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Jimmy Carter


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“Let’s think about how humble Jimmy Carter is about all this,” Farabaugh added. “Nobody has really heard about this story almost 70 years past the incident. For almost 70 years, this is an event which has existed in obscurity. President Carter, when he was running for president, didn’t really discuss this. Could you imagine today?”

So much this. 

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46 minutes ago, Bullneck said:

Lets not forget about this, either:

Jimmy Carter Hailed in Canada for 1952 Nuclear Rescue

HALIFAX, CANADA — 

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter is being hailed as a national hero in Canada after publication of an article about an obscure 1952 incident in which a Carter-led team helped prevent the world’s first nuclear accident from becoming a much worse disaster.

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A recounting of the incident appeared this month on the Facebook page of the Historical Society of Ottawa and quickly went viral across Canada. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp., the country’s national broadcaster, followed up with its own version soon after.

“The Historical Society of Ottawa has been telling the great stories of the Ottawa area’s past for over 123 years,” the society’s outreach officer, Ben Weiss, told VOA. “No story, however, has resonated like this one.

“I had learned of this amazing story reading Jimmy Carter’s memoirs many years ago. Yet I had no idea my post would go viral as it did. Almost 1 million views on Facebook so far — and that many again reshared on Twitter.”

Carter, a young U.S. Navy lieutenant in 1952, was in in nearby Schenectady, New York, training to work aboard America’s first nuclear submarine at the time of the accident at a reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, just 180 km from Ottawa, the Canadian capital.

According to a Canadian government website, mechanical problems and operator error “led to overheating fuel rods and significant damage” to the core of the reactor, prompting officials to turn to the United States for help in dismantling the device.

A total of 26 Americans, including several volunteers, rushed to Chalk River to help with the hazardous job. Carter led a team of men who, after formulating a plan, descended into the highly radioactive site for 90 seconds apiece to perform specialized tasks.

Carter’s job, according to the CBC recounting, was simply to turn a single screw. But even that limited exposure carried serious risks; Carter was told that he might never be able to have children again, though in fact his daughter Amy was born years later.

For Weiss, the story and the reaction to it are a fitting tribute to Carter, who has devoted much of his post-presidency to public service but who at age 97 is in failing health.

“To learn of Carter’s ‘action hero’ exploits as a young naval officer (here in Canada of all places!) just seemed a fitting final puzzle piece to complete the story of this remarkable man’s life,” Weiss told VOA in an email exchange.

“I think many Canadians — and Americans — share a heartfelt fondness for Jimmy Carter. At least those of us of a certain generation.”

That view is shared by Bruce Heyman, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada. “The recent story of President Jimmy Carter and his heroic activity to prevent a nuclear disaster in Canada is one of many stories that tell us about one of America’s great citizens,” he said in an interview.

VOA reporter Kane Farabaugh, who has interviewed Carter more than 20 times and is researching a book on the Chalk River incident, believes the former president would be quick to deflect any credit for his role in averting a catastrophe.

“He did not do this by himself,” Farabaugh said. “He did this with a group of Navy men who were all tasked with the same job. I am sure what he would say is that he has to share the credit.”

“Let’s think about how humble Jimmy Carter is about all this,” Farabaugh added. “Nobody has really heard about this story almost 70 years past the incident. For almost 70 years, this is an event which has existed in obscurity. President Carter, when he was running for president, didn’t really discuss this. Could you imagine today?”

Robert A. Strong, author of a book on Carter’s foreign policy, attributes the surge of interest to “a kind of revival of academic and popular interest in Carter,” who was defeated in his bid for a second term as president in 1980.

“On reflection, Carter is a far better president than was recognized at the time,” said Strong, author of “Working in the World: Jimmy Carter and the Making of American Foreign Policy.”

Recent reappraisals of Carter’s presidency include an Al Jazeera article titled, “Jimmy Carter’s legacy seems to improve with age,” and PBS a report titled, “Why Jimmy Carter may be the most misunderstood president in American history.”

“What I want to remind people of, is the Jimmy Carter who we have come to respect and admire post-presidency, is the same Jimmy Carter who was in the White House,” Strong said.

 

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are they sure nothing happened?!

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I'm sure we will hear all about it on the Santos '24 campaign circuit. 
Also that pic of Jimmy wearing the allman bros shirt led me to this
 
In the summer of 1976 I volunteered to go to Jacksonville for the Carter people where Lynyrd Skynyrd, Charlie Daniels, Bonnie Raitt & others were playing a concert.   Our job was to get people to sign the back of their tickets because we were told that would allow the Carter campaign to use a portion of the ticket price as a campaign donation.     The carrot was that as volunteers we got in free.  It was a great concert, except for the fact Van Zant got so fucked up they could not go on after a long wait.   Bonnie Raitt stepped up and did every song I think she ever heard.
Rest in peace, Jimmy. 
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The right wing hate engine started with Ed Muskie and then really starting getting their game on with Carter. His "malaise" address was something I watched live with my father. We both agreed it was quite a bold piece of honest oratory. We admired it. 

