Here's solid evidence that there are plenty of liberals, still alive and kicking, in Dallas.  Thanks to Tom 47 and the Texas Kos group, we finally had a meetup.  Tom has organized a new Dallas Chapter of the "Drinking Liberally"group, where there is now a nice, blue dot in Dallas.  Way to go, Tom!

Despite the search for legal parking around The Stoneleigh P, over twenty folks showed up to meet, greet, drink and talk about the issues.

Pictures and more details below ... (warning: multiple pictures!)  

Any Kos folks in the D/FW area are welocme to join our FIRST meeting.

As some of you may know, our fellow Kos member, krazypuppy has been bugging  everyone who lives in Texas to join our Texas Kos group that has been going for a few months as a Yahoo group.

After a lot of interesting threads in the group, we are finally getting together, face to face!  I'm excited to meet everyone and have a chance to talk politics with reasonable people ... you know, like you and me :)

Details below ...

With the Easter weekend coming up, I was going to write a diary about being an agnostic parent during religious holidays.  We do Christmas and Easter here in our home just the same as I did when I was young.  We might talk about the religious significance behind them, but I am always ambivalent inside when discussing religion.  It's a dilemma between preaching something I don't believe in, yet wanting my children to understand Christianity (and my understanding of Christianity too!).  Since I know we have a broad range of religious views here, I was wondering how other parents handle holiday issues.

I started thinking about my religious upbringing and the promise Christianity held for me back in 1972.  I was 12 years old.

I agree with all the blogging going on about our values and how we frame them.  Calling Republicans stupid will only turn them off to what we are saying.  They've got an answer for everything, often shutting off all discussion with phrases like "well, 9-11 changed everything" or "I guess you just want Saddam back in power" or my favorite, from a kind, thoughtful and religious neighbor, "I just like Bush's ideas."

We can be creative in finding new emotional appeals to reach current Bush voters.  If they are moved by the emotional story, they might be more willing to accept the facts associated with it.

One proposal I'd have for a new framing message would be "Republicans are scary."  I take it for granted that many Democrats are afraid for our country, especially thinking about another four years of Bush.  But I also think that, even though many would not admit it, Republicans are not certain about what the future holds.  So they may be able to identify with being afraid.  And they will not want to be labeled scary.

Over on The Agonist, he points us to the news that Prime Minister, Oil Minister Declare Interim Government in Full Control of Oil Sector .

The first paragraph says BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi officials declared Tuesday that the interim government has assumed full control of the country's oil industry ahead of the June 30 handover of sovereignty from the U.S.-led occupation administration.

Further on down it says "We are totally now in control, there are no more advisers," Ghadbhan said. "We are running the show, the oil policies will be implemented 100 percent by Iraqis."

I hadn't heard anything about this. Is this for real and what would this mean? Or are these ministers that the US has put into place? Will they have any real power to change contracts?

One of my excellent daily reads, Suburban Guerilla, posted today on an article from Salon, "A call to conscience". It is written by Roger Morris, a diplomat who resigned under Nixon over the invasion of Cambodia.

Read it and weep.

Russ Kick, at The Memory Hole file a FOIA request, forcing the release of 361 pictures of the flag-draped coffins from Iraq.

So, The Memory Hole scoops all the major media in getting pictures released.  Is this surprising?  I wonder how many FOIA requests are being filed, and who is filing them?  Bloggers or the big media reporters?

Bloggers continue to grow in influence and fill the huge gap between the info that is out there and what is being reported by the big media.  

I realize that there is a core of Republican voters who still strongly support Bush.  My hometown editorial pages still gush at his "bold leadership." (Why is Bush always "bold"?)

But, increasingly, there are signs of concern coming from the more fiscal conservatives in the party.  Tacticus recently posted There are core principles within the Republican party; problem is, we don't act on them much at the top levels these days.  He even concluded with Personally, at the moment, if the Dems nominate a candidate who looks like he might be that sort of president, I'd give the arrangement some serious thought.