Molly Ivins was a huge supporter of civil liberties and a national icon and she is mourned by many. But at the ACLU of Texas, we're deeply saddened to lose a neighbor and a friend.

Molly lost her valiant battle with cancer last week.

The unforgettable, unsinkable Molly Ivins leaves a tremendous legacy to friends of the Bill of Rights, including the ACLU.  Her columns appeared in more than 400 newspapers at least weekly.  For decades, she devoted one speech a month to ACLU audiences across the nation, preferring to speak in rural areas best characterized as "unfriendly" to the ACLU.  In July 2005, she wrote in a column a strong argument for the importance of the ACLU:

"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."

I know that many of you were her readers and her personal friends, and you have my condolences.  All of us at the ACLU feel a tremendous loss, but our work must go on.

Without Molly's voice, we must work harder to keep the government from abusing its power.  The ACLU will continue to do more than ever before to guard liberty, across the nation and here in Texas.

I invite you to pick up the torch that Molly has passed to us, to speak out in defense of the fundamental freedoms we hold dear, and to strengthen your connection to the ACLU and our efforts to guard liberty.  You may get involved with your local ACLU chapter, or make a contribution to honor Molly's memory.

The ACLU has established the Molly Ivins Fund for Justice and Liberty.  Help remember Molly by making a tribute gift so that the ACLU has the resources, in Texas and throughout our nation, to address the challenges facing the Constitution and our rights and liberties.

We have lost a good friend and strong advocate, but the ACLU is larger than any one person.  We can continue our efforts so that no one is above the law's authority and no one is beneath the law's protection.  Indeed we must.

Molly's lasting advice to all of us was, "raise more hell!"  And that is my advice to you.  Stand firm for liberty and justice!  Speak out against governmental abuse of power!  Help make Texas and our nation a friendlier place for the Bill of Rights!  Doing these things, I believe, is the only fitting tribute to the heroic, inspirational and true blue Texan, Molly Ivins.

So long, Molly.  We will never forget you.

Raise more hell!

Will Harrell, Executive Director

P.S.  Please consider a memorial contribution to the ACLU's new Molly Ivins Fund for Justice and Liberty.  Please click here.