The ranks of the perpetually aggrieved. . .

. . .has apparently grown by one: John Derbyshire, a one-time illegal immigrant who managed to get some form of amnesty that allowed him to stay in the US despite having overstayed his visa. He never served any time in the clink as a consequence of his lawlessness. In fact, he was allowed to freely walk about the good old US of A and write columns that Americans wouldn't write. Bully for him!

I have to say his indignation toward Scott Adams, the artist who produces Dilbert, strikes me as mystifying. All these years I've been under the impression that Derb was some sort of soulless automaton created in a lab and programmed to make outrageous statements designed to offend silly, emotion-laden homo sapiens by tweaking their sense of humanity. It turns out he has a softer side.

It seems Derb is a little sensitive about having his lineage satirized. When Adams penned an innocuous little piece for his blog regarding immigration, poking fun at his own progenitors, the British-born, Chinese-wed, American amnestee got his Irish up. 'Tis a pity. I find it odd that a person who relishes the fact that he doesn't have a soul would experience such angst at the idea that someone might have a little fun by taking a jab at his genealogy -- which turns out to be quite similar to his own.

I haven't been this touched since Spock cried in the original Star Trek motion picture.

UPDATE: It seems that not long after I posted this, Derb posted a retraction. I'd like to think this was a consequence of the whithering derision poured upon him on this blog. Unfortunately, it's pure serendipity.

In any event, I'm glad to see Derb came around. It was an act of class that he posted a retraction. Or, at least an indication of a budding soul somewhere in that coal black heart of his.