Jimmy Carter, dead at 100

[NotHardUp1]

Thank you.

At a time when we are tearing ourselves to shreds, the clarity of truth about President Carter was refreshing. Aside from wanting to see a voice of unity like Jason Carter's, it was daunting to hear the eulogies at the National Cathedral (I listened at work Thursday while downloading my forecast templates).

To remember the honesty and charity of the man while seeing Donald Trump sitting right there in a pew, like the accused, as he surely was indicted for his meanness and baseness and corruption, just as any evil is condemned by necessity when standing beside virtue. We are practically living in a Charles Dickens novel, except Ebenezer Scrooge isn't repenting, and Mrs. Havisham is not bursting into flames, nor is Fagin losing in the end.

Would that the timing of Carter's death, and the spotlight on his life and service engender a new society to form, a movement both political and social, to squelch the antipathy and spite in rhetoric. Boycotts? No. More like protests, or acts of civil disobedience against the dividers. Hell, I'd settle for a movement that would just wear black until the White House is free of a man who is a convicted felon. Maybe stripes would be more appropriate.

Carter proved men are great beyond their failures. Leaders lead. America then and now refused to follow when it meant sacrifice. We are blatant liars when we call the WWII generation The Greatest, as we don't believe in what they did. We will not work as hard. We will not serve our country over ourselves. We will deny ourselves nothing. THAT is why Trump was elected and is re-elected. THAT is why Americans continue to buy and drive massive vehicles far in excess of transportation needs. THAT is why the medical industry continues to bleed the coffers dry while other nations make meds affordable. THAT is why a university education has risen in cost to obscene levels. THAT is why news is now just a pastiche of pale stories about gossipy garbage and celebrity drivel rather than reporting on real news.

We are the problem, not our masters. Relgious or secular, we need a Jeremiah.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Poignant, particularly about the weight of office and nuclear holocaust:

To think Reagan asked Carter to help write Reagan's speech on the Mideast. Adds new meaning to "Jimminy!"

The shabby treatment by Clinton and Gore is classic. The DNC was a bigger enemy to Carter than the GOP ever was. If it wasn't the butthurt Kennedy clan, it was the ego of the Clintons.

 

[NotHardUp1]

And his warnings about torturing prisoners and the trampling of human rights in the name of "protecting America" were dead on.

Our influence in the world and domestically is diminished by the blatant abandonment of our human rights alleged values. Even our school children recognize the hypocrisy.

How can we be surprised that ISIS can motivate native born citizens to rebel? How can we claim virtue while operating black sites forever? We have become the bad guys.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

It is quite telling the manner in which leaders of both political parties still hold Jimmy Carter in low regard.
Yet Carter's actions after his presidency truly resonated with people around the world.

 

[NotHardUp1]

Yet Carter's actions after his presidency truly resonated with people around the world.

I kept searching for a list of foreign dignitaries who attended the state funeral, but could only find references to Trudeau and Prince Edward.

The only one I found in title was behind a paywall, at the Washington Post, I think.

Surely there were ambassadors and prime ministers from Latin America and Africa. Surely. Why is it so hard to find the list?

 

[unloadonme]

I kept searching for a list of foreign dignitaries who attended the state funeral, but could only find references to Trudeau and Prince Edward.

The only one I found in title was behind a paywall, at the Washington Post, I think.

Surely there were ambassadors and prime ministers from Latin America and Africa. Surely. Why is it so hard to find the list?

I'm pretty sure I saw former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown sitting behind Prince Edward. I also saw that UN Secretary-General António Guterres was there, although I wouldn't have been able to recognise him.

 

[NotHardUp1]

The one online article I could access promised to report who attended, but stopped short after Prince Edward, Prime Minister Trudeau, and Secretary-General Guterres.

In lieu of finding a list, I repaired to the website at The Carter Center which segregated Notable Condolences. I went through quite a bit of tissue reading them. Many were profound, a few observably slight, and at least one aimed directly at President Trump:

Jimmy Carter will be remembered not just as the 39th POTUS but for living one of the most remarkable lives in American history. He made every one of his 100 years count, lived his faith and placed service to others above greed, vanity and self-aggrandizement.

