Them's Fightin' Words...

By now, most everyone has heard that President Carter claimed people who don't support Obama do so because they are racists. Wow. Obviously, this is shocking on the face of it. If you have not heard this, the video is below. I also recommend two very good posts on this topic, one by pm317, and one by LisaB. To the Carter video:

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But here's the problem for me. I had really liked President Carter. I had a lot of respect for him, in fact. I was young and naive when he was in office, but certainly the work he had done AFTER leaving the White House was commendable. For instance, the work he and his entire family did for Habitat for Humanity has helped numerous people, including in my home town. I have experienced firsthand seeing the joy and pride the new homeowner as she looked at her house, and talked about what it meant to her. And the group of university students with whom I was working, all female, becoming more empowered, more sure of themselves, because they were helping to build someone a HOUSE, and the sense of pride and accomplishment that gave them.

The work Carter has done in Africa, helping to eradicate a horrible disease of worms that infiltrate too many areas there, doing horrible damage to the people they infest. Or his work in monitoring elections. Heck, even his recent decision to leave his church of many years because they will not ordain women.

My partner and I have visited the Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, GA, a beautiful place in a calming and serene environment. I walked through that buildung filled with a sense of awe, seeing what he gave up, and subsequently his wife, when he left his commission as a Naval officer behind to go back to Georgia and help out the family. As I saw photographs marking historic moments, actual papers from events I had read about, or seen on tv. I was in awe as I saw his actual Nobel Peace Prize. And with pride, we have supported the Carter Peace Center for years now with monthly contributions...

(Photo by rachydachy)

But, things have been changed now. It began with some of his statements about Israel. Then President Carter inserted himself into the Primary Campaign, making some unkind remarks about my hero, ">Hillary Clinton. And now this. Being called a racist because I oppose the way by which Obama became President, but even more, because I oppose his policies. When someone calls me a racist, I gotta say (as we do down here in the South, "Them's fightin' words." And so, I have written this letter to send to the Carter Center when my next payment is due:

Dear Carter Center,

On September 15, 2009, President Jimmy Carter claimed that those who oppose President Obama do so because of his race. I cannot begin to tell you how much I resent President Carter's remarks.

I used to have a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter. As you can see, I am a long time contributor to the Peace Center. I have been to his Presidential Library, and literally wept when I saw his Nobel Peace Prize. But this has gone too far.

It was bad enough when President Carter made disparaging remarks about then-Senator Hillary Clinton continuing the presidential race, the person who received more votes than anyone in a Primary EVER, who, had Obama not committed rampant, documented caucus fraud, would easily have had the delegates for the nomination, and as it was, was separated from Obama by just a few delegates - until the Democratic Party committed the worst atrocity in its history on May 31, 2008 - took lawfully cast votes from one candidate to give to another. They took votes certified by the Secretarys of State from one candidate and GIVEN to another. That is about as undemocratic as one can possibly get. Where was President Carter when the DNC did this, the champion of fair elections everywhere in the world but here?

I guess it never occurred to President Carter (or Rep. Hank Johnson of GA, with his comparisons to the KKK,for that matter) that I, and others like me, oppose Obama’s policies on their MERITS. For that matter, we pick our presidential choices on their MERITS, something sorely lacking with Obama. It has NOTHING to do with the color of his skin – it has to do with his lack of experience, his race-baiting, his misogyny, especially his treatments of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin; his aforementioned caucus fraud; his payment of $832,000 to ACORN for “voter registration”; his 20 yrs in Rev. Wright’s hate-mongering church; his associations with Rezko, Khalidi, Kilpatrick, Meeks, Ayers, and Kmiec, to name a few; his “present” votes; his lack of holding ONE meeting of the committee charged with overseeing Europe, NATO, and Afghanistan, then having the audacity to claim what a mess Afghanistan was; his thugs; his reneging on FISA, DOMA, DADT, and I could go on and on. Not one of those has to do with the color of the man’s skin – not ONE.

How DARE President Carter call me a racist because I don’t fall in lockstep that “Everything Obama Does Is GREAT!” I have the CONSTITUTIONAL right to disagree with, and CHALLENGE, my president, when I disagree with his policies – and that does NOT make me a racist, but an AMERICAN.

It has been Obama, and his representatives, from Jim Clyburn, my representative (who stabbed Bill and Hillary Clinton in the back repeatedly, completely misrepresenting what they said prior to the Primary in SC), to Jesse Jackson, Jr., and now to President Carter, who have thrown around the charge of racism, a serious, serious charge, whenever people have tried to hold Obama to the SAME STANDARDS as every other president, or presidential candidate.

To NOT hold Obama to the same standards, to NOT require of him all of the same transparency, paperwork, records, etc., is what is truly RACIST, as it treats him differently than every other candidate/president. Therein lies the irony. Those of us who expect accountability for promises made, and scrutinize policies, are not the racists - those who defend him no matter what he does and claim it is because of the color of his skin should take a long, hard look in the mirror before throwing out such a highly charged insult.

I cannot, in good conscience, continue to send my monthly contributions to the Peace Center. I almost ended my support when President Carter insulted Hillary Clinton, who got 18,000,000 votes - clearly, the PEOPLE'S choice. But I decided to let that go. But not this. It is clearly pointless to submit my professional work on anti-racism, much less the makeup of my extended family. The charge has already been made.

I have sent my last contribution. From now on, I am sending my money to the Clinton Foundation to support the work of President Clinton who has not called me a racist once.

Sincerely,
The Rev. Amy

What a sad day, for me personally, but also for this nation, when a former president makes such a grievous, and unfounded, charge against over half of the population. Because we have the audacity to judge the president by his CHARACTER, rather than the color of his skin, as Martin Luther King, Jr., charged us to do, we are called a heinous name. How sad, and how infuriating.

President Carter, as respectfully as I can muster after being called a racist, I would suggest it is time for you to go into retirement, and leave off sharing your political opinions. You are not doing yourself or your legacy any good, to be sure. Even more, you are not doing this nation any good. Rather, you are fanning flames that divide us, not unite us, all to provide cover for a man who, had he been properly vetted in the first place, and had the DNC followed its own rules, would never have gotten this far. Speaking for me only, I am judging Obama on the merits, not the color of his skin. I suggest you do likewise.