There's a big problem in the small town of
Le Lavandou (25 miles east of
Toulon) on the
French Rivera. There's only one
cemetery in town, and there's
no vacancy. A regional court nixed plans for a second cemetery, citing a law against shore constructions. A proposed alternative site, a rock
quarry, was rejected by the
mayor,
Gil Bernardi, as disrespectful to the dead. Nineteen poor souls are waiting for their final interment, with more sure to join them eventually. So the town passed a law Tuesday making it illegal to die without a cemetery plot. The law specifies no punishment for those who break it.
Real life has surpassed satire once again.