When I heard Iran’s response to the charges that it is supplying Shia militias with explosives, I had to laugh. How can you respond to this charge? t’s true.

I’m reading Steven Poole’s book Unspeak right now. It’s a fascinating look at the way human beings use specific words to frame issues. I don’t know if I buy Poole’s argument, though, that we should aim to strip unspeak from our language.