Hooray for Jimmy Carter (political)

[rgraham666]

Well done, sir.

God bless you.

 

[oggbashan]

Sense from a politician?

The sky must be falling.

Og

 

[Guest]

Well done, sir.

God bless you.

Thank you for posting this, Rob.

Actually, Og, Carter is an ex-politician.

As I'm sure you know, he's spent his time working with Habitat for Humanity and doing other good works.

This is beautiful.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Gosh, it only took him sixty years to figure out what Main-line Protestantism has been saying for at least a generation? Man's a little slow on the uptake . . . but then he always was! Still, better late than never. Perhaps he will consider joining the Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians or some other denomination that has had women clergy and bishops for years, now. He might even consider one where gays are welcome, yanno?

 

[penandpaper]

Quite the rant from ex-President Carter. I've always liked him. (I also was a little kid when he was President, and therefore, don't remember anything about his policies. All I remember is he interrupted Land of the Lost on Saturday morning to tell me about gas. I thought it was absurd!) Hopefully, people will listen. They've been shying away from him for years because of his stance of Isreal.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I was on Carter's staff in 1976. I toiled to get him elected.

He's an idiot.

 

[TE999]

I'll be switched! Mr. Jimmah (as he's known in Plains) has finally loosened the buckle on his bible belt and leapt into the 21st Century. There's hope for the man after all. I guess that 'with age comes wisdom' cliche' has some validity to it.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Senility and dementia, too. I cant name any national pol who wants Carter in the same county. Carters been trying for a comeback since 1981.

 

[matriarch]

One of the most sensible things I've seen written by a current or ex politician. It should be compulsory reading everywhere.

Well done, Jimmy. Very well done.

 

[Huckleman2000]

I've always respected Carter as an eminently decent man. He made Human Rights the centerpiece of his foreign policy, which many still decry and ridicule as "naive". But his selfless examples of simple charity over the years have been inspiring.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Every time I suspect I'm wrong about the intelligence of the people here, be damned if you dont reinforce my bias.

 

[Stella_Omega]

The single thing that Americans agree about Jimmy Carter is that he's a pious man. I'm sure that many a Baptist bigot is sending him to hell from the pulpit now, though!

As someone in the comments said, what took him so long. But he get there eventually. And once he did-- he spoke up.

 

[3113]

Gosh, it only took him sixty years to figure out what Main-line Protestantism has been saying for at least a generation? Man's a little slow on the uptake . . . but then he always was! Still, better late than never. Perhaps he will consider joining the Episcopalians, Lutherans, Presbyterians or some other denomination that has had women clergy and bishops for years, now. He might even consider one where gays are welcome, yanno?

Now, now, VM, I think your scorn is misplaced--if he could have done this 60 years ago, what would be the point of religion to him, or his leaving to them? This is, presumably, someone's "faith." That means it connects him to god and we assume that it was as important in his life as, well, probably his wife or kids. If it wasn't that important then what would leaving it mean to him? If it was like the girlfriend of the week and it didn't matter which one he was with?

If Carter was truly dedicated to this faith, if he truly believed in it and the connection it gave him to god, then it should be something that takes him 60 years. It should be very hard for him, and should mean a lot that a certain issue could no longer be stomached and drove him away from what he loved.

And if it meant that much to him and was that hard to leave, then his leaving will mean a lot to the faith as well. You'd never listen if a casual friend told you they weren't going to call you anymore because you'd done wrong, but you'll certainly listen if your wife packs up and leaves. That would well impact you hard, because your spouse had been committed to you so long, and overlooked so many of your foibles. THAT might actually make you think about changing your ways.

So, really, your sarcasm doesn't exactly fly in this case, because if Carter's faith was true, then this has to be hard for him. If it's easy, then he didn't have much "faith" did he? And if the religion he's leaving is going to consider that maybe they're wrong, it has to be a big deal to them as well. It has to have taken sixty years. If not, then it makes no imprint on the religion and they won't see that they've done wrong.

 

[sadangel]

Now, now, VM, I think your scorn is misplaced--if he could have done this 60 years ago, what would be the point of religion to him, or his leaving to them? This is, presumably, someone's "faith." That means it connects him to god and we assume that it was as important in his life as, well, probably his wife or kids. If it wasn't that important then what would leaving it mean to him? If it was like the girlfriend of the week and it didn't matter which one he was with?

If Carter was truly dedicated to this faith, if he truly believed in it and the connection it gave him to god, then it should be something that takes him 60 years. It should be very hard for him, and should mean a lot that a certain issue could no longer be stomached and drove him away from what he loved.

And if it meant that much to him and was that hard to leave, then his leaving will mean a lot to the faith as well. You'd never listen if a casual friend told you they weren't going to call you anymore because you'd done wrong, but you'll certainly listen if your wife packs up and leaves. That would well impact you hard, because your spouse had been committed to you so long, and overlooked so many of your foibles. THAT might actually make you think about changing your ways.

