In today's cartoon Pat Oliphant satirizes the recent announcement by the "Raelians" that they have successfully created the world's first cloned human being, a little girl supposedly replicating her American mother. The lunatic fringe of Western society is a fertile spawning ground for cults and sects, which are normally left in peace. They may thrive for a few years, but most fade fairly quickly. The Raelians are a small group, chiefly Canadian and French, founded by one Claude Vorilhon, who now goes by the more portentous handle of "Rael". The name suggests various things: an Egyptian or ancient Semitic god, a clipped form of "Israel", and above all a figure from science fiction - there seems to be a special imaginary dialect from which Western sci-fi novelists and filmwriters draw the names for their characters.

　　Whether the Raelians have actually cloned anyone or are simply staging a brilliantly successful PR hoax remains unclear. Oliphant shows asgroupsof Raelians gathered like witches around a cauldron; the image suggests the Weird Sisters in Shakespeare's great tragedy Macbeth. Out of the cauldron one of the figures is pulling a cloned creature . Ah, but the creature is... a sheep! There's obviously been a mistake.

　　The Raelians claim that human beings were created by extraterrestrials. In the background to the right, Oliphant has creatures from outer space dashing for their flying saucer to escape being blamed for what is taking place on earth. They seem embarrassed to be linked with the Raelians. Interestingly, they speak a workmanlike, down-to-earth sort of English: they desire to get "outa here" rather than "out of here", as more careful speakers might say.

　　Finally, in the lower right we see the little bird who figures in most Oliphant cartoons. He's answering the phone: It's an inquiry from... The National Inquirer, America's most notorious tabloid. If you visit the US, you will often see it sold at the checkout counters of supermarkets, along with candy bars and chewing gum, of which it is a mental form. The Inquirer knows its readers love tales of UFOs, abduction by aliens, sightings of the long-dead Elvis Presley and an endless stream of outrageous gossip about the private lives of filmstars and TV celebrities. Groups like the Raelians reflect the tastes of Inquirer readers and in turn provide many a thrilling headline for us all as we stand in line waiting to pay for our groceries.