Follow that with happy-talking delusional Reagan. Goodnight, America. Self-congratulation would never to be balanced by reality in public discourse again.

A story I've repeated before about Carter who was actually quite funny. He was on the Johnny Carson Show (Tonight Show) right after ex-president Reagan accepted a huge fee to go speak in Japan. It was very controversial and unseemly in an ex-president.

Carson got around to asking Carter about it. Carter responded something like, "Well, it's probably not the best thing for an ex-president to do. I will say that I'm available, howevuh."

Great man. I hope the end goes as well as it can, President Carter. I apologize for voting for Anderson over you when Reagan won.

Edited by RomaVicta
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2 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

just imagine; the "Christians" of this country voted for Reagan over this dude, who happens to be an actual "Christian". 

 

Huge time commitment to watch these two videos, but I learned so much more about how true this statement is than I'd already known before.

 

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4 minutes ago, NWBuck said:

Well, at least just like the dudes who showed up and brought weird gifts for Jesus' birthday 

Regardless of what I think, American Christianity in the majority has taught that astrology is not compatible with Christianity. Which is why I brought it up.  The same people who think Harry Potter is of the devil think the same thing about astrology. My only point.

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20 minutes ago, Gatorubet said:

The Reagans were avid astrology followers…..just like Jesus. 

 

15 minutes ago, NWBuck said:

Well, at least just like the dudes who showed up and brought weird gifts for Jesus' birthday 

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The Reagans were weird and had weird friends.

 

Although apparently back in the day Nancy could suck start an airplane.

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I really recommend Carter’s “Lust in My Heart” Playboy interview. As with most things Carter, it reads better now than it did then. I think what’s most impressive is, first of all, the fact that we used to do journalism this way. You can’t imagine this close of a look into what a candidate really thinks now.

Second, is the remarkable amount of introspection and seriousness Carter uses when discussing his faith and how it intersects with being a political leader representing hundreds of millions. It’s absolutely impossible to imagine that. 
 

I think Carter and GHWB were the last “real,” what you see is what you get presidents. And both of them got one term. HW was real in a different way, but he was real. Well, DJT was, too but being a real piece of shit doesn’t count. 
 

https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/interview-with-playboy-magazine

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9 hours ago, Gatorubet said:

Carter was personally selected by Captain (later Admiral) Hyman G. Rickover when starting America’s nuclear navy program .

That was a pretty big deal. 

And for those who don’t know much about that, it truly is a significant achievement. Rickover’s absolute demand for excellence and the intense scrutiny on those vying to become nuclear officers is the stuff of legend in the nuclear Navy, especially in the submarine community.  Definitely another testament to Carter’s strength of character and competence. Rickover didn’t suffer fools, weak men, or anything less than excellence. 

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Sad to hear, but he is a great man who lived a great long life.  When he was running for President in 1975/1976 and I was only 5 or 6 years old my parents took me to a small rally at the Diplomat hotel in FL and I shook his hand while he was leaving.  No idea why but I still remember that moment all these years later, but I can still picture him coming up to me and me reaching out my hand.  RIP

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3 hours ago, Whitewater Horn said:

And for those who don’t know much about that, it truly is a significant achievement. Rickover’s absolute demand for excellence and the intense scrutiny on those vying to become nuclear officers is the stuff of legend in the nuclear Navy, especially in the submarine community.  Definitely another testament to Carter’s strength of character and competence. Rickover didn’t suffer fools, weak men, or anything less than excellence. 

Rickover is responsible for Carter's "always do your best" motto/life.

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I think Trump receives a formal invite to the State funeral, but his staff gets clever and finds a way for him to be unavailable that day and everybody goes along with it.  Even his most corrupted staffers know that Carter is incredibly well-respected by both parties...the model for ex-Presidents for all time.  Even the 25mm truly hardcore MAGA base, half of them would be disturbed by Trump making a scene or remarks at a Carter funeral.  They'll still vote for him, but it would leave a very bad taste.  

Trump, predictably, won't be able to help himself.  He'll release some half-way decent note of condolence to the family and the nation, that eventually trails off into a tirade about himself.  I guess you want predictability in a President, I just never knew how it can totally go sideways with the wrong lump of shit in office.  

Anyway, will Carter as a former Naval Officer be buried at Arlington, or at his Presidential center in Atlanta or back home?  I could see either one.  

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