Here’s an interesting web site, Word Pirates, a grassroots effort to take back words whose original meaning have been shamelessly misappropriated by politicians and advertisers and other of their ilk.
Here’s one example from the site:
For instance, the word “pirate” itself has been taken over by the Big Content companies. They mean “anyone who shares files.” Real pirates murdered, raped and stole. They didn’t share music, rightly or wrongly.
Someone who may have been me submitted the following:
Patriots love their country and work to defend the constitution. Evil-doers wearing the cloak of the flag do their best to dismantle the constitution under the guise of the Patriot Act.
I’m sure you can think of a few words that have had their original meaning twisted; here’s your chance to offer up corrections!