United Kingdom to Petition World Court for Return of Original 13 U.S. Colonies

CWT, London, England. A confidential source inside the United Kingdom Office of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs reports that Her Majesty's ministers are finalizing a petition to the United Nations World Court for the return of the original 13 English colonies in the United States lost as a result of the American War for Independence. CWT's contact, who asked their name be withheld, told our reporter at London Station, " the ministers are absolutely giddy with anticipation of a favorable decision - they appear confident the petition will stand on the legal merits and believe the much maligned U.N. is ready to stick it to the U.S. if given the opportunity."

When asked by our C
WT London Bureau why England would consider such a provocative move against a long time ally, our confidential contact reported, " We British never got over losing the colonies - oh, I know the history; Churchill, Roosevelt, and all that, but we have always subconsciously regarded you Americans as little more than recalcitrant adolescents - evidently the current government and Her Majesty feel the time is ripe to right a wrong that has festered in the British psyche for over 200 years. I also have it on good authority that the Queen grows ever more tired of the English damp and is keen on a second seat of Royal power at Myrtle Beach."

The American Revolution (1775–83), was a conflict between 13 British colonies on the eastern seaboard of North America and their parent country, Great Britain. France later intervened as an ally of the independent states, and the war resulted in the colonies becoming a separate nation, the United States of America. It is also known as the American War of Independence. The end of the Seven Years’ War (1756–63), which had its North American beginning in 1754 and was known in America as the French and Indian War, resulted in the final expulsion of France both from the continent of North America and from India. In both cases French power was replaced by that of Great Britain. As a result, Britain became the preeminent power in the western hemisphere and supreme on the high seas. It enjoyed an enormous and growing volume of maritime commerce. Britain’s king, George III, who had succeeded to the throne in 1760, was determined to play an active role in governing the nation. Due to the king’s ineptitude, however, the result was political instability and a lack of direction in national affairs at the same time that Britain’s crisis with its American colonies developed.

" From what I can gather from the drafts I have read," our source continued, " the basis for the legal argument before the World Court will be King George III possessing the intellect of a peahen - when he usurped the power of Parliament and levied taxes on the colonies, it was, in fact, an illegal act without the consent of the elected body. Had George III been but marginally more cognizant than a boulder, there would have been no colonial uprising."

CatsWithThumbs London reporters confronted several barristers and an unidentified Ministry employee exiting Whitehall after what is believed to have been a closed door meeting to finalize the World Court petition. When asked to confirm reports of the petition to recover the 13 colonies from the United States, the barristers repeated "No comment." The unidentified Ministry employee replied, " I have no knowledge of the petition we are drafting and have nothing but the highest regard for the citizens of our 13 English colonies." The unidentified employee was quickly ushered away from our reporters and in to a waiting limousine.

Officials at the United Nations International Court of Justice, The Hague, Netherlands, would neither confirm nor deny the existence of the reported pending petition when questioned by CWT's Scandinavian Bureau: "It is our policy never to comment on pending matters before the court, which is not to say the pending petition is actually a pending matter." A high ranking U.N. World Court Officer, speaking only on condition his name be withheld, would only say, " The villa in the Hamptons was a gift from my parents and is in no way connected to the petition in question, if such a petition were to actually exist."

CatsWithThumbs asked our in-house legal counsel, Tickman Scribe, to analyze the motivation for such a petition and the chances it could be granted and verified by the U.N. World Court: " Well, on the face of it, it seems preposterous, but these are tough economic times and that could be a motivation for this petition; a deal could have already been done. The American midwest is suffering high unemployment and loss of automotive jobs - you give the 13 colonies back to England and you'll have a ton of folks moving out, and a lot of them will end up in Detroit, Chicago, etc., just in time to breathe some life into the dying American rust belt. Some will stay in the colonies, but they will be mostly college professors and dentists anticipating a surge of new English business."

As to the validity of the reported petition, Scribe asserts, " Declarations of independence are not recognized legal documents, never have been. You get your independence when enough powerful countries recognize you, then the rest of the world goes along. On the face of it, the United Kingdom does have a case - King George III of England was a documented idiot, and most historians agree had it not been for his unprecedented buffoonery, there would have been no revolt in the colonies, and thus, no United States of America. Even if the petition exists and is approved by the World Court, what then? How does the Obama administration plan to convince millions of Americans to accept British rule or move? I mean, he's pretty slick, but we're not talking about winning over a hundred google-eyed college freshman on this one."


Next Week: CatsWithThumbs asks the American People, " Do You Want to be English? "

Immigrant Catapult Stymies U.S. Border Patrol

CWT, Along the Rio Grande, Texas. A month long on-site investigation by Cats With Thumbs field reporters confirms illegal immigrants from Mexico are being launched over the border in increasing numbers by a massive catapult. U.S. Border Patrol agents on location along the Texas-Mexico border have dubbed the device "Jose Cuer-throw" and are at a loss for an effective countermeasure. "Beats anything I've ever seen," a confidential Border Patrol contact told our CWT reporter at the scene; "one minute you're minding your own business walking the fence line, next thing you know a family of four comes sailing overhead at better than 80 miles an hour. By the time we get to where we think they should have landed, they are long gone."

