New state laws cover the obvious

Come Saturday, it will be legal to drink in a couple more places, but being an electronic "peeping tom" will get you in bigger trouble, thanks to some new state laws.

Most of the new laws that go into effect in Nebraska this week make sense, to the point that most of us didn't know they weren't already the law of the land.

Passengers in chartered party buses and limousines will now be able to drink under a new exception to the state's ban on open containers of alcohol in motor vehicles. The driver, however, cannot have access to the alcohol.

It will be possible for a baby to "drink" anywhere in public or private that mothers normally are allowed to go, thanks to a new law that protects breast-feeding.

The new law against peeping toms makes it a felony to videotape, electronically record or live-stream images of a nude or partially nude person in places such as a restroom, tanning booth, locker room or dressing room. Penalties also increase for watching a person in such places.

If you like to hang air fresheners from your rearview mirror, that's now legal, unless they significantly block the view through the windshield. And, you can't be stopped for that alone.

Spitting on or throwing feces at an officer or prison guard will be a misdemeanor; felony if the person knowingly uses fluids infected with HIV, or hepatitis B or C.

You can no longer use the fact that you were so drunk or high that you didn't know what you were doing as an insanity defense. You also can't use voluntary intoxication as a defense against charges involving intent or premeditation.

And, those folks from Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church, who picket funerals of soldiers and others will have to stay 500 feet away from the funeral, up from the current 300-foot limit.

So, go ahead and feed that baby, enjoy your ride in the party bus and be thankful lawmakers haven't thought up a law for every situation quite yet.