Posted on 08/22/2002 11:32:34 AM PDT by Tancred
French Mayor Bans Residents from Dying Thu Aug 22,10:25 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.
How long has he been dead? You could always pack him in ice and send him to the starving masses in Southern Africa. Just remember, it's all part of God's plan that no life should be wasted, and besides it's socially responsible... remember... "Feed the Homeless to the Hungry"....
It was only a matter of time until government starts taxing the dead. Either that, or government just got the power to grant immortality.
Why don't liberal Americans follow this wonderful example? Instead of banning guns, we could make it illegal to get shot. The U.N. could impose an international law to stop citizens of 3rd world countries from participating in mass starvation. The possibiliies are endless.
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