The Bill of Wrongs: The Executive Branch's Assault on America's Fundamental Rights

Molly Ivins' last book, her third about GW Bush written with Lou Dubose, has all the Ivins trademarks, such as her keen observations, her sense of outrage and disbelief, coupled with her Texas sense of humor. In Shrub and Bushwhacked the two authors did their best to warn America about Bush and his cronies. In this third outing, it's clear things are going terribly wrong in America and our very system of government is undergoing a radical change. The things Ivins and Dubose write about in this book should not be happening in America, but they are.

In several of the cases presented here, there's a common thread: the victims of harrassment by the Bushies are Muslim. It appears that the Muslims are well on their way to becoming for America what the Jews were to Germany after Hitler took power. And things aren't looking too good for others unwilling to toe the Bush party line either.

This book is powerful. I had to read it a bit at a time so I could give it some thought between sections. We should all thank Lou Dubose and the publishers for continuing with this project and bringing the book to the public. (This is the text of my review on Amazon.com.)

Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

From the back cover of the paperback edition:

Whether she's writing about redneck politics in her native Texas or the discreet charm of the Bushwazee, Molly Ivins is never less than devastatingly honest - and hilarious. Our toughest, funniest, and savviest columnist delivers the goods.

Texas politics: "Well, our attorney general is under indictment. He ran as 'the people's lawyer'; now we call him 'the people's felon.'"
The flag-burning debate: "Bush's last birthday cake was in the form of the American flag, and he ate it - stars, stripes and all. Think about where that flag wound up. I call that descecration."

Being a woman in Texas: "there are several strains of Texas culture: They are all rotten for women...One not infrequently sees cars or trucks sporting the bumper sticker HAVE FUN - BEAT THE HELL OUT OF SOMEONE YOU LOVE."

Nothin' But Good Times Ahead

From the back cover of the paperback edition:

Ivins proves that no one has a steadier gaze or a quicker trigger finger, as she hits the bull's-eye on such targets as George Bush, Bill Clinton, Camille Paglia, the Clarence Thomas hearings, and the ethics-twisting, English-slaughtering pols of her beloved Texas.

From the Amazon.com review:

The title flushes out the core concern of the collection. One of the oldest sayings in politics, "You got to dance with them what brung you," points to the reality that special-interest money rules today's politics. For Ivins, the centerpiece of corruption is gold, and such inevitable consequences as the tax burden shifting from corporations to individuals; the widening gap between rich and poor. You Got to Dance with Them What Brung You, inimitably bold and broad, attacks racism, homophobia, terrorism; offers a terse and dismally delightful excoriation of the "ineffable" Newt Gingrich; reports on political farces at both the state and national levels. It's full of incisive gems that offer insight on some of our national extremes (Timothy McVeigh's obsession with the bizarre and racist book, The Turner Diaries, replete with the bomb recipe that blew up the Murrah Federal Building).

Champion of commonsense and compassion; frank and boldly funny, Molly Ivins has been called by the L.A. Times "H.L. Mencken without the cruelty, Will Rogers with an agenda." Those of us who love Molly Ivins read her for her gutsy, lively, liberal values, and those of us who don't ... should.

From the back cover of the paperback edition:

When it comes to reporting on politics, nobody does it smarter or funnier than bestselling author Molly Ivins. In Shrub, she focuses her Texas-size smarts on the biggest politician in her home state; George "Dubya" Bush. Here's Molly on:

Bush's Welfare record: Texas pols like to 'git tuff' on crime, welfare, commies, and other bad stuff. Bush proposed to git tuff on welfare recipients by ending the allowance for each additional child - which in Texas is $38 a month."

Bush's environmental record: "Since Governor Bush's election, Texas air quality has been rated the worst in the nation, leading all fifty states in overall toxic releases, recognized carcinogens in the air, cancer risk, and ten other catergories of pollutants."

From the dust jacket of the hardcover edition:

[I]n their second book on our current White House occupant, Ivins and Dubose take the wire brush to the Bush presidency and show how he has applied the same flawed stategies he used in governing Texas to running the largest superpower in the world.

Bushwhacked brings to light the horrendous legacy of the Bush tax cut, his increasingly applaling environmental record, his administration's involvement in the Enron scandal, and the real Bush foreign policy - botched nation building in Kabul and Baghdad, alienation of former allies - and, unfortunately, much more....Bushwhacked is filled with sharp observation, humor, and compassion for the people often ignored by the federal government and the Washington press corps.

Who Let the Dogs In?: Incredible Political Animals I Have Known

From the back cover of the paperback edition:

[Ivins] takes us on a wild ride through two decades of political life, from Ronald Regan, through Big George and Ill Clinton, to our current top dog, Dubya. But those are just a few of the political animals who are honored and skewered for our amusement. Ivins also writes hilariously, perceptively, and at time witheringly of John Ashcroft, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, H. Ross Perot, Tom DeLay, Ann Richards, Al Gore, Jimmy Carter, and the current governor of Texas, who is known as Rick "Goodhair" Perry.

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