[Dialogue] ACLU Mourns Passing of Molly Ivins

[Harry Wainwright]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FEBRUARY 2, 2007 2:02 PM

CONTACT: ACLU 
media at aclu.org

 

ACLU Mourns Passing of Molly Ivins
Leaders Remember Ivins as Good Friend and Heroic Supporter of Civil
Liberties; Fund Established in Her Honor



 

NEW YORK - February 2 - The American Civil Liberties Union today expressed
its deep sorrow over the death of legendary journalist and columnist Molly
Ivins, who passed away Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. Ivins was
a steadfast supporter of civil liberties, and a longtime friend of the ACLU.

"We are deeply saddened by Molly Ivins' death. She was a much-loved member
of the ACLU family, and highly respected for her staunch commitment to the
protection of individual freedoms. Her cutting wit, remarkable intellect and
down-home wisdom will be terribly missed," said Anthony D. Romero, Executive
Director of the ACLU. The ACLU is establishing the Molly Ivins Fund for
Justice and Liberty in Ivins' honor.

Nadine Strossen, President of the ACLU, added, "Through her passionate and
hard-hitting columns, Molly Ivins made an incalculable contribution to
educating the public about civil liberties. Her absence will be sorely felt
at the ACLU."

Throughout the years, Ivins has not only defended her own right to free
speech, but also that of her political opponents. Ivins was dedicated to
promoting racial justice, exposing discrimination, protecting a woman's
right to choose, and defending the rights secured to unpopular Americans by
the Bill of Rights.

In recent years, Ivins, in her ever-folksy and acerbic style, used her
columns to point out how the Bush administration, in the name of national
security and patriotism, has infringed on Americans' valued constitutional
rights and usurped excessive power. Her appreciation for the ACLU's work in
fighting off these assaults is best understood from her own pungent words.
In a July 2005 column, she wrote: "We suffer the worst attack on this
country since Pearl Harbor, and the Bush administration sends the FBI after
the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU exists to protect every
citizen's rights as defined in the Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the
United States. The ACLU works solely through the legal system: It does not
advocate violence, terrorism or any other damn thing except the Bill of
Rights. Since when is that extremist? . We are living in a time when our
government is investigating an organization that stands for the highest and
best American ideals. 

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