25th Aug 2008
Delinquent Readers and Rogue Editors: Caught!
Two word and book related stories made the news in the last week, in which people who do things we all might do – or at least might be tempted to do – were actually caught and booked for their offenses.
The first took place at the Grand Canyon – the crime: conspiracy to vandalize government property.
Two self-styled vigilantes against typos who defaced a more than 60-year-old, hand-painted sign at Grand Canyon National Park were sentenced to probation and banned from national parks for a year. They had removed an extraneous apostrophe and added a comma to the sign.
Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson pleaded guilty Aug. 11 for the damage done March 28 at the park’s Desert View Watchtower. The sign was made by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the architect who designed the rustic 1930s watchtower and other Grand Canyon-area landmarks.
The second reminds me of my mother, who told me so often that it was burned into my consciousness (perhaps to my own detriment): “There’s no debtors’ prison in this country.” Heidi Dalibor of Grafton, Wisconsin was arrested for not returning her library books, and failing to pay the fine.
Dalibor couldn’t believe the day two Grafton police officers came to her house, armed with an arrest warrant for failing to return library books and a $171 fine.
“We just went to the car and he told me he had to handcuff me. I was a little surprised and told them I didn’t think that was necessary. He said that was procedure, cuffed me, grabbed my head and put me in the car,” Dalibor said. ”
Daliber checked out “Angels and Demons” and “White Oleander”, but never returned them.
[This rogue editor's disclaimer: The above excerpt is quoted exactly as posted -- all errors are the author's, not mine.]
That’s an awfully big smile. Did the photographer prompt her, “Say lawsuit”?
[...] News » News Delinquent Readers and Rogue Editors: Caught!2008-08-28 04:26:00For was arrested for failing … pay the fine. Dalibor couldn’t believe the [...]