July 18, 2007
Maybe it’s because I’m suffering with a summer cold. Maybe it’s because I got up on the wrong side of bed this morning. Or maybe it’s because enough is enough.

Whatever, seeing the Riccelli Enterprises tanker truck heading north on Route 12 was the last straw. I can’t tell you how often I see “it’s,” which means “it is” and “its,” which is used to show possession, confused.

I’m watching the Weather Channel the other day and those people got it confused. I saw it wrong on the crawl across the bottom of the screen on MSNBC. I’m constantly correcting news releases that come into the Herald. I get e-mails from people who don’t know the difference.

Yes, it has become a pet peeve. I’ve become obsessed.

I skipped a lot of school and I missed the part where they dissected sentences and I wasn’t there for much of the grammar stuff, but even I know how to use “its” and “it’s.”

But there are more and more people who can’t say the same, including the folks at Riccelli Enterprises, which, according to the lettering on their tanker truck heading north on Route 12, is based in Syracuse.  Also according to the lettering on the truck, Riccelli is “Trucking At It’s Best.”

Stop the madness.

I don’t doubt the Riccellis are good truckers, but they ought to get somebody new to letter their trucks. The message on their tanker - please note I wrote “their” and not “there” tanker - should have read “Trucking At Its Best.”

I must add, however, that I’m seeing “to,” “two,” and “too” confused more and more often. Commas where they don’t belong and misplaced apostrophes are popping up all over the place. But those are battles to be fought on another day.

Anyway, I went to the Riccelli Enterprises website. Sure enough, they had it wrong there, too. It’s a nice site, nice except for this: “Despite the large expansion, Riccelli Enterprises remains a family owned business that tries to treat it’s customers and employees as if they were a member of the family.”

There we go again.

And this: “Riccelli will continue to focus it’s attention on core markets.”

Please, stop. I can’t take it.

I usually write a column that’s about 500 words. I’m about 100 words short of that. But I’m going to end right now. I’m going to use the extra few minutes to go proof this week’s Herald - again. God forbid we get “its” and “it’s” wrong this week.

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Joe Kelly is the editor and publisher of The Boonville Herald & Adirondack Tourist and THE GRIFF.