James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024
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lol
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@jon-nyc said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
Here’s a ChatGPT summary
Martin Gurri’s book, “The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium”, explores the profound impact of the digital information explosion on society, politics, and authority structures. Gurri, a former CIA analyst, argues that the advent of the internet and social media has upended traditional hierarchies of power by democratizing information and giving the public unprecedented tools to challenge institutions.
Key Themes and Arguments:
- The Information Tsunami:
Gurri describes how the internet has unleashed a “tsunami” of information, overwhelming traditional gatekeepers like governments, media, and corporations. This abundance of information erodes trust in these institutions by exposing their flaws and contradictions. - The Revolt of the Public:
Empowered by digital tools, ordinary people can now organize, communicate, and express dissent on a massive scale. Movements like the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, and Brexit are examples of how the public uses this power to challenge authority. - Crisis of Authority:
Institutions built for the industrial age struggle to adapt to this new reality. They are designed to control the flow of information, but in the digital era, their authority is undermined by transparency and the public’s growing skepticism. - Anti-Establishment Sentiments:
Gurri notes that the public’s revolt is often defined by what it opposes rather than what it supports. These movements are characterized by their rejection of elites, institutions, and traditional hierarchies, but they rarely offer constructive alternatives. - Polarization and Fragmentation:
The digital age has not only democratized information but also fragmented it, creating echo chambers and amplifying ideological divisions. This contributes to a more chaotic and unpredictable public sphere. - Future of Governance:
Gurri warns that the current trajectory could lead to further instability unless institutions evolve to embrace transparency and engage meaningfully with the public. He calls for humility and adaptability from elites in addressing the public’s concerns.
Conclusion:
“The Revolt of the Public” provides a compelling analysis of how the digital revolution has shifted the balance of power between the public and traditional authority. Gurri’s work is a cautionary tale about the challenges and opportunities of the information age, highlighting the need for new forms of governance and leadership to navigate this transformative era.
I haven't read him, but it sounds like he's on the right track.
- The Information Tsunami:
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Interesting little fact I just learned- it was Carter who had the Resolute Desk brought back to the oval office
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Biggest success 50 years later I’d say are the camp David accords. And the principals involved heavily credited him personally for their success.
Next was appointing Paul Volcker which ultimately ended inflation.
Third was the rather significant deregulation effort which included deregulation of airline prices. Remember how expensive it used to be to fly?
I think he and Ford deserve credit, now 50 years later, for the least popular things they did - pardon Nixon and the draft dodgers. Together those two acts helped turn the corner on one of the most contentious eras of American politics in the 20th century.
Those would be top of my list off my head.
Biggest failure would be the coup in Iran. I don’t know enough to speculate as to what he could have done differently to prevent it or reverse it, but it happened on his watch and was clearly the most enduring problem that arose during his term.
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Yes, he wasn't Mr. Nixon, that alone was a great success.
The events in Iran overshadowed everything in his final year. He wouldn't campaign until the hostages were released - they weren't released until after the election.
Our company had guys locked in an Iranian prison during that time. We sent some of our guys to bust them out, successfully. Some of you might remember the story of Desert One, Mr. Carter's failed rescue. It's hard to blame him, but he was the boss.
One of those embassy hostages lived here in the neighborhood, we played golf regularly until his death last year.
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Wow. Did you ever hear from him what it was like there?
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From what I remember, it was mostly lonely. He was a young ensign, a signals guy. They kept him locked up - alone most of the time.
I played golf with him for a year or 2 before I heard that he was a hostage. I knew him as a contractor to the Navy (retired). As soon as I heard I started asking him about it. He talked about it like it was no big deal.
The best story.
Remember the Tony Orlando hit song - "Tie a Yellow Ribbon on the Old Oak Tree"?
Every town square in American had an old oak tree covered with yellow ribbons.
I asked him what it felt like to come home and realize that many people really cared about him.
That's when he told me about Tony Orlando.When Sam finally got back to his house the phone rang. It was Tony Orlando asking if he could sing a personal version of the song to Sam over the phone. Sam said "sure". Tony sang it.
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Sam, of course met Mr. Carter in Germany. Mr. Carter flew there right after the inauguration to greet the hostages.
The pilot of that (former) Air Force One flight worked at the flight school where I worked in Leesburg. He was one of many Air Force One pilots, there is a team. Of course it wasn't designated as Air Force One for that flight, but Mr. Reagan let Mr. Carter borrow it.
After the meeting he flew Mr. Carter back to Plains. It was the final AF1 flight for the pilot too. He was one of the sharpest pilots I ever met while working there. -
Good story.
I was just a kid but I remember it well. I mean the crisis. That’s when Ted Koppel got his nightly slot and you’d see plenty of cars with ribbons on them. I was 8 when they were released.
