Reminiscing... about Molly in Berkeley

Wrapping up... congrats all around

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throughout.

The Molly Ivins Resolution

Robert Manning:
Over 900 proven lies to create a war of occupation i n Iraq.
The people in power learned their lessons well with Vietnam. No draft.
Only embedded journalists.

We're asked to go out and shop.
There's no forum in which we can say 'no' effectively.

The goal of this campaign
Tell 10 more people
The "heart" of Congress is LOCAL OFFICES of our Representatives and
Senators

3rd Friday of every month
A coordinated effort nationally

Http://www.raisehellformollyivins.org/

As molly says in her speeches
Its up to us
We can change these things.

In person, phone, fax... info is on the website.

Last video now showing

From a roast of Molly from Fall, 2006

Living our lives... to the fullest.

Molly's final book "Bill of Wrongs" with Lou duBose, a Texas Observer
editor. Published October, 2007 by Random House. Photo on the LiveBlog.
Tell your friends, buy it, read it.

We've plowed right through the break, another 20ish minutes left.

Last video by Paul Steckler, Emmy-winning filmmaker in Austin.

A lot of great quotes from her columns, read by Molly.

Bryan Webster, Raise Hell for Molly Ivins blogger

Off to take some pix herself

Betsy moon, Molly's assistant :

Molly said, while dictating her last two columns:
From now on I won't write anything
Except ending this obscene war

Audio Clips of Molly playing:
Garrison Keillor, Prairie Home Companion

"The proper condition of democracy is like a really noisy family
argument"

Then a serious excerpt from one of her speeches

Bill of Wrongs... Molly's last book

Published posthumously with Lou duBose
2007, Random House

Someone here was just asking me about this, and before I can even go
online, someone brings over a copy. I love this place!

Closer shot of the band

Break coming up in a few. Boy are my fingers tired! Typing on a SideKick
III.

Labyrinth watching JC Flyer

Front of audience

The hard rocking band echoes mightily in this cavernous space.

J.C. Flyer onstage

"We're here to end the war"

Texas Observer link

Http://www.texasobserver.org/

They have a DVD of the roast they put on for Molly, plus a memorial
compilation of their writings.

Now onstage: JC Flyer

Now playing: "ballad of molly ivins"

Songwriting award winner
'I ask myself... what would Moly do?'

Raines

Poet/veteran Shepherd Bliss

Labyrinth walkers

VFP President under sculpture

"The brotherhood of man"

Nadia mcCaffrey, Gold Star mom

Talking about her son patrick.

Asking 'where are we going' 5 yrs into war
Survived death of her only child

Muslim perspective on Molly

Iftahar kai (see proper spelling in earlier entry with his photo). Came
to US in 1969. 1982 helped start american muslim group. Interfaith.

Working for peace for last 25 yrs

USA Muslim interfaith alliance.

Speaking of peace today reminds me of molly ivins
A prophetess
...
War to her was as atrocious as anything
Especially iraq... fought not for a just cause as you say
We have a philosophy in my education 'just war'
Has to come to an end
Negotiation across the table
Without loss of life.

I look deeper in my own conscious
And see we all have made mistakes
We all have erred
Today I ask every one of you for forgiveness.

Act strongly in a very forgiving spirit.
Not in a spirit of revengefulness..

...

In workld today we are all connected
Industrially
Educationally
'It is one world'
It is the duty of people to look to each other
One piece of real estate

May god grant us compassion
To bring prace to people of israel
And its neighbors

...
Healing
...

(Prayer in arabic)
Oh god of Abraham
You are peace
And through you flows peace
Give us peace
In this life
And in the hereafter

Amen

Rabbi hillel cooper

Rabbi hillel cooper. Tehila synagogue, east bay.
Member of Rabbis for human rights. Part of jewish alliance for justice
and peace.

Molly ivins was a prophetic voice speaking truth to power

....

This administration stands out
For capacity to lie and lie again

Bush lied the american ppl into this war
His cohorts are lying again.. Iran
Perhaps they are lying to themselves

Points to their worldview
See imperialism as a blessing upon the imperialized

Chaos.. Used as a reason to stay further.

How get out w/o cause further damage
Your failure of.. Vision,values.compassuion, understanding are what got
us into this
No way without further damage
The US invasion started this ball rolling

Addictive tendencies
Cold turkey is painful, necessary

I pray american,Iraqi people have the strength necessary

May that which brings peace to the cosmos
Bring peace to all of us on the planet.

Sister Pamela Claire

Sister pamela claire. Episcopal. Community of st. Francis. Convener of
SF chapter of episcopal peace fellowship.