So, really, your sarcasm doesn't exactly fly in this case, because if Carter's faith was true, then this has to be hard for him. If it's easy, then he didn't have much "faith" did he? And if the religion he's leaving is going to consider that maybe they're wrong, it has to be a big deal to them as well. It has to have taken sixty years. If not, then it makes no imprint on the religion and they won't see that they've done wrong.

Well said.

Thanks Rob for posting this. It was an interesting read. I have liked Jimmy Carter, since he left the Office of the Presidency. I am one who still thinks he had a bit of a raw deal with the whole Iran Hostage thing. He never quite got his feet on the ground for anything else. What he has done since leaving the Presidency is well known and I for one am very humbled by what he has done, in particular for Habitat for Humanity.

jbj: We get that you don't like him. I think the first post told it all from you. Obviously, the majority here does not see things your way. I am glad of that.

 

[Stella_Omega]

What worries me is that I find so few papers printing this essay of his.

 

[glynndah]

What worries me is that I find so few papers printing this essay of his.

I agree. It would have been nice not to have it linked to an Australian website.

 

[DesertPirate]

What worries me is that I find so few papers printing this essay of his.

That could be because most don't find him relevant anymore. Since his credibility as a politician fell to the bottom, most editors won't print anything about him. The only things I ever see anymore are about Habitat, never on any issues.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I agree. It would have been nice not to have it linked to an Australian website.

Twitter...

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

SADANGEL

I know. Carter is now the patron saint of people afflicted with numb nuts. My view is held by everyone with live brain cells. I worked my ass off to get him elected and he spent 4 years stepping on his dick.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Carter is supposed to be an intelligent man since he was a nuclear engineer in the Navy. I expect intelligent believers to use their brains and enquiring minds theologically as well as in their day to day businesses. The misogyny of the Southern Baptist Convention can easily be refuted in Scripture but the members and especially the hierarchy are more concerned with power and position than Truth. I am supposing that compliant obedience must be as much a part of that tradition as it is in Roman Catholicism. This is a pathetic approach to Belief, hence my scorn.

The brain is as much a part of Creation as anything else and we can be expected to use it.

 

[TE999]

Jimmah has good intentions, but as I recall that's what the road to Hell is paved with. He was elected as the Anti-Nixon...hapless Gerald Ford rolled over like a poorly loaded canoe...but he was in way over his head. He surrounded himself with the Georgia Mafia and never fit into inside the Beltway politics at all.

Between the Iran hostages and the Arab oil embargo, his goose was cooked.

His work with Habitat is commendable...he really digs in and helps...no photo ops of him holding a hammer and he's gone...he gets down and dirty...Rosalyn too.

He really stepped in it when he went peace brokering between the Palestinians and the Israelis...his defense of the Palestinian's to have a homeland earned him the nickname of 'Dhimmi' Carter in many circles...again, he was wayyy over his head.

This latest revelation about gender equality, et. al. is a way of mending fences at home and burnishing his legacy...since most of the world looks at him as a family looks upon a kindly, but slightly dotty uncle...he's sweet, but he shouldn't be driving.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

Jimmah has good intentions, but as I recall that's what the road to Hell is paved with. He was elected as the Anti-Nixon...hapless Gerald Ford rolled over like a poorly loaded canoe...but he was in way over his head. He surrounded himself with the Georgia Mafia and never fit into inside the Beltway politics at all.

Between the Iran hostages and the Arab oil embargo, his goose was cooked.

His work with Habitat is commendable...he really digs in and helps...no photo ops of him holding a hammer and he's gone...he gets down and dirty...Rosalyn too.

He really stepped in it when he went peace brokering between the Palestinians and the Israelis...his defense of the Palestinian's to have a homeland earned him the nickname of 'Dhimmi' Carter in many circles...again, he was wayyy over his head.

This latest revelation about gender equality, et. al. is a way of mending fences at home and burnishing his legacy...since most of the world looks at him as a family looks upon a kindly, but slightly dotty uncle...he's sweet, but he shouldn't be driving.

I consider him among the most successful ex-presidents we've ever had. His work with HFH and the Carter Center for world peace overcome his doofus four years in the White House. And he's a damned good woodworker, too.

 

[Stella_Omega]

The mistakes he made were in the service of peace.

At least he was and still is honorable. The most recent mistake-ridden president made them all in his own vested interest-- or in his handler's. Now there's a guy who is planning a big ol' deathbead repentance!

 

[TE999]

I consider him among the most successful ex-presidents we've ever had. His work with HFH and the Carter Center for world peace overcome his doofus four years in the White House. And he's a damned good woodworker, too.

Roger that. I toured the Carter Center and took out-of-town guests there several times when I lived in Atlanta. It's quite impressive.

He really does have good intentions.

 

[Stella_Omega]

Roger that. I toured the Carter Center and took out-of-town guests there several times when I lived in Atlanta. It's quite impressive.

He really does have good intentions.

And has been acting on them for a very long time.

The twitter feed is slowly picking up speed.