Molly Ivins 1944-2007

Some Editorial Deadlines Can't Be Skipped...

Molly Ivins usually infuriated me.

That wasn't always the case. When her snarky newspaper columns were aimed at the assorted incompetents and blowhards in the Texas Lege, I usually agreed with her. The classic line from 'Star Wars', "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy" must have been inspired by a visit to Austin when the Lege was in session.

Then, there's her classic observation about Pat Buchanan's '92 speech at the Republican National convention that "...sounded better in the original German..." Heh. That one still makes me giggle.

I admired her rabble-rousing populist spirit, but when she cranked out the columns inspired by Bush Derangement Syndrome, or started pontificating on gun control, I usually blew a gasket. It got to the point where I just quit reading her columns altogether.

I met her once, back in the mid-90's. I'd driven my mother to one of Molly's book signings, and Molly kindly took several minutes she didn't really have to spend with Mom dicussing their mutual opposition to the death penalty. I bit my tongue through the entire conversation, of course. Mom got a kick out of it, though, and that's what mattered.

I don't really know where I'm going with this, except maybe to say that as a human being, I can't be so blinded by my opposition to the dunderheaded liberal left that I can't still feel sorrow when one of them passes on. We probably disagreed on 80% of all things political, but she had talent, she called 'em like she saw 'em, and she was a Texan through and through. That's good enough for me.

Adios, Molly. Texas is a duller place without you.

There's a big tribute article at the Texas Observer and another at Creator's Syndicate.