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Typo Vigilantes Get Banned From National Parks

Posted by samzenpus on from the grammar-nazis dept.

Jeff Michael Deck and Benjamin Douglas Herson travel the nation removing typos from public signs. As you can imagine, nobody cared, that is until they 'fixed' a historic marker at the Grand Canyon. The pair were charged with vandalism, sentenced to a year's probation, during which they cannot enter any national park, and ordered to pay restitution. Deck, a Dartmouth graduate, told reporters he became passionate about grammar after winning junior-high spelling bees. It's a shame that you can't spell your way into a life.

13 comments

  1. Restitution by dasheiff · · Score: 1

    So did they use that money to fix it so that it is now incorrect again?

    1. Re:Restitution by pla · · Score: 1

      So did they use that money to fix it so that it is now incorrect again?

      Probably not, fines like that almost never go to actual repairs.

      Even if the government does restore the sign to its incorrect original state, however, these heroes need not fear their efforts went unappreciated - I fully expect we can look forward to a wave of copycats correcting atrocious grammar wherever it may lurk. And I for one thank them for their sacrifice, for the sake of all of us.

      As for the "work of art" angle - Sorry, no. Someone famous proving they can't spell does not make for art, any more than Pollock pissing on a canvas does. These guys fixed a typo, period, and the government should reward them for their work.

    2. Re:Restitution by mysidia · · Score: 1

      If a misspelt sign constitutes a work of art -- then so does the hand-correction of it!

      If they try to correct the sign, they'll be defacing a work of art!

  2. Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Let this be a lesson to any of you grammer nazis.

  3. Be careful what you fix by jrboatright · · Score: 3, Informative

    It's important to actually READ TFA.

    They didn't just "fix" a historical marker, they vandalized an irreplaceable historical ART OBJECT -- a hand painted sign painted more than 60 years ago by the architect Mary Colter.

    Idiots

    Fortunately, if I read TFA correctly, they used white out... which can probably be removed.

    1. Re:Be careful what you fix by emart · · Score: 2

      yeah, i believe that they crossed over the boundary between 'harmless fun' and 'property damage' when they went after something like that. poor form on their part, because some of the other work they have done is quite hilarious.

      --
      "they didn't know it was impossible, so they did it!" - Mark Twain
    2. Re:Be careful what you fix by Nodamnnicknamesavial · · Score: 0

      Oh yeah?

      And the boondock saints killed people, but it was all for a good cause! :P

      --
      I have spoken'eth.
    3. Re:Be careful what you fix by grantgw · · Score: 1

      huh - $3000 + a year probation for "correcting a misplaced apostrophe and comma". Isn't that a more serious punishment than a first time offender who assaults someone?

    4. Re:Be careful what you fix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      60 Years! Noo! Nobody was alive then!

    5. Re:Be careful what you fix by QuasiEvil · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      If it is, I'm okay with it. Assault is just against one person, and they'll most likely heal - the destruction of historic artifacts is a crime against society, an affront to all of our heritage. Much like I believe intentional arson against historic structures should be punished by life imprisonment or possibly capital punishment. Then again I'm a historian in my spare time, and I take such things quite seriously considering the number of irreplaceable items we've lost to such pointless acts of stupidity.

    6. Re:Be careful what you fix by MindlessAutomata · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Handwaving away assault, and then going on about "crime against society" (please) and "an affront of all our heritage" (nonsense). What he did was vandalism, pure and simple. He did something stupid, but 1) he didn't destroy it 2) injuring someone is far worse than petty vandalism even in the name of "history".

      You're a fanatic. Life is going to go on just fine for everyone over a minute and stupid change to some mostly unimportant sign anyway, and guess what? Nobody really is hurt.

      "Affront of all our heritage." Please. How pretentious. Heritage is such a description of the past, who gives a fuck if it's "affronted." The fact that you think destroying a historic artifact should possibly result in death, despite no one being injured, shows that you're a crazed psychopath at the very least. Property damage should not be a capital crime.

      By any chance were you a leader of the USSR?

  4. Site by againjj · · Score: 1

    Not that there is really anything on it: http://www.jeffdeck.com/teal
    A cached version is better: http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:_bZiVdfV1PwJ:jeffdeck.com/teal/about.html
    Here is a search (make sure to look at the cached versions): http://www.google.com/search?q=site:jeffdeck.com+Typo+Eradication+Advancement+League

  5. They should be honored by Bryansix · · Score: 1

    How ignorant do you have to be to get a sign made and not check the spelling and grammar like ten times before you get it printed? The morons in government who are responsible for these mistake should be ousted and cut off without pay.