You Don't Know What You've Got 'Til It's (Not Quite) Gone

By Miss Kubelik

We cats have had an interesting visit to Atlanta and to Plains, Georgia, to hear about the latest good works of The Carter Center and its mission of waging peace, fighting disease and building hope. We're happy to report that after the briefings we received, we continue to be smug about our support of the center and its programs. Boy, when it comes to humanitarian organizations, we sure know how to pick 'em.

What was most interesting to us, though, was the makeup of the crowd that turned out for the event, which also included a tour of Jimmy Carter's boyhood home (conducted by the man himself) and attendance at Sunday school (more on that later). Also, square dancing. (GACK! It's tough for cats to square dance. We get lost in the crowd and our paws get stepped on.)

What we mean is that some of the people who attended seem to have become JECIII groupies during the ex-Presidency but were kind of in the dark about all his accomplishments when he was in the White House: the Camp David accords, normalizing relations with China, negotiating the Panama Canal treaty, etc. All done in one term (but we have to admit, with a less-obstreperous Republican Party then). We're not criticizing Carter's newfound fan club, but we hope that they give up on the oh-he's-just-a-good-former-President meme. There's a whole lot more to the story.

We also had time to reflect on the fact that voters today claim to want authenticity and honesty above all else, but that when the nation had one of its most honest men sitting in the Oval Office, they tossed him out for a second-rate Hollywood actor who sold arms to Iran and lied about it.

So, call us skeptical on the wisdom of the American people when it comes to public servants like Jimmy Carter. The Nobel Committee certainly got it even if they don't. Perhaps before this indomitable man really does check out (which, thanks to a clean post-treatment cancer scan, appears to be off in the future), America and not just the groupies will give him the recognition he deserves. Until then, we salute 100 elections observed, the Syria conflict mapped, and the guinea worm nearly eradicated. We cats PURR.