No-Sparrow-Shall-Fall

. . . under penalty of law.  From the AP:

Tenn. woman ticketed for swimming in NJ inlet

Posted: Jun 28, 2013 11:11 AM EDT Updated: Jun 28, 2013 11:11 AM EDT

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, N.J. (AP) — A Tennessee woman was issued a summons after she had to be rescued while trying to swim in a dangerous inlet while vacationing in New Jersey.

So, first of all, I have no idea why someone from Tennessee would stop for gas in New Jersey, let alone vacation there.

An official say 23-year-old Amy Sartor of Cleveland, Tenn., jumped off the rocks in Point Pleasant Beach and tried to swim across the Manasquan Inlet on Thursday night.

In my (relative) youth, I once swam a mile out to sea off the north shore of Oahu to one of the navigation buoys.  In my defense, I thought the buoy was only three feet high, not the 12-15 feet it turned out to be once I got there.  But the point is that I can relate to the desire to set a challenge for oneself.

Sartor got caught in the fast current and was pulled out to sea.

Police Detective Clint Daniel tells the Asbury Park Press Sartor was 50 yards off the jetty when she was first spotted and 200 yards by the time Coast Guard rescuers reached her.

Sartor was issued a ticket for violating a borough ordinance of misbehavior. The ticket carries a fine of $200 to $500.

No court date has been set.

An “ordinance of misbehavior”?  Did the woman cross a clearly-marked “no swimming” sign?  Apparently not, else we would be hearing about it.  So this strikes me as an overly-broad application of an overly-broad ordinance.  On top of which, are we really going to start fining people for doing risky things?  I’m pretty sure that rule will be applied very selectively.