My fondest memory of Ronnie Dugger is him in his cluttered cubbyhole of an office, his brow furrowed and his mind whirring as he pounded away on an old Royal typewriter, churning out another punch to the snout of the moneyed and right-wing elites
Thank you for the loving memory of a man I was not aware of. It makes me sleep better these days to become educated about those who lived to lead us into truth and justice. I am so enamored of their dedication and of yours!
May you keep sharing as do our other leaders. You are a powerhouse for our Democracy. May you be well and permanent in my future.
Loved Ronnie! He introduced me to Mr Jim Hightower back in the early 90's. He was an awesome journalist and real salt of the earth man. Yes, working hard for the underdog and always with a good nature and love and respect for "Truth, Justice and the American Way" - like Superman!
Rest in Peace our Righteous Friend. Please continue to help us from Heaven!
Here's to Ronnie Dugger and the brave young Ronnie Dugger wanna-bes seeing chances these days to make a difference by telling the truth when they cover the news.
Journalism is vanishing Jim. Thanks for keeping it alive. One of only two businesses specifically protected in our Constitution it is worth fighting for. Keep it up and THANKS.
Ronnie Dugger was the founder of the Alliance for Democracy and the original author of the We the People Amendment, which was taken up by Move to Amend after the infamous Citizens United Supreme Court decision that allowed corporations to spend unlimited money in elections.
I never heard of Ronnie Duggar till I read this column, but anyone who has spent their life punching out the rich and infamous gets my heartfelt gratitude and sparks the desire to so more punching myself.
I was a newly hired welfare case worker in 1965 when Ronnie Dugger brought my story to the attention of Texas Observer readers. From the middle west, with a newly minted M.A. from Tulane, married to an A&M professor, and duly trained by the Texas Welfare system, I was soon shocked to see the conditions under which my welfare clients lived. An article in the New York Times caught my attention because it proposed including welfare recipients themselves as consultants in efforts to revamp welfare nationally. This made sense to me because I had been impressed with how sanely my clients were handling terrible living conditions and extreme shortages of funds with which to care for their families. So, I took the article to my boss, a gentleman who it turned out had only a high school education.
In a matter of days, the head of the Texas Welfare system came to see me in my Brian, Texas office. He muttered something about me being too highly qualified for the job and made it clear that I was fired. Being an avid reader of the Texas Observer, I sent a note to Ronnie Dugger and soon a story covering the facts appeared in the next issue.
How many of his quality are left today? Too many so called news outlets are caving, too few so called journalists are fearful and go for the gold rather than the truth.
Thank you for the loving memory of a man I was not aware of. It makes me sleep better these days to become educated about those who lived to lead us into truth and justice. I am so enamored of their dedication and of yours!
May you keep sharing as do our other leaders. You are a powerhouse for our Democracy. May you be well and permanent in my future.
We need alot more like Ronnie and Molly Ivins.
I apologize because Jim Hightower is another bastion of truth in the "Texas State Political Rodeo!"
Loved Ronnie! He introduced me to Mr Jim Hightower back in the early 90's. He was an awesome journalist and real salt of the earth man. Yes, working hard for the underdog and always with a good nature and love and respect for "Truth, Justice and the American Way" - like Superman!
Rest in Peace our Righteous Friend. Please continue to help us from Heaven!
Here's to Ronnie Dugger and the brave young Ronnie Dugger wanna-bes seeing chances these days to make a difference by telling the truth when they cover the news.
Dugger and Ivins. What a pair!
lucky you, to have had him in your life. and lucky us to have you both
Journalism is vanishing Jim. Thanks for keeping it alive. One of only two businesses specifically protected in our Constitution it is worth fighting for. Keep it up and THANKS.
We need Dugger's type of journalism to spread to the "news" outlets. Thank you Jim for continuing the work
Ronnie Dugger was the founder of the Alliance for Democracy and the original author of the We the People Amendment, which was taken up by Move to Amend after the infamous Citizens United Supreme Court decision that allowed corporations to spend unlimited money in elections.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-joint-resolution/54/text
"The issue isn't the issue, the issue is the system."
I never heard of Ronnie Duggar till I read this column, but anyone who has spent their life punching out the rich and infamous gets my heartfelt gratitude and sparks the desire to so more punching myself.
I was a newly hired welfare case worker in 1965 when Ronnie Dugger brought my story to the attention of Texas Observer readers. From the middle west, with a newly minted M.A. from Tulane, married to an A&M professor, and duly trained by the Texas Welfare system, I was soon shocked to see the conditions under which my welfare clients lived. An article in the New York Times caught my attention because it proposed including welfare recipients themselves as consultants in efforts to revamp welfare nationally. This made sense to me because I had been impressed with how sanely my clients were handling terrible living conditions and extreme shortages of funds with which to care for their families. So, I took the article to my boss, a gentleman who it turned out had only a high school education.
In a matter of days, the head of the Texas Welfare system came to see me in my Brian, Texas office. He muttered something about me being too highly qualified for the job and made it clear that I was fired. Being an avid reader of the Texas Observer, I sent a note to Ronnie Dugger and soon a story covering the facts appeared in the next issue.
Lydia Mihelič Pulsipher, 4801 Westover Terrace, Knoxville, TN 37914
lydiapulsipher@gmail.com
865-789-5503
Such a loving tribute to a major journalist. Thank you Jim.
How many of his quality are left today? Too many so called news outlets are caving, too few so called journalists are fearful and go for the gold rather than the truth.
Sounds like a life well-lived! I'm glad you had the joy of being his friend!
Yes, a great man and a powerful role model and inspiration for so many. Thank you Ronnie Dugger.
Jim, you are so fortunate to have worked with a Dugger AND a Molly. Most of us would give a days salary and time to have been around them!