CWT reporters traveled to Mexico and were granted exclusive access to the inventors and operators of the unorthodox immigration initiative. Although unwilling to give their names or be photographed, the two young Americans spearheading "Gringo Air," as they call it, were forthcoming and candid with our Cats With Thumbs team. Both men, in their late twenties, are engineering graduates from top U.S. universities. "We don't have an agenda for or against illegal immigration," Gringo "A" told our reporter, "we just like catapults." Gringo "B" added, " There wasn't a lot of grant money out there for catapult development - the Air Force wasn't looking for a 'smart slingshot.' We evaluated the Mexican immigration dynamic and realized we could fill a need and make a profit."

The two "Gringos" would not reveal the catapult design specifics to our CWT reporters, but allowed they coordinate with a stateside "catch team" using calibrated GPS devices, up to the minute wind data, and a military grade "landing net."



"There was some initial resistance from the locals when we first set up shop, " Gringo "A" continued, "No one was too keen on being thrown over the border - we had to pay a few volunteers to give it a shot, and after the first couple of casualties we've had a perfect throw -to- catch performance ratio."

"Gringo Air" charges 100.00USD per person per "flight;" the fees are usually paid to the "catch team" by relatives of the prospective "passengers" already in the United States. "It's a lot less expensive than paying a middleman thousands of dollars to walk you for 3 days through the desert with only a slim margin of success," Gringo "B" told our CWT reporters; "we offer a money back guarantee - when you sign up with Gringo Air, you'll be over the border and in the U.S.A. in 20 seconds or less - and have fun getting there!"

Cats With Thumbs contact at the U.S. Border Patrol was not as enthusiastic. "They have a good little system, are very mobile, and pretty sneaky," our inside source admitted; "they can get that contraption up and down quickly, and even when we do spot it on radar the Mexican authorities are no help at all - we can show you video of the Mexican police actually helping raise the catapult and having cerveza celebrations after each launch." Safety considerations are the biggest worry - according to our contact, "that money back guarantee is a crock - if something goes wrong you won't be in any position to collect; more than likely I'll be digging you out of the dirt or peeling you off a cactus, if the buzzards don't find you first."

Despite the dangers, several recent "Gringo Air" customers interviewed by our Cats With Thumbs team expressed satisfaction with the service. "It was quick and easy," a new landing told our reporter, on condition he remain anonymous; " I was a little scared at first; my cousin was one of the first ones over - they had a little wind shear and, well, it wasn't too pretty. But the U.S. medical care is top-notch and the Gringo Air guys got the problem fixed." Other "fliers" also spoke highly of their experiences; " the net team here in the States was very cordial and customer service oriented," another new arrival told CWT; " they gave us our fake papers, rolled up the net, put us in the truck, and off we went. They even had snacks - you don't get those on many airlines these days."

A father who flew over with his wife and son told our Cats With Thumbs reporter, "it was fantastic. Our boy loved it so much he wanted to go back and do it again! I had to tell him 'hey, you're in America now - we can go to Six Flags!'



White Rapper Files Racial Discrimination Lawsuit

CWT - Atlanta. Cats With Thumbs sources inside the Dekalb County, Georgia courthouse report white rap artist " Snack-Cracker " will file a civil lawsuit early next week claiming racial discrimination and violation of his civil rights. CWT's contacts say the suit will name KillEveryBodyNow Productions L.L.C. and company chairman Thomas Wilson as defendants.

According to Cats With Thumbs insiders, the suit will charge KillEveryBodyNow Productions and chairman Wilson with "conspiring to deny the plaintiff (Snack-Cracker) his constitutional right to equal consideration for employment," and "exclusion of Mr. Cracker from contract consideration based on the plaintiff's Caucasian race."

In a telephone interview, Snack told our Cats With Thumbs Atlanta reporter: "The rap majority is always tryin' to keep the white man down. Seen Eminem around lately? It's a conspiracy - I can rap, I just ain't black."


A KillEveryBodyNow Productions spokesperson responded to "Snack Cracker's" allegations at a sit down with Cats With Thumbs Atlanta correspondent: " That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. He didn't get a contract because, frankly, he sucks. Have you listened to any of his stuff? It'll give you an aneurysm. It's like Dr. Seuss meets Frankenstein; I couldn't sell that screeching to an owl farm. He needs to change his name to "Crap-Packer."

CWT has learned that "Snack Cracker's" birth name is Thorton Fitzwilliam III; he is the son of a prominent Atlanta cotton exporter, was dismissed from several private high schools for failure to meet academic requirements, and was charged with misdemeanor assault in 2006 for forcing a group of elementary school children to sing along with his self-produced rap CD at an inner city Atlanta playground. The charges were later dismissed after assurances by his family that they would keep him on a tighter leash.

