In Memory of Molly Ivins

In Memory of Molly Ivins
The price of apathy towards public affairs is to be ruled by evil men: -Plato

Populist Texan journalist Molly Ivins died today, at the age of 62 after a long battle with breast cancer. I find myself thinking of how the Bush Administration MANUFACTURED this hell on earth in Iraq and yet, how the ravages of disease kill our loved ones and friends with abandon and how we, as a society, sit back and do nothing. I think of the needless suffering and death that we humans could stop if only we "resovled" (oh, how this demented soul of a president has bastardized that word) to make our world a better place. If only the trillions of dollars budgeted for the Iraq war would be spent for developing a cure for cancer, how many more valuable and passionate voices and talents and hugs from our mothers, sisters, aunts, friends and mentors we could count on to be with us, for just a while longer, in a world where the worst of all diseases - war and greed and enmity -- spread like the plague. Molly Ivins' footrprint is preceded all too soon, by the late, great Ann Richards, former Governor of Texas who served as a role model for millions of American women like me whose talents inspired us to make a difference, with attitude and conviction.

Molly Ivins was known for her sense of humor and she was passionate, witty and blunt, with a strong and generous heart. "She was magical in her writing," said Mike Blackman, a former Star-Telegram executive editor who hired Ms. Ivins at the newspaper’s Austin bureau in 1992. "She could turn a phrase in such a way that a pretty hard-hitting point didn’t hurt so bad." Yes, Molly seemed to be the kind of person who knew how to have fun, and for us, her columns were the life of the party.

And then there came "SHRUB", the name she dubbed Dubya, which spread amongst the journalism community like wildfire, with all the sting of a burning bush to become a virtual household name for this sorry ass of a president. I recall just two weeks ago reading her January 14 column "We are the people who run this country, We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war." Like the late, great Ann Richards, she was not one to refrain from colorful and explicit language. She recently told us all to "Raise hell and think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we’re for them and are trying to get them out of there. Hit the streets to protest Bush's proposed surge."

So this Sunday, when my hometown team, the Chicago Bears play the SuperBowl and MoveOn.org airs its planned half-time commercial to pull the troops out of Iraq, grab some pots and pans in her memory because just days ago, she wrote "We need people in the streets, banging pots and pans and demanding, "Stop it, now!' "

It may be rocket science to find a cure for cancer, but I know that the talent of the American people has been long underutilized while the political power has long been abused.

"Stop it, now!"

-2Truthy