New Mexico Legislature Declares All Problems Solved

The New Mexico Legislature has declared that all the real problems have been solved.  It will now move to resolve truly important matters.

For New Mexico, the fight for Pluto is not over.

You  heard right.  The fight is not over.

Anyone who followed Plutogate last year is aware that the International Astronomical Union (IAU) voted to remove Pluto's planetary status and was instead granted the Disneyesque title of dwarf planet. It seems the other planets didn't like Pluto's inability to get it's orbit under control. Jupiter, Saturn and the rest of the popular planets used their influence to get the definition of planet changed. In doing so they destroyed the pneumonic devices used by generations of school children throughout the English speaking world.  "My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" was suddenly changed to "My Very Easy Method Just Seems Useless Now." New Mexico is preparing to right this terrible wrong. From Wired:

Seven months after a conclave of scientists downgraded the distant heavenly body to a "dwarf planet," a state representative in New Mexico aims to give the snubbed world back some of its respect. State lawmakers will vote Tuesday on a bill that proposes "as Pluto passes overhead through New Mexico's excellent night skies, it be declared a planet."

Mom, bring on the pizzas!

Once the bill clears, the legislature will move to address other important matters.  A bill criminalizing the attempt to purchase 13 items in the 12 Items or Less express lane will be voted on later in the week.

(I tried and failed to find Pluto Concern Troll in the tag cloud.  I settled for Pluto.)

•  I kid New Mexico.

  The state is actually a world leader in astronomy and astrophysics. Clyde Tombaugh, discoverer of Pluto, was a professor at New Mexico State University.

  by clonecone on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 12:45:13 PM PDT

  •  my ex-husband was an astrophysics dude at NM Tech

    That was undergrad, where he got three degrees (math, computer science, and physics) in four years.

    Now he's a multi-multi-millionaire Micro$oft executive, ha ha.  He's a nerd sellout.

    by Plutonium Page on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 12:49:13 PM PDT

    •  Nerd sellout.

      That's my dream...

      by clonecone on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 12:50:06 PM PDT

•  If the NM legislature passes the bill

  then the Alabama legislature is going to look at Pluto's "deviant" orbit and pass a law declaring that Pluto no longer be considered a "heavenly body".

  by A Mad Mad World on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 12:51:07 PM PDT

  •  That orbit is incredibly immoral.

    Crossing Neptune is not in God's plan.

    by clonecone on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 12:52:48 PM PDT

    •  Do they even think that Pluto exists?

      After all, the ancients couldn't see it, so it would not have been mentioned in the Bible.

      by A Mad Mad World on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 12:56:02 PM PDT

      •  Just because you can't see the glass spheres

        that the stars and planets are mounted on as they revolve around earth doesn't mean that the glass spheres aren't there!

        by ActivistGuy on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:57:02 PM PDT

•  Seriously though...

  I don't think they should have downgraded Pluto to non-planet status.

  I think they should have added those other two "dwarf planets" to the list...surely we could have added onto that lovely phrase rather than shorten it.

  UB313 and Ceres deserve some love too...

  by Elise on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 12:57:22 PM PDT

  •  I'm a planetary elitist.

    My planet tent is very small.

    by clonecone on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:01:17 PM PDT

    •  I've always known this about you...

      I suppose you can't see Pluto from your Ivory Tower...

      by Elise on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:06:14 PM PDT

    •  The idea of nine planets

      has only been around since Clyde's day.

      For millenia there were seven wanderers, then eight when Herschel (I think?) found Neptune.

      As a boomer, I normally hate it when people talk about boomers looking at their view of the world as the predominant one, but I wonder whether that's going on here.   Most of us grew up with nine planets, and we're reluctant to consider any other number.  (I know it makes me unhappy for no rational reason.)

      by A Mad Mad World on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:08:41 PM PDT

  •  But we're now living in the era

    of reality shows, where members of a group get voted out rather than voted in.

    Now, Saturn and Uranus will be plotting against Jupiter...

    by A Mad Mad World on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:02:55 PM PDT

    •  I wonder what's going on with

      Mars and Venus...lol...

      if this was an episode of The Real World, they'd be getting drunk and having sex in the hot tub.

      by Elise on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:07:27 PM PDT

      •  That more or less happened

        in the PC game Zork Nemesis.

        by A Mad Mad World on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:10:07 PM PDT

        •  ha!!

          I'll have to check that out :-)

          by Elise on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 01:10:48 PM PDT

•  I declare that all my debts are paid...

  and now I am moving on to lay claim to Uranus.

  by jbou on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 03:14:38 PM PDT

  •  ha...

    this made me laugh.

    by Elise on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 03:16:14 PM PDT

    •  glad I could help

      Laughter is a beautiful thing and should be done as much as possible.

      by jbou on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 03:18:30 PM PDT

•  plutocracy

  reigns in NM?

  by Piotr on Sun Mar 11, 2007 at 03:28:17 PM PDT