On the US Homeland Security website was a statement made by Secretary Napolitano that showed a real commitment to eradicating the H1N1 Virus (aka “Swine Flu”) menace.  That, or a need for being committed … to a padded room.  And I quote:

“We’re also actively monitoring travelers at our land, sea, and air ports. We’re watching them for signs of illness, and we have appropriate protocols in place to deal with those who are sick. Precautions are being taken to protect travelers and border personnel. Anyone exhibiting symptoms is being referred to an isolation room where they can be evaluated by a public health official before proceeding to their destruction*.”

* = The emphasis on destruction was, of course, mine.  Not Secretary Napolitano’s.

Sadly, with all of the other fearmongering going on, as it read the statement was, most unfortunately, somewhat believable.  That said, yes, it was indeed a typo.  Perhaps it was just a misclick in a spellchecker.  Maybe it was just a slip of the tongue / finger.  Whichever the case, if you follow the link to the statement now, you will find that this typo has been corrected.  The word was supposed to be “destination”.

Or at least, thanks to it being noticed, it’s supposed to be “destination” now.

One never really knows.

But it goes to show that at the very least, proofreading is very much a lost art.  Spellcheckers are wonderful tools.  Even grammar-checkers, which are becoming more and more prevalent in office software, are merely imperfect tools, not replacements for real live intelligent thinking people.  Let this be a lesson, perhaps, in more ways than one.