--- David Axelrod Former Presidential Advisor

The homage posted by Habitat for Humanity seemed unduly brief, perhaps slight. Not sure why. Notable is the absence of anything from the Southern Baptist Convention, which Carter separated himself from if not from the denomination itself. He was their voice of conscience after they had smothered any vestige of it from their offices.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

There have been many comments on JUB over the tearing of the social fabric lately, to the point where organizations and individuals who are a force for good now prefer to operate in the background. Is it possible that the passing of Jimmy Carter will serve as a marker in history for all that we have lost as a coherent nation?

 

[Alistair]

There have been many comments on JUB over the tearing of the social fabric lately, to the point where organizations and individuals who are a force for good now prefer to operate in the background. Is it possible that the passing of Jimmy Carter will serve as a marker in history for all that we have lost as a coherent nation?

It’s a sad thought but it’s probably true.

 

[NotHardUp1]

There have been many comments on JUB over the tearing of the social fabric lately, to the point where organizations and individuals who are a force for good now prefer to operate in the background. Is it possible that the passing of Jimmy Carter will serve as a marker in history for all that we have lost as a coherent nation?

Not splitting grammatical hairs here, but did you mean cohesive or coherent?

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Not splitting grammatical hairs here, but did you mean cohesive or coherent?

Now that you mentioned it . . . I'll go with both!

 

[Dargelos]

It was good that Gordon Brown made it to the send off. He and Jimmy had a lot in common, both savaged by the press while in office, both devoted their later career to selflessly helping others. Anyone can say soothing words, only a few put their money where their mouth is.

 

[4.25inches]

Neither man was the best in the top job, however both took on the top job for the right reasons. There's very few in politics that can be said of.

 

[rareboy]

It was refreshing to see all the past presidents ignore Trump and Melania as they seated themselves.

I see Obama was required to take one for the team because of the order, but good for Michelle for refusing to attend because of a 'conflict' and having to sit next to that bloated fart machine.

 

[Dargelos]

I hope that Mr Obama had some anti-emetic pills before sitting next to smelly Donny. They would need to be very strong ones.

 

[rareboy]

I think when Dubya grinned and hit his chest out of sight of Trump that the inside joke was that Obama was their cover ...and now they all owe him a Benjamin for being the guy that had to pretend for the sake of propriety and decorum to be polite.

I got the sense though afterwards from Trump's take that while it looked 'friendly' Obama may not have been that respectful.

I think that Trump probably said something like "I'll bet none of you casn wait until it is my funeral" and Obama burst out laughing and agreed with him.

Let's see how they dodge interaction with Trump and his pole dancer hooker wife in 7 days.

 

[rareboy]

 

[Alistair]

I think when Dubya grinned and hit his chest out of sight of Trump that the inside joke was that Obama was their cover ...and now they all owe him a Benjamin for being the guy that had to pretend for the sake of propriety and decorum to be polite.

I got the sense though afterwards from Trump's take that while it looked 'friendly' Obama may not have been that respectful.

I think that Trump probably said something like "I'll bet none of you casn wait until it is my funeral" and Obama burst out laughing and agreed with him.

Let's see how they dodge interaction with Trump and his pole dancer hooker wife in 7 days.

Yeah I got the impression that Obama was laughing at him, not with him.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I take the exchange to be cordial, which ANY president should be able to perform. Think of all the foreign ministers who had to do that with Trump in his first term.

Obama was not the most effective president we ever had, but I'm sure he used all his statemanship and rose to the occasion rather than risk any some other website at a state funeral.

It's all fun tot be snide on the forum, but we have presidents, aside from Trump, who are indeed good representatives of the nation, and who do their best to rise to the call. And Mrs. Obama did the right thing if she could not live the words she spoke when she said "when they go low, we go high." Her husband did, and he was the elected one.

As it should have been, the eulogies were so moving that there wasn't really time to worry about the guests.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Rest In Peace President Jimmy Carter.