Jimmy Carter

I have never known just what to make of Jimmy Carter. I didn't think much of him when he was President. Somehow he always struck me as at best a Baptist nerd or at worst a Jesus Freak. I also think he may be living in a kind of dream world (even though he should, having been President, know better). Consider his description of American values:
"Our people have been justifiably proud to see America's power and influence used to preserve peace for ourselves and others, to promote economic and social injustice, to raise high the banner of freedom and human rights, to protect the quality of our environment, to alleviate human suffering, to enhance the rule of law, and to cooperate with peoples to reach these common goals." (Jimmy Carter, Our Endangered Values, p. 1).
I confess that my reading of American history, from our first contact with American Indians, through the Mexican war, the Philippines, our consistent interference in Central and South America, the Middle East, and elsewhere, the condition of our environment, does not indicate to me that these are values we engaged in. I think this may be a perfect example of what he claims to have been his mantra since childhood: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (p. 48).

Anyway, having followed his career, post-Presidency, and having just finished his book, Our Endangered Values, I have to admit my overwhelming admiration for this strange Georgia peanut farmer. There is no doubt that he sees and understands perfectly well the terrible things that have transpired during the Bush/Cheney Presidency. He reports in clear and concise prose just what the problems are and where they originated. Once you get through the first two or three chapters of modest bible thumping you are rewarded by a most insightful analysis of where we are going very wrong and why. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I have not as yet read his latest, Peace or Apartheid, but from what I know of it through reviews and comments, I am sure he is telling the truth about the Palestinian situation, and the truth, as you know, hurts.

Because of pressure from Bush appointees the Park Rangers at the Grand Canyon are not allowed to talk about the age of the canyon. And they are being forced to sell a book that says the canyon in a result of the flood. Can things get any more pathetic than that?

There are some now who insist that Bush/Cheney are going to bomb Iran, or allow Israel to do so (which is the same thing). With a broken military and the overwhelming sentiment of U.S. citizens and the rest of the world against such a thing will they really do it?

"But the brilliance, the versatility of madness is akin to the resourcefulness of water seeping through, over and around a dike." (F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night, p. 215).