The Brennan Society

I have added The Brennan Society to my "Blogs of Note" column. This group has recently formed in Central Oklahoma to promote progressive politics and the election of progressive leaders in my state. Tom Guild, Garry Atkinson, Gene and LaDonna Hunt, and other like-minded progressives have met together to form this new group, which I hope will become a real political presence in the community.

Their next meeting is this Sunday, February 6 at 2 p.m. at Garry Atkinson's house, 3600 Burning Wood Rd. in Edmond. Tom promises that the meeting will be over in time for you to see the entire Super Bowl. The directions to Garry's house starting at Broadway Extension are as follows--go east on 33rd St--between Coltrane and I-35 (aka Shannon Miller Dr.) you will see Burning Wood Rd.--turn south (right)--pass Barberry Court and Carriage Way (both on the west side and go~ 1/2 block) and you will see Garry's home on the east side (left) of Burning Wood Rd. Garry's cell phone number is 580-977-7192 if you need additional assistance.

If you need more information about The Brennan Society, or you would like to discuss items concerning the society, you can call Tom Guild at 359-7920, home phone, or 921-3811, cell phone, or to e-mail Tom at tomguild@sbcglobal.net.

I Was Liberal Before Liberal Was Cool!

from Talking Point Memos

Over the weekend, Mark Leibovich had an interesting an entertaining piece in the Times on how "socialism" has become the Republicans' new all-purpose smear word attacking Obama in particular and Democrats generally.

Now, you can have a whole conversation about whether ramping marginal tax rates back to where they were in the go-go 1990s really constitutes socialism. But a different point occurred to me when I read the piece. I think this is probably the best evidence there is that the 'liberal' label simply doesn't have the punch that it had going back a good thirty years in American politics.

If it did, they'd still be using it, since it at least has some relationship to reality. But it doesn't, so they're not.

--Josh Marshall

Gunman Targets "Liberal" Church

Members of the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church hug in the parking lot Monday, one day after a gunman opened fire at a youth performance at the church.
An out-of-work truck driver accused of opening fire at a Unitarian church, killing two people, left behind a note suggesting that he targeted the congregation out of hatred for its liberal policies, including its acceptance of gays, authorities said Monday.

I seem to recall Barack Obama being ridiculed because he claimed that people were "bitter" because the problems they were having with this economy. Obama stated that this caused them to cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them.

Perhaps in this case, Obama was right.

George Said It

Our First President

I believe it would be great if the next President of the United States would take steps towards fulfilling the vision that the first President of the United States had for this country.

As Mankind becomes more liberal, they will be more apt to allow that all those who conduct themselves as worthy members of the community are equally entitled to the protections of civil government. I hope ever to see America among the foremost nations of justice and liberality.--George Washington