Tyrades! Can We Please Retire the Word "Debunked"?

Did I ever tell you about my late Uncle Vernon and the time his slanderous lies about a respected business got unceremoniously debunked?

In the mid-70s Uncle Vernon hired a Nashville company to apply vinyl siding to his home. When he was completely disgusted with the finished product, he tried and tried to get satisfaction from the company.

Failing that, he turned to the consumer-defender “action news” segment of a high-rated local TV show for help. After a painstaking investigation, the ombudsman reluctantly informed him that his claims proved to be baseless and unreasonable.

Interestingly, t...