Dionne Remembers Molly Ivins

The best way to honor a really good writer who's no longer with us is to remember their writing. I enjoyed E. J. Dionne's paean to Molly Ivins and could hear her Texan drawl as I read the column:

She explained her views on gun control this way: "I am not anti-gun. I'm pro-knife. Consider the merits of the knife. In the first place, you have to catch up with someone in order to stab him. A general substitution of knives for guns would promote physical fitness. We'd turn into a whole nation of great runners. Plus, knives don't ricochet. And people are seldom killed while cleaning their knives."

(snip)

More than just about any other columnist I can think of, Molly was a genuine populist, to make proper reference to a word she couldn't stand to see misused by charlatans. She believed in lifting up the underdog and hated it when the wealthy made excuses for injustice.

When the victims of layoffs and downsizing complained, Molly said some years ago, they were met with "a more sophisticated version of 'So what.' This is the gig where you make yourself look wise by tugging your chin and opining, 'Well, yes, there is a problem, but there's really nothing we can do about it. Blah, blah, economic globalization, blah, blah, technological change, blah, blah, only long-term solutions.'" To Molly, this was all self-interested nonsense.

That last part reminds me of Alan Greenspan being passionate about deficit reduction until he was against it and supported George W. Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy. Greenspan let himself become a hired gun for Republican donors with deep pockets instead representing the majority of Americans. Well, speaking of guns, gun control isn't a big issue at the moment (getting AK-47s off the street turned out to be useful though) but I loved the way Molly Ivins could turn an issue upside down.

I'll be keeping my eyes out for more material on her.