And punishable by death! (not really).

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080306...cedeathoffbeat

Basically, the gist of the story is that the mayor of a French village has declared it illegal to die without owning a plot at the local (and overcrowded) cemetery. And there is "severe punishment" waiting for any offenders.

On the surface, this seems pretty stupid. But, if you read farther, you'll see it's merely a protest (copying another successful protest by another mayor of another French village) to get permission from the government to expand the overcrowded cemetery. He's basically threatening to send any dead person without a plot to the state's representative to deal with.

Still, the first part of the story brings funny images to mind.