I’ve only recently begun to pay an active attention to politics. I may have paid attention to topics in the past, at least more than the majority of Americans since I did vote, but I didn’t really search out information. These days, however, I tune to NPR for the coverage of certain issues, and will catch a newspaper or magazine article if the topic really intrigues me. It doesn’t necessarily help me make political decisions any better than before, but I am better able to communicate my opinions.

I’m sure no one ever told Molly Ivins that she had trouble communicating her opinions, though. Communicate them she does, with a drawl and a wry grin. I’m sad that I’ve only recently started to search out information, because I would have loved to have read this essays by Ivins when they were topical. After the fact, they’re enjoyable, especially since I lived in Texas during the time the majority of these essays were written. Some of the topics I recall vaguely, like the Gib-erish of Texas House Speaker Gib Lewis (“I cannot tell you how grateful I am–I am filled with humidity.” “I want to thank each and every one of you for having extinguished yourselves this session.”). Other topics I knew intimately, like the furor over Governor Mark White’s “No Pass, No Play” rule.

It was fun to revisit those days and to catch up on those things I had missed because I was too busy playing around at school. Ivins’ style is so full of Texas itself that it was scary–I felt like I was back amongst those dumb Aggies (a quick wave to my bubba!) and crazy rednecks. I even felt homesick for a moment–then I remembered: Texas, it’s a good place to visit, but I’ve already lived there.

[Finished 10 March 1995]