11/22: Morning Communique

CITY PAGES BLOGS

Corey Anderson notices a line forming as President Bush pardons the Thanksgiving turkey at American Idle.

Steve Monaco reveals Robert Blake's thoughts as the civil trial's verdict is read at Couch Pundit.

THESE DAYS

A senior United Nations official has accused President George Bush of "doing damage to Africa" by cutting funding for condoms, a move which may jeopardize the successful fight against HIV/Aids in Uganda.

The Liberty Counsel, a conservative legal organization led by Jerry Falwell, promises to file suit against anyone who spreads what it sees as misinformation about how Christmas can be celebrated in schools and public spaces. Hopefully, a tumbler of bourbon and a Seconal still counts.

MINNESOTA BLOG OF THE DAY

Fire Glen Mason: A blog dedicated to encouraging the U of M to pursue other candidates for the Gophers head coaching job.

[Minnesota-based blog directory]

TIME WASTERS

Rock 'n' roll novelist Neal Pollack has a hilarious rant at his blog about his 3-year-old's potty training difficulties. Hottest catchphrase for winter 2006: "I pooped on my animals!"

Ze Frank took the Matt Lauer-Tom Cruise Today Show confrontation and turned it into a monotonal discussion between two aliens. [via Boing Boing]

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

"The period between 9/11 and Iraq was not a good time for America. There wasn't a robust discussion of what we were doing. If we stop trying to figure out the other side, we've given up. The person on the other side is not evil -- they just have a different perspective."

-- Hardball host Chris Matthews, in a speech to political science students at the University of Toronto over the weekend