It might have been expected that Alabama would be the first jurisdiction in this hemisphere in many years to imprison a journalist. This is the lot of Roger Shuler, blogger under the title "Legal Schnauser," which implies a self-image of a persistent, little dog, with a loud bark. Shuler is accused of taking liberties with the truth, but his self-image seems to be well accepted as exact. Shuler and his wife operate a left-wing blog from their home in Birmingham, Alabama, and although The New York Times has declared the Schnauser's allegations "fuzzily sourced," the Shulers get high marks for fearless assaults on their subjects.