Maybe it’s the altitude

The Libertarian Party is not looking good in the eyes of many after they invited Richard Hoagland to speak at their national convention later this month in Denver. However, maybe the problem isn’t with the party, but the city. The Rocky Mountain News reported recently that a local man is seeking a referendum on a measure to create an “Extraterrestrial Affairs Commission” in the city. And what would such a commission do? The 18-member commission would “create a responsible, common-sense strategy for dealing with issues related to the presence of extraterrestrial beings on Earth”. Or, as the referendum’s sponsor, Jeff Peckman, told the paper: “It is important because if you’re driving down the highway and you saw a crash of a small spaceship and a car or a bus full of kids, you really wouldn’t know what to do… Do you wait for the hazardous materials experts to show up because of potential contaminants from another solar system? What do you do? People really don’t know.”

Apparently Peckman has something of a reputation in Denver, having previously gotten a proposition on the ballot that would have required the city to “implement stress-reduction techniques” (it failed). Still, perhaps Peckman could get some advice from Hoagland over Memorial Day weekend…