It is October 1, and aside from being my daughter's 3rd and my brother's 38th, it is President Jimmy Carter's 88th birthday.
I have to say, I was pretty young. Jimmy Carter was the first president I remember winning an election. Carter always seemed to this 8 year old to have the broadest smile where you could see all 32 (or maybe 42) teeth. He certainly impressed upon me the need for energy conservation. Looking back on the addresses to the nation he gave from the Oval Office, there was an urgency in his voice that I didn't detect in real time.
I did remember hearing about Love Canal back then. I hadn't realized that the problems were caused as much by local public stupidity - the company that dumped the waste there told the City of Niagara Falls that the land he sold them for $1 was crap and should be sealed off, so the city got the Great Idea to build a neighborhood and two schools on it, because progress. Love Canal was what started real progress in the cleanup of environmental crap. Anytime you hear of a Superfund cleanup, thank Jimmy Carter.
More below the Orange Vortex of Understanding
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Do you brew beer? Thank Jimmy Carter - he helped make it legal for you, the regular individual as opposed to Big Beer Company, to buy your malt, hops, and yeast for the first time since Prohibition.
Do you admire all the work he's done with Habitat for Humanity and mediating conflicts between neighbors and making the world a better place? You should. It isn't for nothing that Jimmy Carter is the best ex-President ever. The personality that may not have served him well during his presidency is excellent for post-presidential endeavours. The 2002 Nobel Peace Prize is proof of that.
Perfect? Of course not. Always agrees with me? The only person that agrees with me 100% of the time is me. But a good man? Absolutely. Wish this good man and long serving ex-President still in service to the world a happy 88th birthday.