Molly Ivins died today.

For those of you who don't read newspapers in america, Molly was that rare and tough breed, a texas liberal. It takes courage to be a liberal in texas, a state where assaults on anyone who isn't a rock ribbed republican routinely bring less convictions and softer sentences than if the victim was a FROG. (Follower of Reagan, Our God.)

Molly was a liberal editorial columnist who was frequently the target of venom from far right scum like rush limbaugh and others. She recieved more than a few death threats in her time for pointing out that texas, a completely conservative state, had some of the worst ratings in terms of child healthcare, child education and other social issues that got her labled a 'socialist' by the neocon right.

She was occasionally called "Gay" or worse without a shred of evidence to back it up.

Nonetheless she bore the name calling, the lies and the occasional death threat well, in fact she frequently wore them as badges of honor. In her career she weekly exposed the tremendous damage that republicans and the far right had done to texas in particular and america in general or were doing to texas in particular and america in general.

The far right couldn't shut her up, sadly cancer could, which is what she just died of, perhaps helped along by polluted water and air, courtesy of george w. bush's gutting of environmental regulations.

She was a voice of truth and reason amid the madness and lies spewed by the far right, and she will be missed.

There are several people in texas who prince sirki could have carried off with my blessing, it's a pity the bastard chose to take Molly Ivins instead.


Molly Ivins. 1944-2007. R.I.P.

You know...

I'm from Texas. Born and raised. I resent your characterization, quite strenuously.

As to Ivins, I cared not for her one way or the other, but I must admit, your little eulogy makes me ... well, let's say "not sad" she died. If people like YOU supported her...

You've managed to take indifference and turn it into gratitude. Nice job.

Quote from: WerekoalaYou know...

I'm from Texas. Born and raised. I resent your characterization, quite strenuously.

As to Ivins, I cared not for her one way or the other, but I must admit, your little eulogy makes me ... well, let's say "not sad" she died. If people like YOU supported her...

You've managed to take indifference and turn it into gratitude. Nice job.

Thanks for backing up my view on texans.

Hell, even from the other side of the aisle, I found the eulogy counter-productive.  As my mother always said, consider the source.

!i!

Quote from: Dominus NoxThanks for backing up my view on texans.

Thanks for backing up my view of you.

Quote from: Dominus NoxThanks for backing up my view on texans.

What?  That they think you're an ignorant jackass? :confused:

!i!

Goddammit. You'll be missed, Molly.

Quote from: WerekoalaYou know...

I'm from Texas. Born and raised. I resent your characterization, quite strenuously.

As to Ivins, I cared not for her one way or the other, but I must admit, your little eulogy makes me ... well, let's say "not sad" she died. If people like YOU supported her...

You've managed to take indifference and turn it into gratitude. Nice job.

So you can take a first hand look at Ivins and her writings, http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/1/2007

On the right of the page are the two articles she wrote this year, and below that a link to her other articles from this century, sorted by year.

Oh, don't get me wrong Apparition13, I know VERY well who she was (but thanks for the link anyway). Taking journalism classes in Texas, how could I not? I just didn't much care about or for her one way or the other.

Its Nox's vehement spittle-flecked yet no doubt heartfelt sendoff, tucked lovingly in a flaky pastry of anti-Texan venom, that threw me off the wagon, not Ms. Ivins per se.

Quote from: BrantaiGoddammit. You'll be missed, Molly.

No doubt about that. My local "newspaper", actually a neocon assault weapon, had Molly as their ONE AND ONLY non conservative columnist, the rest being the likes of Phyllis Schaffly, Deeeeeeroy murdoch and so on.

They frequently ha dproblems getting Molly's columns in, and often had to substitute a neocon columnist due to technical difficulties which never seemed to affect conservative columns. Uh huh.

They dropped her once only to be forced to put her back in by what the editor called "a bunch of liberals" who demanded her column come back of they'd drop the paper.

Now that she;s gone I imagine the eds at the paper are celebrating, and looking forward to replacing her with ann coulter or something of that nature.

Here's a little Classic FG from one of Noxie's other Texas Hate threads.

AHEM

Quote from: fonkaygarryAs an American, I generally consider Dominus Nox to be one huge, loud embarassment. When people in other countries think of americans as loud, stupid, brutal, oafish, bigoted, pinheaded morons they're typically thinking of Dominus Nox, who is generally all of the above and more.

He's a special boy, but he tries twice as hard!

Re: Molly

Anyone who brings humor (of any agenda) to our world is worth missing when they're gone.  We laugh too little as it is.

I can't say I agreed with a majority of her writing (or Nox's characterization of Texas*, for that matter), but there were definitely times I'd run across a column of hers and find her to be a pretty sharp, funny writer who'd get me to laugh. RIP.
 
*-I lived in Texas (San Antonio & Del Rio) for a fair bit, and I don't think we've been to the same Texas. Was it this one or this one, perhaps?

One thing Nox seems to have forgotten, too, is that Molly Ivins was a RABID Texan. You couldn't GET much more Texan than her. So he's praising and condemning her in the same breath. Typical.

Really, Nox is a mystery. He's got scathingly Liberal views (demonic hatred of anyone to the Right of Marx), but he's an admirer of the KKK and other "far-right" groups and issues.

He's a contradiction, wrapped in a riddle, slathered in cheesy enigma sauce.