Swift Justice for Sicko Printer —Cagle
BITS AND PIECES
EVERY NOW and then I’ll catch a reference to a printer while watching television, which sends me scurrying for pen and paper. But the most recent example of this caught me flat-footed. Fortunately, I was able to rely on the Internet to get the needed info.
The scene was Flagler Beach, FL. A man named Oanh Le, a 39-year-old printer, enters a home. He is immediately taken by the decor and tells his host, a 13-year-old girl, that it resembles a restaurant. She giggles. They make small talk.
Out walks a man named Chris Hansen. He wants to know what Le is doing at the house, talking to a girl he thinks is 13. Le says he came over to talk. After some light cajoling, and unveiling of evidence, Le admits that he had come to the girl’s home, hoping to have sex with her. In fact, Le reportedly had sent the 13-year-old girl (who was really an 18-year-old decoy) pictures of his genitals.
Hansen is not the girl’s father nor police, but a reporter for Dateline NBC’s “To Catch a Predator” show, which sets up sting operations to trap adults (thus far all men) who lurk in Internet chat rooms for the purpose of meeting and having sex with minors. To date, the show has snagged upward of 300 would-be child molesters, including teachers and at least one police officer. Virtually all of the perverts declare they’ve never done anything like this before. But it’s sad when you realize at least some of them have probably victimized children in the past.
As for Le, he apologizes and leaves the house, only to be taken away by Flagler Beach Police. At the station, Le laments that he does not have sex with his wife, doesn’t drink, smoke or party. “I...I just go to work,” he stammers.
Le pleaded not guilty to three felony charges, including transmitting harmful materials to a minor.
Obviously, our industry has the same percentage of creepy perverts as the next. But, as tough as our laws are, crimes against children and the elderly are particularly egregious and demand the stiffest punishment.
As a parent, when I pick up my baby boy at night, he lays his head on my shoulder and closes his eyes. Protecting and preserving that natural trust with all three of my children is the greatest obligation in my life. And, preserving the rights and childhoods of minors should be our priority.
There are plenty of opportunities during adulthood to become suspicious and jaded. But 13 is just too young to have a scar of that magnitude.
It is my hope that Mr. Le is persona non grata in the printing community.
MAIL ME, YOU MUST: Star Wars fans everywhere rejoiced this past spring during the 30th anniversary of the movie’s debut. In honor of the six-part saga, the U.S. Postal Service released a collector’s sheet with 15 stamps, including all of the popular heroes and villains, from Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker to Yoda and Chewbacca. Even Boba Fett got some face time.
Stora Enso played a role in the sheet’s creation, supplying OptiLabel stamp face paper and LumiSil stamp release liner. Stora’s Stevens Point, WI, mill provided the paper. As you can see, the sheet has been nicely produced. It was a good move by the USPS, which saw its base of stamp collectors eroded partly by its inability to connect with the younger generation that, frankly, had a hard time getting excited about people like Adolph S. Ochs being on a stamp.
FREAKY FRANKLIN: The U.S. government is making it increasingly harder for counterfeiters to make a living at making dough.
The Associated Press reported that the $100 bill is in the process of a major redesign. Through the use of micro-printing and tiny lenses—roughly 650,000 for a C note—Ben will virtually come to life. His image will appear to move up and down when the bill is turned side to side, and side to side when when it is moved up and down.
Holograms were considered for use on the $100 bill, but were rejected because they didn’t provide the strong “visual signal” the government wanted, the AP reported. Other features of the new bill are subtle pastel colors, a touchup of Franklin’s portrait and micro-printing that is difficult to replicate.
Of the $776 billion of currency in circulation, the $100 bill accounts for more than 70 percent, the AP said. Two-thirds of that is held overseas, where Franklins are frequently targeted for counterfeiting.
According to government estimates, $118.1 million in counterfeit currency was spotted in 2006.
It won’t get any easier for counterfeiters. The AP reported that the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing plans to redesign currency roughly every 10 years.
—Erik Cagle
