A Molly Ivins Tribute from Hell

Here at the Berkeley Daily Planet we've set up a special mailbox to receive the offerings . We'll publish them as they come in, at least one every day if possible, in our Internet edition, berkeleydailyplanet.com. We'd like them to be contributed free of copyright, so that any publication, print or online, can take them off the web and re-circulate them to their own readers. . . . And of course, columnists under contract should just write pieces to run in their regular outlets.

The above was in response to Molly Ivins' article at Common Dreams in which she said, " This will be a regular feature of mine, like an old-fashioned newspaper campaign. Every column, I'll write about this war until we find some way to end it. STOP IT NOW. BAM! Every day, we will review some factor we should have gotten right."

Over the last couple of weeks I've noticed something very disturbing, though I sometimes turn my head to the side and wonder if it's not so disturbing after all, only expected but not so pronouncedly. Since my first submission to The Berkeley Planet's Molly Ivins Tribute page (published), I've submitted three other articles (not published). I went to the address to see how I'd fared and found. . .the same 23 contributors day after day after day. Nothing new. Surely not every submission was so very substandard?

More upsetting is that I found not one of her eulogists, not one of her friends bothered to publish, to fill her void (voice). This reminds me of the kind of support I received from my family when the ICU personnel asked for my next of kin. They were notified. They did not respond. Family values. Love and support. It would appear that the eulogists and friends of Molly Ivins are of the same ilk. Or perhaps they are only interested in their public face: cry, cry, cry over Molly and then do nothing, back to business as usual. Not even Bill Moyers has bothered to submit something to her tribute page. So much for America, eh? Stand by me.

No wonder nothing progresses in this country other than the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

One wonders, though, about 23 submissions, 23 writers attempting to fill Molly's promise to write something every day until the war in Iraq ends. Twenty-three published "columns." Twenty-three days. Today, as I write this, it's 31 March 2007. Molly died at the end of January 2007. That's 23 days, right?

Why has The Berkeley Planet dropped its promise, its tribute to Molly Ivins? Out of sight (site), out of mind? It was good while it lasted?

Why is it no other news source, Internet or otherwise, has bothered to take up the slack. Not Mother Jones, not Common Dreams, not TomPaine, not Alternet, not openDemocracy. None of the Independent- Alternative media has shown any interest either.

Is the yelling about the war and the stench of politics only so much rhetoric? "Leftists" really aren't interested in stopping the war? Stands to reason: if they managed to do so, they'd have nothing to bitch about. Like the neurotic who has nothing to live for once the person he hates dies. Well, perhaps I'm being too hard. Perhaps this is only job security behavior, jobs being so terribly difficult to obtain and maintain nowadays. Nevertheless, I think it stinks. I think no one who shouts and pouts is really interested or invested in what lies behind the shouting and pouting. Who cares? She's dead. Not like Anne Coulter. She's still alive. We can deal with her. Memories are not so concrete. . . and so very easily lost.

Nobody's got other things, more important things to do. . .have they?

How sad for America that its dissidents, its supposed ethical voices have not the dedication to follow through, to cover for a lost inspiration. Similar support reigned supreme for Gary Cooper's Sheriff in High Noon. America's present day activists and alternative news sources have more in common with Lloyd Bridges' Deputy.

Jimsecor is a freelance writer who has travelled extensively overseas, especially Japan and China. He has published in all genre and produced several plays over the years and has taught theatre, writing and literature.

Recommend this article...

Did you enjoy this article? Please bookmark it onto:

Comments (2)

Write Comment

Please keep the topic of messages relevant to the subject of the article. Personal verbal attacks will be deleted. Please don't use comments to plug your web site. Such material will be removed. Just ensure to *Refresh* your browser for a new security code to be displayed prior to clicking on the 'Send' button. Keep in mind that the above process only applies if you simply entered the wrong security code.
Name:
E-mail
Homepage
Title:
BBCode:
Comment:
Code:*
	I wish to be contacted by email regarding additional comments

Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.4