"Grammar Girl" is a Brit... at least, 'her' IP resolves to Guildford, UK. Which causes me to wonder if 'she' might be someone we already know, by another name...

Please be advised, Girl: there are different usages in the US and the rest of the Anglophone world (who mostly learn the Queen's English*).

As to ambiguity, I believe at least one of your objections is a typographical problem, not one of usage. Those hyphens you find so questionable could very well be em-dashes, rendered incorractly. Proper American usage allows for them: correctly rendered, a space is neither desired nor required on either side of the punctuation. On the other hand, if one is working without the use of special typographical characters, the common replacement is a double-dash.

In the event, methinks thee dost protest far too much... and thee hast chosen a peculiar place to vent.

[* old bad joke:

Upper-crust type, responding to execrable grammar: "I say, don't you know the Queen's English?"

Retort: "I should bloody well hope she is!"]