Cats With Thumbs asked cultural psychologist Petra Squeel to analyze the significance of the "Snack Cracker" lawsuit:
"This is the next logical progression in the phenomenon that is American rap music," Squeel told our CWT reporter; "traditional rap lyrics have a common origin in the black urban experience, but the beat transcends racial boundaries - young adults of all races and creeds becoming sexually active naturally gravitate to dance and the stimulating, persistent rhythm that today's rap provides. It is understandable that Mr. Cracker finds the music attractive, but he has no life experience common to the rap genre origins that lend any authenticity to his performance aspirations. His lawsuit is just an adolescent way of lashing out at his own failure."

The same KillEveryBodyNow Productions spokesperson responded to Ms. Squeel's assessment:

"Whatever - that little Buckhead bullshitter is costing me money. I turn down 20 rappers a day; he's just got daddy's money behind him to make a stink about it. If the little pissant had talent I'd sign him no matter what color he was. I'd sign an Iranian rapper if I thought it would sell, but, hell, they arrest those poor bastards for just thinkin' about rap."

Cats With Thumbs attempted to contact "Snack Cracker" for a response but was informed by the Fitzwilliam family attorney that he is currently in Switzerland undergoing self esteem enhancement and will not be available for comment until the pending lawsuit is adjudicated.

Canada to Annex North Dakota, Residents "Quite Pleased"

CWT - Bismark, ND. Cats With Thumbs midwest affilate reports year long secret negotiations between the U.S. & Canada are in the " final stages, " and the U.S. State of North Dakota is expected to become the 11th Canadian Province before the end of 2008. If the annexation proceeds as planned, it will be the first peaceful reduction of United States continental territory and the first and only U.S. State to be sold to another country. The Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade refused official comment when asked for verification by CWT reporters on location in Ottawa. A Canadian Foreign Affairs official told Cats With Thumbs off the record:
" We couldn't be happier - as you are no doubt aware, Canada is seldom at the forefront of global media interest and the country as a whole has been in a rather grumpy malaise for quite some time. This acquisition from the United States makes us a player again in the world news cycle and gives Canadians a small sense of victory over our mighty neighbor to the south."

North Dakota is the 19th largest state by area in the U.S., it is the 48th most populous, with just over 640,000 residents as of 2006. North Dakota was carved out of the northern half of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union as the 39th state on November 2, 1889. The state has seen a steep decline in population over the last 20 years; the loss of residents in their twenties and early thirties has increased markedly over the past two decades. If current trends continue, the number of elderly in the state will grow by 58 percent over the next 20 years and represent nearly 23 percent of the state’s population. In addition, the number of older seniors (i.e., 85 years of age and older) will grow by nearly two-thirds during that time frame. A North Dakota State Senator spoke to Cats With Thumbs on condition his name be withheld:
" We're now the ' old fogey ' State - might as well have one 'a them 3 wheeled scooters and a jar of Metamucil on the State flag. We join up with Canada and we get government health care and some new holidays. I'm for it."

The U.S. State Department also refused official comment when questioned by Cats With Thumbs reporters, but a senior insider, on condition he remain anonymous, told CWT: " North Dakota has been sucking the life out of the Treasury - all the kids are high-tailin' it outta' there as soon as they can and all the old folks that can barely creak up a flight of stairs are moving back - think Brokaw and Redford - it's a health care nightmare; if those crazy Canucks want 'em, I hope we can get the deal signed and run before they realize what they bought." CWT learned from confidential sources Canada is prepared to pay " in the hundreds of billions " for North Dakota and will need to spend
" additional billions " integrating Canadian national laws and infrastructure. A Saskatchewan resident was less than enthusiastic:
" Splendid; we get more old folks, cows, and wilderness - the U.S. gets a bucketful of cash and a health care solution. No wonder they never pay us any attention."

Cats With Thumbs spoke with residents of Crosby, North Dakota, near the Canadian border; most citizens were upbeat about the pending change of nationality:
" I've been buyin' my prescriptions there for years - lots cheaper, " Gretta Trollope told our reporter; " I think those Mounties are pretty sharp, too." Kirby Thelp and several friends gathered outside his home to practice singing 'O Canada' and calling one another 'hoser.' Thelp told CWT, "Who cares? Nuthin' ever happens around here anyway - may as well stir things up, eh? " Ermeline Dissel, an elementary school teacher, told CWT, " it will be a unique opportunity for the children to learn about another culture - well, I guess it will now be their culture - regardless, they are going to learn about it." Lemmet Furl, a lifelong North Dakotan, said, " don't matter to me - they make pretty good beer. As long as I keep gettin' U.S. television; Canadian TV sucks."

There is no legal precedent for the sale of a U.S. State to another nation - Cats With Thumbs legal analyst, Tickman Scribe, believes,
" as long as they put it up for a vote locally in North Dakota and on the national ballot, there is nothing illegal on the face of it. That is not to say there couldn't be any number of challenges to the sale in the District and Supreme Courts, but frankly, I don't think anyone
will pay much attention. So North Dakota goes to Canada - okay, whatever. Who's going to miss it?"

 
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