Letters to the Editor
Letters to the Editor We Miss You, Molly! Just wanted to send my deepest regards to all at The Progressive at the passing of Molly Ivins. Her great writing, quick wit, and political humor will...
...However, as Rodr?guez points out, this time around things are quite different for the ruling cadres of the Sandinistas...
...When she could not achieve justice in Nicaragua, she went to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which found the case had merit...
...Mary O’Reilly St...
...What Rodr?guez fails to include here is Ortega’s alliance with the Catholic Church and its doctrines, especially those that limit women’s ability to control their reproductive lives...
...I had trouble breathing when I saw the news...
...As a Latin Americanist and radical, I often look south for inspiration and guidance...
...Letters may be e-mailed to: editorial@progressive.org...
...Adam Scotera via e-mail I am a subscriber and am currently completing my prison sentence and would like to pay my respects to Molly Ivins...
...My deepest sympathy goes out to her family and personal friends...
...When future issues of The Progressive arrive at my house, they will be read from front to back knowing that a connection has been broken...
...Her great writing, quick wit, and political humor will be sorely missed...
...Cameron Mitchell via e-mail I’m going to have to change the way I read The Progressive...
...This struck a chord with me, as I have been doing just that (minus the cookware) during my weekly vigils...
...While there may be someone in the wings who will replace Molly, he or she will be just that—a replacement...
...For years, he allegedly sexually molested his stepdaughter while he was president of Nicaragua...
...Please include your city and state...
...All letters may be edited for clarity and conciseness, and may appear either in the magazine or on its web page...
...Louis, Missouri I can’t believe she’s gone...
...Complete with red, white, and blue, and stars and stripes...
...That is not by any definition progressive...
...I am not a bumpersticker person, but I find there is one I am longing to have and proudly display on my car: “What Would Molly Say...
...Sports Illustrated has Rick Reilly, whose witty essays give me a good chuckle each week, and The Progressive had Molly Ivins, who wrote what I thought, but could not express so creatively...
...Hopefully, Nicaragua can be added to that list...
...citizens is to block any attempts of our government to intervene in the internal affairs of our neighbors to the south...
...Even though we never met, I have come to think of her as a friend...
...Unfortunately, they have engendered many questionable alliances with former Contras and some notable religious figures...
...At least she lived long enough to see (as she might have put it) the American electorate open a great big can of whup-ass and shower its contents on the Republicans...
...He allegedly continued to harass her until she was twenty-six, only stopping in recent years...
...He is older, maybe wiser, but also compromised— as his alliances with former Contra members and rightwingers testify” (“Ortega Returns,” February issue...
...She was my monthly “kick in the pants” when complacency set in...
...I always felt a little safer knowing she was alive...
...Judith Beris Columbia, Maryland Contrary to your article, Ortega is not a progressive as indicated...
...Bob Blumenthal Kinnelon, New Jersey The moment Molly Ivins died the world became a grayer place...
...How shameful, since Sandinista women fought and died alongside the men...
...That said, our goal as U.S...
...The Nicaraguan legislature promptly declared him immune from any liability...
...I will miss her words deeply...
...As with so many “liberation movements,” men intend to liberate only themselves, not women...
...There is no other way to say it...
...Reading the words of Luis J. Rodr?guez only serves to clarify those realities...
...In Latin America, where the Church’s anti-abortion doctrines reign, many women die or are harmed for life because of illegal abortions...
...Thanks, Molly, for your insights and “tell it like it is” reporting...
...I always started with Molly...
...There are thousands of us who will miss her passion, her horse sense, and her laughter...
...So, too, does the abortion ban passed with no dissenting votes, including from Sandinistas...
...I honestly feel I’ve lost a teacher and protector...
...Lastly, we should bear in mind that we are all Americans, regardless of our race, language, or religion...
...Christopher Lee Goodier Susanville, California Rethinking Ortega Luis J. Rodr?guez writes: “I welcome Ortega’s return...
...I feel I’ve lost a very close personal friend...
...The only way to honor her is to cultivate our own passion, horse sense, and laughter and carry on that fight as long as we can...
...Now my friend is gone and it hurts...
...We will all miss her very, very much...
...Katharine W. Rylaarsdam Baltimore, Maryland There are two magazines that I read from back to front because the most entertaining columns are on the back pages...
...It could be a memorial to a truly remarkable human being who’s gone before her time, and to her dauntless spirit...
...It seems that throughout Latin America incredible things are occurring, notably in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Ecuador...
...Jonathan McGovern Charlotte, North Carolina The editors welcome correspondence from readers on all topics, but prefer to publish letters that comment directly on material previously published in The Progressive...
...We also must join forces across borders and support our brothers and sisters wherever they may be and in whatever capacity is needed...
...We as progressives must not be under any illusions of the revitalization of the Ortega-led Sandinistas— or, as Rodr?guez defines them, the Sandinista Lite...
...The fact that he was elected again in spite of the people knowing of his behavior is sickening for women and portends ill for the future of women’s rights...
...All too often, progressive views fail to take into account policies that harm specific groups...
...Much love to her family, friends, and fans around the world...
...Terence Ball Phoenix, Arizona I want to thank you for your excellent memorial tributes to the irreplaceable and already desperately missed Molly Ivins...
...In a recent column, she summoned her readers to take to the streets with “pots and pans” and demonstrate loudly against the war in Iraq...
...Dianne Post Phoenix, Arizona I wanted to write to thank The Progressive and Luis J. Rodr?guez for the compelling article about the rebirth of the Sandinistas in Nicaragua...
...The original has left, and I feel that a small part of me has gone with her...
...These realities have seen Ortega support one of the most draconian anti-abortion laws ever to see the light of day...
...I really enjoy your magazine, and have really grown closer to Molly Ivins...
Vol. 71 • April 2007 • No. 4
