Rick Liblong: Praise for the resident from Plains 

Oct. 1 would have been the 102nd birthday of James Earl Carter, Jr, from Plains, Georgia, better known as “Jimmy,” 39th president of the United States. I doubt that much notice will be made of the occasion but now, more than 45 years after Mr. Carter left the White House, history can more accurately assess his Administration. 

I believe history will be favorable and kind to President Carter, deservedly so. 

“Jimmy Who?” an engineer, peanut farmer, former state senator and governor of Georgia was elected president in 1976 following the turmoil of the Vietnam and Watergate eras of Richard Nixon and Gerald R. Ford. 

During the campaign, he promised never to lie. To my knowledge, he kept that promise. At times, he was brutally honest with us about our “crisis of confidence.” His accomplishments in foreign policy are many. The most well-known one, of course, was the Camp David Accords, a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that remains in effect still today. Carter himself did most of the negotiating and persuading of the two foes. 

He negotiated and signed the Panama Canal Treaty, transferring the canal to Panama, avoiding a major conflict. Panama still runs the canal effectively for all nations to use. 

Carter followed Richard Nixon’s opening to China and formalized diplomatic relations with that Asian nation. And in all of his foreign relations endeavors, Carter stressed the issue of human rights for all people. 

As an engineer, he saw a problem, found a solution and implemented it. Consequently, Carter did not like the give and take of politics. Too much time wasted, he thought. 

Yet on the domestic front, Carter was very active. He dismantled strict federal controls over the airline, trucking, and railroad industries, which lowered consumer costs and spurred market competition.  

He created the Department of Energy to deal with the globalization of energy issues and instituted a national energy plan emphasizing fuel efficiency, alternative energy research, and domestic petroleum price decontrol to boost production. 

He created the Department of Education to help school districts all over the country. He also reformed the civil service system and appointed more women and minorities to posts than any other President by far. 

Carter signed Superfund legislation to help clean up toxic waste dumps nationwide. 

Unfortunately, Iran dealt Carter and the United Staes a major blow by taking Americans hostage. Carter was determined to get them home alive and did so. U.S. and Iran are still at odds 47 years later. 

Jimmy Carter was not a great public speaker and this was especially obvious when he was compared to a professional actor in the 1980 election. 

Following his defeat for re-election, Jimmy and Rosalyn moved back to Georgia and established The Carter Center. The Carter Center’s goal is to advance human rights and alleviate human. The center has projects across 80 countries including election monitoring, democratic institution-building, conflict mediation, and human rights advocacy. It also leads efforts to treat and eradicate neglected tropical diseases. Carter authored numerous books in his later years. 

I had the honor and privilege of meeting President Carter many times before, during and after his term in office. He was always pleasant and interesting to talk to. He passed away on Dec. 29, 2024, at age 100. 

I concede that Jimmy Carter will not be carved into Mt. Rushmore, nor make anyone’s list of top five Presidents. But I do believe that he was better than most and deserves an honorable mention. 

Thank you, Mr. President. History will be kind.