core. As for the streets, guess Marylanders can't read maps??


BTW, it wasn't OUR governor trying to smear his opponent on Free Republic!

[Chalco]

30. My husband works in Virginia and can attest to the road finding

problem.

Yes, we are not without our problems in Maryland. A repug is, afterall, the governor.

It is a fact, however, that everytime I've been to Virginia I've gotten lost except for the last time when I went to Bangkok Blues. I'm one of the smartest people I know and know how to read maps.

[Buns_of_Fire]

27. First they came for my underwear and I said nothing...

(finish this thought as you wish... :evilgrin: )

[American Tragedy]

29. Time for yet another donation to the ACLU, I believe.

It seems like politicians just sit around trying to think of more ways to control people's lives.

[Bouncy Ball]

34. Um, I thought repukes were supposed to be for smaller government

and less intrusion into people's lives?

Hmmm. That must be the OLD republican party.

[Fleshdancer]

35. easy solution....

take a pair of boxer shorts, cut all around from 4 inches below the elastic belt, sew the "partial brief" onto the top of the jeans. Voila, the underwear is now technically part of your pants. :evilgrin:

[txaslftist]

37. I think it is SATANIC ...

that underpants now can cost $50.00.

[CindyDale]

38. The Taliban is coming!

[Xithras]

39. It's the dumbest fashion trend in history, but the law is even dumber

For those of you who don't know, the "exposed boxers" look is prison fashion, and it was originally meant to mark people as owned or a queen...it meant that they could be raped at will. The entire point of the baggy pants was to make it easier to...umm...well...you know. From there it spread to general prison fashion (i.e. it simply marked you as a subservient member of a prison gang), and then out into the street gangs, and then into general fashion.

Still, I don't see what the issue is. If someone actually has their pants low enough so that certain body parts are showing, then they could have already busted people under the existing lewdness laws.

[troubleinwinter]

40. Bust this guy FIRST:

"Jeff Gannon"-

[PeaceProgProsp]

41. Cops are going to fight over who gets "panty patrol."

Cops will make their names on the underwear beat.