Britain's war on silly laws.

• Position: THE U.K. - Brief article

If you travel to the U.K., don't carry a plank of wood down a busy sidewalk or wear a suit of armor when visiting Parliament. Though it may sound absurd, these acts are illegal under British law--but that's about to change. A special commission charged with reviewing old laws is planning to repeal more than 200 outmoded or just plain weird laws this year, including one that makes it illegal to beat a carpet in the street, unless it's a doormat before 8 a.m. The move is meant to prune Britain's voluminous, centuries-old national statute book; before they're stricken, the laws--some dating to the 1200s--must first be thoroughly researched to make sure they aren't still used. But how did such weird laws get on the books in...