Pen-Elayne on the Web

LC Saturday

The Liberal Coalition is currently up to 16 members - not yet enough to sponsor the New Blog Showcase but growing pretty steadily. (If you're interested in being a part of a friendly and honest group "founded to raise the visibility of left-leaning blogs in the Ecosystem and help enhance the liberal/progressive message in the blogosphere," why not drop N. Todd Pritsky a line?) Here's what members are up to as of this afternoon:

Leah at Corrente examines attempts at spousal smearing by people who always make me wonder what skeletons they're hiding in their own marital boudoirs.

N. Todd wishes everyone a happy St. Nick's Day. Due to it also being Robin's birthday, it's pretty much the start of our holiday season too...

T. Rex's Guide to Life rounds up the list of other countries who've seen "their citizens slaughtered in Iraq" these last few days because of us. Oh, by the way, T. Rex? That story about sisters Patricia VanLester and Linda Ellzey and the $29 DVD player at Wal-Mart? You might want to read this (via Anne Zook). I'm not sure I'd call the sisters "injury-prone" as much as "litigation-prone."

Jeff at Speedkill is looking for feedback on the inherent contradiction he senses re: feminism both supporting and decrying the right of women to be exploited or exploit themselves. Don't ask me, my biases are showing. I generally have no use for anyone who makes a conscious choice to cheapen themselves and then blames or credits outside influences...

Please wish Lilith Devlin luck, everyone, on her meeting this coming week with someone who might fund her venue when she moves to Albuquerque.

Scout has a jpg of the Student Behavior Contract that 7-year-old Marcus McLaurin had to fill out after he offended his idiot teacher with what she thought was a bad word. Especially heartbreaking is his answer to "What I Should Have Done." That's America nowadays, kid. (Actually, I'm given a lot of hope by looking at that picture of Marcus and one of his moms; the kid looks very happy and well-adjusted, and I think the celebrity caused by this incident might turn out more fun than traumatic for him when all is said and done.)

Mustang Bobby has his Site Meter up (you're quite welcome!) and is off and running with some great link posts, including a lighthearted one to the Bush Administration Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. Once again, folks: like 1984, aspects of Star Trek are allegory or satire, not a bloody instruction manual.

Over at It's Craptastic, clonecone passes along the interesting news that, hello! Grover Norquist, Nancy Reagan doesn't want her husband's picture on the dime, thank you very much. For me this sickening spiral began long ago with the renaming of National Airport for the man who fired striking air traffic controllers. The Clonester also mentions that Iowa NBC affiliates won't be showing SNL this week when Al Sharpton hosts, which makes sense until you remember (as he or she points out) that Leno shilled mightily for his buddy Ahnuld (and of course presidential candidates have been showing up on all the talk shows lately anyway), so this line seems to be drawn pretty arbitrarily.

At the Fulcrum, Charles2 passes along a bit I'd missed from Atrios (yeah, like y'all catch all of them) about a 7th grade Maine social studies teacher who's sued his district for violating his First Amendment rights by barring him from teaching about non-Christian civilizations. Well, duh, you call them furrin' non-Christian civilizations social? [/sarcasm]

Amy has a pretty picture up of her Boston-area neighborhood in the snow. Here's the view from my window:

Yeah, in some ways I'll miss living on a hill across the street from a park when we finally get out of this noisy tinderbox. Upyernoz likes the snow too. Sure, it's pretty as long as you don't have to travel in it...

Mercury23 concludes that Bush is scared of Dean based on their latest scare-tactics ad aimed at NH and IA voters. He also wishes everyone a Happy Merry NODWISH. Both posts are also reproed on the LC blog.

Stradiotto nicely dissects the "moral obligation" argument vis a vis our invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Keith Kisser's latest Dispatch from an Alternate America is about President Gore's Mission to the Moon. (Although that should read "credit where it's due..." unless they spell it "do" in the alternate America...)

Lastly, Edwardpig continues to be pissed about how badly this Administration is treating its active-duty personnel and veterans. Aw, c'mon, Ed, he brung the soljers turkey, what more can you ask?