Molly Ivins was one of the few voices that kept me sane back in my formative days in North Texas. And man, could she write... as James Thurman put it, when she wrote, there was "a jalapeno on every line." When I worked on the Ann Richards campaign I remember thinking of Molly as a fellow member of Ann's "Good Ol' Girls" club. She was an outspoken yellow dog voice in a sea of redder-than-red bible thumpers, and for that I loved her.
A few quotes:
"I believe that ignorance is the root of all evil. And that no one knows the truth."
"One function of the income gap is that the people at the top of the heap have a hard time even seeing those at the bottom. They practically need a telescope. The pharaohs of ancient Egypt probably didn't waste a lot of time thinking about the people who built their pyramids, either. OK, so it's not that bad yet -- but it's getting that bad."
"It's like, duh. Just when you thought there wasn't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties, the Republicans go and prove you're wrong."
"Any nation that can survive what we have lately in the way of government, is on the high road to permanent glory."
"I believe all Southern liberals come from the same starting point -- race. Once you figure out they are lying to you about race, you start to question everything."
"Say, here's an item: A group of right-wing journalists famed for their impartiality has set themselves up as the Patriotism Police. No less distinguished a crowd than Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge, The New York Post editorial page and the Fox News Channel -- quite a bunch of Pulitzer winners there -- are now passing judgment on whether media outlets that do actual reporting are sufficiently one-sided for their taste."
"What is a teenager in San Francisco to rebel against, for pity's sake? Their parents are all so busy trying to be non-judgmental, it's no wonder they take to dyeing their hair green."
"Houston is Los Angeles with the climate of Calcutta. Dallas is Dutch (clean, orderly, and conformist), while San Antonio is Monterrey North."
"The United States of America is still run by its citizens. The government works for us. Rank imperialism and warmongering are not American traditions or values. We do not need to dominate the world. We want and need to work with other nations. We want to find solutions other than killing people. Not in our name, not with our money, not with our children's blood."
If there is an afterlife, I hope Molly is up there in a well-worn La-Z-Boy with a cooler of Shiner Bock by her side.