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By the way Koppel’s wife is a board member emeritus of our sister foundation (she suffers from COPD) and I’ve been on panels with her and met Ted. All in the last couple years.
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I think I remember a split screen on live TV with the inauguration of Reagan on one side and the hostage release on the other. I might be embellishing that in my mind though.
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Interesting. My next door neighbor’s Facebook post. She’s the cute one on the left. This would have been 30 or more years ago.
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I heard a second-hand story that says Mr. Reagan sent a message to Iran saying that if his hand came off that bible and the hostages where not released there would be hell to pay.
The story I heard says that he gave them the exact location and weapons to be used.
I can't say if it is true, but I like the story.
And the Iranians thought it would help to make it clear they were doing a favor for Mr. Reagan. -
@jon-nyc said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
Biggest success 50 years later I’d say are the camp David accords. And the principals involved heavily credited him personally for their success.
Agreed - though some critics wonder if it, ultimately, made a difference as far as stability in the ME goes. Not having Egypt and Israel with drawn swords is a big deal to be sure. Maybe the swords are just pointed in different directions now. The situation in Iran speaks for itself,
Biggest failure would be the coup in Iran.
His history of chatting with the Ayatollah may have had something to do with that. "You fucked up, you trusted us."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36431160
Persuaded by Carter, Iran's autocratic ruler, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, known as the Shah, had finally departed on a "vacation" abroad, leaving behind an unpopular prime minister and a military in disarray - a force of 400,000 men with heavy dependence on American arms and advice.
Khomeini feared the nervous military: its royalist top brass hated him. Even more worrying, they were having daily meetings with a US Air Force General by the name of Robert E Huyser, whom President Carter had sent on a mysterious mission to Tehran.
The ayatollah was determined to return to Iran after 15 years in exile and make the Shah's "vacation" permanent. So he made a personal appeal. .
In a first-person message, Khomeini told the White House not to panic at the prospect of losing a strategic ally of 37 years and assured them that he, too, would be a friend.
"You will see we are not in any particular animosity with the Americans," said Khomeini, pledging his Islamic Republic will be "a humanitarian one, which will benefit the cause of peace and tranquillity for all mankind".
I have reasonably full memories of the Iran debacle, and I worked with several Iranians at the time. Words fail to describe how shocked and disappointed they were.
Pardoning Nixon and the draft dodgers? A good thing, but the fact it's one of the "highlights"...
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More on Carter's activities in the Middle East. An article from 2002.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/05/jimmy-carter.html
During the buildup to the Gulf War in 1990 and 1991, Carter unsuccessfully worked to undermine the foreign policy of America’s democratically elected president, George Bush. Carter behaved as the Imperial Ex-President, conducting a guerrilla foreign policy operation that competed with the actual president’s. What’s disturbing about this behavior is not that Carter opposed war with Iraq.Many Democrats opposed going to war, and they worked within the American system to try to prevent a war that many predicted would be bloody (which it was, for Iraq). But Carter went further than merely lobbying Congress to oppose military action or speaking out in an effort to tilt popular opinion against the coming war. He used his status as a former president to engage in foreign policy, a deliberate effort to subvert the democratic process.
In November 1990, two months after Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, Carter wrote a letter to the heads of state of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. He urged the countries to drop their support for Bush’s proposed military solution. Instead, as Douglas Brinkley outlines in The Unfinished Presidency, his glowing but not uncritical assessment of Carter’s post-presidential years, Carter asked the countries to give “unequivocal support to an Arab League effort” for peace. (As Brinkley notes, Carter’s anti-war position conflicted with the Carter Doctrine he had outlined as president: Any “attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such force will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.”) Right up to Bush’s Jan. 15 deadline for war, Carter continued his shadow foreign policy campaign. On Jan. 10, he wrote the leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria and asked them to oppose the impending military action. “I am distressed by the inability of either the international community or the Arab world to find a diplomatic solution to the Gulf crisis,” he wrote. “I urge you to call publicly for a delay in the use of force while Arab leaders seek a peaceful solution to the crisis. You may have to forego approval from the White House, but you will find the French, Soviets, and others fully supportive. Also, most Americans will welcome such a move.” Former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft later accused Carter of violating the Logan Act, the law that prohibits American citizens from conducting unofficial foreign policy.
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@jon-nyc said in James Earl Carter Jr, 1924-2024:
Heh.
Carter’s death, less than 30 days before President-elect Donald Trump’s swearing-in, means the American flag will fly half-staff on Inauguration Day, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
President Trumps classy response.
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113765847370756395
The Democrats are all “giddy” about our magnificent American Flag potentially being at “half mast” during my Inauguration. They think it’s so great, and are so happy about it because, in actuality, they don’t love our Country, they only think about themselves.
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And the Post Office gets a day off.
Yippee!