Molly Ivins: Goddess of Satire

This evening I was thumbing through a Molly Ivins collection and marveled at her candor, bravery, and ability to tell us what makes a particular fool a fool. When it came to Texas politics, she was quick to let readers know when the emperor was naked as a jaybird. Sure as shooting, she would merrily report that the emperor was parading around without his boots, buckle, or cowboy hat. She could turn the Texas Capitol into a pile of rubble with a mere newspaper column.

I heard her speak once when I was a student at Texas' oldest university, Southwestern University in Georgetown. Having read her since I was perhaps twelve years old,  I was surprised at how subdued she seemed. Perhaps I was expecting her to be more animated. In all honesty, I was still young and lacking in nuance, so who knows what acerbic deadpan humor and genuine wisdom was lost upon me.

After she spoke, our professor invited the handful of English majors in attendance to dinner with Molly Ivins. I didn't have much money, so I opted not to go. A friend of mine told me I was crazy if I turned the opportunity down. She was right. Twenty-five years later I wish I would have spent the six or seven bucks it would have taken to go to dinner with Molly Ivins. Man, I was a fool.