Column - May this semicolon fad fade quickly; it's long overdue

Someone ought to declare open hunting season on semicolons, or at least on those who use them so incorrectly. There is an alarming semicolon trend, contagious as the flu. It’s a shame they don’t have a shot for semicolonitis. Some writers are using them, willy-nilly, as gussied-up periods or fancy-dancy commas.