Word Police Squad!

I love the little "Word Police" boxes that crop up around American Record Guide. I suppose the title "Misguided Word Fascist" was already taken. The latest issue, for example, tells us this:

Target is not a verb, but a noun. You aim at a target or goal; you don't "target" it.

Hmm. Let me check Merriam-Webster's.

target vt (1837) 1 : to make a target of; esp : to set as a goal

Fancy that! First documented use in 1837, you say?