Jimmy Carter, a Good Christian

Yes, I am talking about THAT Jimmy Carter.  James Earl Carter, the 39th President of the United States of America.  People who believe he was a failed President and make fun of him.  I don't believe Carter was a failed President, he did some great things.  He spoke the truth, which is very hard for any Republican to do and many Democrats, for that matter.

Jimmy Carter spoke to us honestly about our energy dependence and how we needed to get off of it back in the 1970's.  Carter gave a speech calling the energy crisis the "moral equivalent of war" and we needed to start conserving energy and finding alternative renewal energy sources.  He even had solar panels put on the White House to create and save energy.  These panels were immediately taken down by the oil industry supported Reagan Administration.  Just think were we would be today if we continued following Carter's lead in energy independence.  We probably would be energy independent and converted to renewable sources in such a manner that Global Warming and Global Climate events weren't so severe.  I don't know about you, but two weeks straight of record breaking hot temperatures tells me that there is definitely something wrong with our weather.  And yes, it is a direct result of man made problems and it has a lot to do with greed.

When Carter was President he tried to help other nations resolve conflict such as the Camp David Peace Accord's with Egypt and Israel and the SALT II Nuclear reduction treaty with the Soviet Union.  Both actions helped make the world safer.  But Carter did other things, noble things, Christian things.

One of the best was his foreign policy of Human Rights and Democratization.  What that meant was no longer was the USA going to give money to dictators we helped to install (or installed) who terrorized and killed their populace because they wanted democracy, a decent job, health care or a decent standard of living amongst other things.   Carter cut off funding to Argentina and Uruguay, two military juntas that terrorized and murdered significant parts of their populations.  Argentina was infamous for stealing children of those they didn't like politically.  He also cut off military assistance to Argentina, Brazil, El Salvador and Guatemala--all brutal to their populace at the time.  Carter took to heart Jesus teaching of loving one another and extended it to other countries.  He didn't just leave it to the United States of America and in America, that microcosm of middle class and wealthy white people.  Carter's act of showing humane treatment to "colored" people of Third World Nations was revolutionary and hated by the Republicans, conservatives and rightwingers in the USA who love their ideology.  Idolatry of ideology as Bruce Cockburn sang.  Here is a link to Carter's foreign policy ideas--

http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/index.asp?document=727

Carter response to the Nicaraguan Revolution was the following--

"When the American military forces left Nicaragua for the last time, in 1933, they left behind a souvenir by which the Nicaraguan people could remember them: the National Guard, placed under the direction of one Anastasio Somoza ... Three years later, Somoza took over the presidency and with the indispensable help of the National Guard established a family dynasty which would rule over Nicaragua, much like a private estate, for the next 43 years. While the Guardsmen, consistently maintained by the United States, passed their time on martial law, rape, torture, murder of the opposition, and massacres of peasants, as well as less violent pursuits such as robbery, extortion, contraband, running brothels and other government functions, the Somoza clan laid claim to the lion's share of Nicaragua's land and businesses. When Anastasio Somoza II was overthrown by the Sandinistas in July 1979, he fled into exile leaving behind a country in which two-thirds of the population earned less than $300 a year. Upon his arrival in Miami, Somoza admitted to being worth $100 million. A US intelligence report, however, placed it at $900 million. It was fortunate for the new Nicaraguan leaders that they came to power while Jimmy Carter sat in the White House. It gave them a year and a half of relative breathing space to take the first steps in their planned reconstruction of an impoverished society before the relentless hostility of the Reagan administration descended upon them; which is not to say that Carter welcomed the Sandinista victory."  Full link here--

http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/Nicaragua_KH.html

If you read it carefully, the USA left Nicaragua leaving the country in charge by Anastasio Somoza and the National Guard which went on to terrorize the country for 43 years.  Carter didn't welcome the Sandinista victory, but he didn't actively get involved to overthrow them and re-install a terroristic government.  Ronald Reagan attempted that and did a great job of destroying that countries path towards democracy by his foreign policy.  Reagan also did an about face on all the countries that Carter prohibited funding.  Reagan opened the door for rightwing fascist countries and organizations to murder and terrorize significant parts of their populations.  Aren't these people, God's children, too?  Why is it so easy for America to allow this to happen and act as if it has nothing to do with them or their relationship with God?  I guess it is part of the delusion known as "motivated reasoning".  I don't think Jesus will let us use that as an excuse.  He won't even let us think it was a good try.

I don't want to get bogged down in what Jimmy Carter did or didn't do as President, but want to move along onto what he did afterward.  You can find what he has been doing since 1982 here--

http://www.cartercenter.org/about/index.html

Part of what the Carter Center does was to fight Guinea worm disease and to prevent blindness in Africa and has been successful in basically eradicating the disease. The Center strives to give millions of the world’s poorest people access to skills and knowledge they can use to identify solutions that will improve their own lives. Since its founding, the Center achieved a number of milestones, including: Strengthening international standards for human rights and the voices of individuals defending those rights. Advancing efforts to improve mental health care. Being a mediator in certain disputes.

So, Jimmy Carter has been using his position to make the world a better place. A better place for those who need our help the most and don't fit into the category of having a natural resource that we can exploit for gain.  Other former presidents make speeches for profit or sit on their money. I wonder "What Would Jesus Do?" Jimmy Carter is following Jesus' example. Jesus would be healing and helping the unfortunate, that's what Jesus would do.