The Fun's in the Fight

Molly Ivins (photo from Mother Jones Magazine)

Molly Ivins died 6 years ago today. This is an anniversary that many people, like Pat Buchanan, probably celebrate with glee, a celebration that would, or course, sound better in the original German (PDF).

Anyone who's happy that Molly Ivins is dead can suck it. The reason they are happy? They could never argue with her when she was alive. They didn't stand a chance. And, to add insult to injury, she really enjoyed giving them shit. That is the trick to a happy life. Stand up to the assholes, and have fun doing it. Here's how she put it in 1993:

So keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.

Ironically, with John McCain trying to give Chuck Hagel the business over the Iraq surge today, Molly's last column was an exhortation to stand up against the war mongers who wanted to waste more American and Iraqi lives on a war that we should have never allowed ourselves to be lied into in the first place.

We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step outside and take some action to help stop this war. Raise hell. Think of something to make the ridiculous look ridiculous. Make our troops know we're for them and trying to get them out of there.

Raise hell, indeed. Damn fine advice. If you're not out there making the ridiculous look ridiculous, then you're just wasting your limited time here. So, in memory of Molly, get out there and keep the wingnuts talking!