Molly Ivins

There are some people I respect greatly, even when I consider their viewpoints wrong-headed and narrow. That's rarely the case with Molly Ivins. But, there are times when she and I have utterly different points of view and when our opinions seem to have taken wildly divergent paths. One of the reasons I respect her so much is that she is unafraid to speak her mind, no matter what the consequences and who she might offend. What is remarkable about that is not her obstinance, but the reason for it. She cares about freedom of expression and she expresses alarm when instruments of power...government, corporations, military units, whoever...are trending toward oppression. She is someone to admire and, as you will see here, others feel the same.