I returned home from work on Wednesday night and was dismayed to discover that Molly Ivins had died. I was aware that she had fought several rounds with breast cancer since the late 90s, and was currently in a crisis, but hadn’t realized how critical this one was.

Most readers here will know that Molly Ivins was a self-described liberal, but her commentaries more generally went after anyone in power. She didn’t just rant though, but rather peppered her writing with sharp and witty barbs. And she was the exemplar of a patriot - she knew that being a patriot entailed being noisy and critical, and not merely accepting meekly and quietly whatever she was told or observed. The photo comes from her most-beloved place of employment, The Texas Observer, and there you will find many of her columns, a gallery of more photos (she was an amazingly photogenic figure), and touching tributes. I like the photo as much as any other. She’s lounging languidly in the seat of the Texas Legislature, and Texas politics were her great love. She found them endlessly fascinating and entertaining, and they informed her great knowledge of politics in general.

NPR had a nice set of remembrances of Molly yesterday, and at that site you can find the audio of some of her commentaries and interviews. Neal Conan’s interview with her on Talk of the Nation (40 minutes), Party Animals, is quite good. And WHYY’s Terry Gross of Fresh Air has a compilation of two interviews that can be heard at the link at the top of that page.

Through Rheinhard, a commentator at Pharyngula, a video he shot of her. It’s of poor visual quality, for which he apologizes, but it’s good.

I won’t try to give any informative biography. That information can be found at any of the above sites. She came to Glenn’s and my attention in the early 90s when we heard one of her commentaries and were vastly amused, and after that it was a priority to read everything she wrote. She got me, at least, through some dark times with her irreverant take on disturbing events and people. She showed me that it was possible to scorn and disapprove without becoming too enraged or upset, simply by standing back a bit and altering perspective.

I spent yesterday’s wet, icy hours reading and listening to what I could find:

On Pat Buchanan’s speech at the 1992 Republican Convention - Perhaps it sounded better in the original german.

On which job she had the most fun in: She’s either very lucky or very easy to please. She’s had three such jobs. On being the editor of the Texas Observer: I had such a good time I should have been arrested.

On politics and being an activist: Raise hell and have fun. Politics should be fun. Politics is the cheapest form of free entertainment ever invented.

On her early girlhood, was she a debutant? I was not myself a debutant, but I went to debutant parties... I’m almost six feet tall, so it’s hard to be a sweet dainty feminine sweet little southern belle... but I read a lot.

On politicians she admired: There are real heros in politics. But it’s best to wait til they’re safely dead before you announce it, 'cause otherwise they can always turn on you.

On politicians she didn’t admire: If his IQ slipped any lower we’d have to water him, twice a day.

On politicians in general: I love to make fun of politicians, and as far as I’m concerned they’re in a free fire zone.

On views of herself: Who’s the best liked and most hated columnist in Dallas? I’m always both of them.

On being a Texan: Sometimes when I’m in the north I feel like I speak two languages, and they only speak one.

Goodbye, Molly Ivins, and thanks.