In memory of Molly

This site will observe a day of silence in honor of Molly Ivins. She was a wiser political thinker and tougher Texan than President Bush and Governor Rick Perry combined, although that's a little like saying the Pacific Ocean is somewhat wetter than a damp sock.

That sort of folksy Texas shtick from Ms. Ivins -- when her columns were collected in single volumes -- could get repetitious. After all, it's pretty easy; even Dan Rather can do it. But anyone who dismissed her as just a populist humorist, a female Will Rogers, never read her bare-knuckled yet compassionate journalism. Plus, she often was funny, and with pinpoint accuracy. Her description of Dallas as the kind of place that "would have rooted for Goliath against David," is one of the finest portraits of the city in a single line.

And she was funny in the face of some prettty horrible adversities, living with cancer and working as a liberal columnist in Texas. She was a frequent life preserver in arguments I'd have with friends in New York City. Don't get me wrong, I love the city, but it's a rite of passage for almost anyone who lives here. They'd start up again about how could I possibly live in a state that has produced such racists and powerful reactionaries, not to mention the awful oil industry, and I would cite three names to shame them -- Alphonse d'Amato, Crown Heights and Wall Street -- and one name to stand for the best of this state: Molly Ivins.

Not only was she an effective counterweight, just mentioning her often made them smile.