French Mayor Bans Death

[Guest Nevermortal]

French Mayor Bans Residents from Dying

 

August 22, 2002 10:22 AM ET

 

LE LAVANDOU, France (Reuters) - The mayor of a French Mediterranean town, faced with a cemetery "full to bursting," has banned local residents from dying until he can find somewhere else to bury them.

 

Gil Bernardi, mayor of Le Lavandou on the coast 15 miles west of Saint Tropez, introduced the ban after a court rejected his plans to build a cemetery in a tranquil setting by the sea.

 

Bernardi said most locals had obeyed the edict so far, but he was desperately trying to find a resting place for a homeless man who had recently passed away in the town.

 

"Initially, the decree has been remarkably well followed," the mayor said.

 

Bernardi has appealed against the ruling preventing the seaside cemetery being built, saying it would be the best final resting place for his townsfolk.

 

"What people want here, because it's a local tradition, is their own little personal plot of land, their burial spot, not an impersonal pigeonhole," he said.

 

"DEATH, BEGONE!"

[Zorin Industries]

LOL, thats a classic. I can just see the Gendarme handcuffing a corpse that has just dropped dead, and loading it into the back of a police car.

[Guest TJH]

About time they banned death!

[Zorin Industries]

You have the right to remain silent...... oh, wait

[Guest Nevermortal]

Judge: Do you have anything to say for yourself?

 

Corpse: .........

 

Judge: You talking back to me?

[Guest TJH]

If you don't co-operate you could be sent to jail for the rest of your life....

[Guest DragonflyKid]

There is a valid point to it, with people dying and populations continuing to expand leading to more deaths it's ineviatable that cemetary space along with any other space will be limited. There isn't an infinite amount of planet to use up and cemetaries are just wastes of space IMO.

 

I say get cremated, it's cheaper, you can always be near your loved ones in a clinging, symbolically distant sort of way, and you can have the honor of being burnt to ashes quickly instead of rotting away in your fancy dress in your expensive box over years.

 

Cemetaries are just poor means to immortality. If one's soul is extinguished and one's body is nothing but decomposing organic matter having a little site of remembrance is just for show and morbid egoism.

 

I believe you should remember the dead in your heart, I just don't believe that taking up space and visiting corpses is a positive thing.

[Guest starvenger]

Geez, are you sure this wasn't ripped from the pages of The Onion?

[Guest DragonflyKid]

It's a real story, it got some coverage on the 24-hour cable news networks.

[Guest DrEvil]

Police were forced to open fire on the suspect corpse when he refused to raise his hands.

[Guest Retro Rob]

Like RollingChop said, creamation is the way to go.

[Guest crandamaniac]

If a frenchman has a near death experience, goes to the hospital, and they revive him, does he have to go to jail for attempted death?

[Guest Shaved Bear]

so if someone dies...do they get put on death row?

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

You can ban death all you want in France, but as soon as Death comes knocking that town will fold just like they did to the Germans in WWII...

[Guest Olympic Slam]

Man, some countries are just plain BONZO GONZO

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

When I die, if I have the money to do it, I want to be shot out into space with a camera attached to my nuts, constantly supplying a live web feed. Either that or be encased in lucite with a really crazy smile on my face. Give people the creeps and shit.

[Guest redbaron51]

what happens when the guy is in court?

[Guest undisputedjericho]

Obviously what they need to do is alternate cemetary space. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Corpse A gets it, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, Corpse B gets it. Now, as for Sundays...