Her neighborhood: the Tenderloin, where Iraq war vets are already on the
streets.

Molly ivins is a prophet... wrote about 'Shrub'
Jesus too was a prophet.. Taught live by sword, die by sword

Love your neighbors, your enemies

Bush has used religious language to justify the war in iraq.
Righteousness. Vengance.

This is not the god that I know.

Every person is a child if god of infinite worth
We are all 'related I our common creaturliness' - st.. Francis

Griswold: 9/11 'a chance for this nation to come to a new
consciousness... but this good will was squandered.'

Iraq war... acts that shame us around the world.
We have lost the respect

Christian view
Baptismal rite: respect the dignity of every guman being

This is the foundation of our relationships... justice and respect

Desmond tutu 'anything war could do peace could do better'

God is weeping.

We are a people of hope

Holy and merciful god
Hear our prayer for our enemies
....
Keep our hearts from hatred... despair
....

Robert Manning intro

"There's a large number of people out there that feel as I do... its
really time to stop this war."

Goal: energize us to do something once a month.

Next up: 3 people to talk from faith perspectives.

Charlotte McCann of the Texas Observer

Kicking things off and thanking Diana Stork, the harpist.

"It should be an eveneing that really binds is and bonds us and brings
us together."

Introduces Robert Manning, 5th-gen California. Retired Fire
Captain.Worked with Helen Caldicott as an anti-nuclear activist.

Chuck Rosene of the band JC Flyer

(Who I also know through his work for the regional Unitarian
Universalist church coordinating council)

First few rows

Robert Manning of VFP

(Wearing hat) He took the lead putting this event together

View from behind stage

Very beautiful, peaceful music playing... listen in on the live webcast
(audio) stream from the home page http://www.raisehellformollyivins.org/

Labyrinth walker

Opening harp music stil playing onstage in the background as folks
arrive through the storm.

Nancy Mancias of CodePink

"We actually got to spend time with molly in Austin She was gracious
enough to come to our retreat. I remember her as loving, humorous, great
woman."

Early arrivals

Its hard to see in the pix how BIG this place is.

Alison Manning and Alfredo Lopez

Greeting folks at the door.

Robert's daughter supporting him here.

Sign at the door

Raines

Joanne filipello

Her inspiration from Molly: "being outrageous... I go for that."
Raines

Diana Stork practicing onstage ahead of schedule

A friend heard about the event on KPFA but had the wrong night!
Hopefully the rain won't scare too many away.
Raines

Iftekhar Hai, president of United Muslims of America Interfaith Alliance

Http://www.umaia.net/

His main message here tonight remembering Molly is forgiveness. "There
can be no peace without forgiveness."
Raines

Getting ready to Raise Hell

Some of the crew getting ready behind the scenes.
Raines

Elliot Adams, national president, and Sharon Kufeldt, national vice
president of Veterans for Peace, preparing to Raise Hell for Molly Ivins
at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco
Raines

Some examples: remembering, Raising Hell for Molly

Books In Heat had a nice little year-in-review post remembering Molly:

Molly Ivins was a fountain of wit and sense. She was big-hearted, clear-eyed and courageous. She told the truth when it was popular and when it wasn't. And she was fun. If we have to have Texas, then we damn well needed to have Molly Ivins. In this already lunatic election year, we're going to miss her.

Visit the blog to read more, and see some great photos.

And there's a Daily Kos thread up and running: One Year Since Molly Ivins Died, attracting some helpful links in the comments. We're hoping that Bill in Portland Maine, dKos' staff Cheers & Jeers columnist, who has included Molly quotes in his posts, will help raise the energy level over there and invite more action as we count down to the event.

Feel free to comment here, or comment there... but do join in the conversation. Today, tomorrow, Thursday... take just a moment to share: a feeling, a link, a memory, an inspiration. Build the community. It's up to all of us.

Molly Ivins Memorial and Blogfest - Live Event Thurs. at Grace Cathedral, SF

Join Us for the Molly Ivins One Year Memorial and Blogfest at Grace Cathedral

The "Raise Hell for Molly Ivins" campaign to End the War in Iraq is hosting a Memorial and Blogfest this Thursday, January 31, 2008 to honor the legacy of this courageous journalist who never wavered in "speaking truth to power" and was revered by hundreds of thousands of readers until her passing one year ago.

Be There In Person
Molly Ivins Memorial and Blogfest
January 31st, 2008

6:45 pm to 9:30 pm

Grace Cathedral
1100 California Street
San Francisco

Press Release

Coming? Got greetings to send? Add a comment.

See next post for info on how to participate from wherever you are.