The Most Dangerous American

I recently purchased and read the Bernard Goldberg book, "110 People Who Are Screwing Up America." While on the outside it appears to be a anti-Left hatchet job - the subtitle is "Al Franken is #37" - Goldberg actually goes to town on both the Left and the Right. although, to be honest, it IS mostly those on the Left who are destroying us.

Regardless, the person chosen for number one - again, according to Mr. Goldberg - is Michael Moore.

I don't agree. Believe it or not.

I'm not saying that Michael Moore is not screwing up the country, but I hardly think he deserves the lofty pole-position. After all, Moore is just another hypocritical leftist who while decrying capitalism, makes no excuses for chasing the almighty dollar any way he can. The fact that Hollywood considers him a documentarian does make him dangerous indeed. But most people have finally realized that his movies are fewer documentaries and more fiction.

I do agree with many who are listed by Goldberg. Especially others in the top 10. But there are two among them that - in my honest opinion - should rank numbers 1 and 2. At number two (Goldberg lists him at #3) should be Edward Kennedy, the senior senator from Massachusetts. Kennedy is a poster child for those who strongly believe in term-limits. Since gaining office on the strength of his family name in 1962, Kennedy has been long-considered the most liberal member of the Democratic Party. However, this designation alone is not the reason for my disdain of the Senator. On the contrary, without the Left, the powers that the Right have would go unchecked, leaving us in a much worse position nationally.

My disgust for Kennedy has more to do with his past and his present. Of course, the controversy regarding his involvement in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne (‘involvement’ being a very kind word) will haunt him forever. But it’s more about the man Kennedy has become – sort of a bloviated caricature of himself. He often reminds me more of W.C. Fields than of an elder statesman.

But I digress, which is common when speaking of Kennedy. Actually, this leads me to whom I consider the most potently dangerous person in America today.

This person should not be at the top of this list for many reasons. For one, he too – like Teddy Kennedy – should have long ago dropped out of the spotlight of society. But over the past few years, he has – for some unknown reason – has re-entered the public eye and has caused tremendous damage, not just to his own weak legacy, but to the country as a whole.

Of course, I’m speaking of former President Jimmy Carter.

In previous posts, whenever I mentioned Carter, it was usually in calling him “Jimmah,” or something like that. Of course, it was in jest as that is how he himself has said his name. But it has now gotten to the point where the mention of the 39th-President is no longer a laughing matter. Carter was indeed the weakest, less respected and least productive president in my lifetime. Coming into the mainstream on the heels of biggest Presidential scandal in a hundred years, he didn’t so much win the election as much as Nixon-Agnew-Ford lost it. He was a bright smile for a dangerous time and he left office by way of one of the largest landslides in American history.

History will be kind to Carter for one reason, and one reason only – the Middle East Peace treaty signed by Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat. However, as much as he may have intervened in getting the U.S. hostages released in January of 1980, it was only through his own ineptitude as leader of the free world that lead to the Iranian crisis in the first place.

It seemed enough that he left Washington in disgrace. After being soundly rejected by the voting public in 1980, Carter enjoyed some better years (and better press) with his involvement in Habitat for Humanity, building homes for the needy. It was a wonderful way for him to rebuild his reputation as a man of peace and principle.

But those days have long gone and once again, Carter is interceding where he clearly doesn’t belong. It was enough a few years ago when he openly called out the State of Israel for her wartime “atrocities”, while keeping a blind eye to the thousands of Israeli victims of Arab suicide attacks. It was another thing when he chose to ignore the obviously fixed election of Hugo Chavez, while crying that George Bush “stole” the 2000 election (yeah, that was responsible). But now, the proven anti-Semitic, anti-American former President has gone even farther in his lunacy.

In a recent (last week) speech at the Forum for Human Rights, dear Jimmy has once again come out against the policy of the Bush (and Clinton and Bush and Reagan and even his own) administration which calls for no negotiation with a terrorist organization. In his opinion, Carter said that “the US has abandoned its role as a champion of human rights in the aftermath of the 11 September attacks.” He pointed to the torture of detainees, the denial of the applicability of the Geneva Convention and the erosion of civil liberties within the United States."

Aside that once again, the enemy combatants (i.e. terrorists) are not subject to the Geneva Convention, never agreed to the Geneva Convention and do not under any way shape or form fit the description of the Geneva Convention, it seems that it isn’t even his biggest beef. No, that honor goes to who else? Israel, of course.

To quote: “The United States, Israel and the European Union must end their policy of favoring Fatah over Hamas, or they will doom the Palestinian people to deepening conflict between the rival movements.”

That’s right. By favoring the less-bad guys – the ones who are willing to try and live peaceably with Israel – and thereby shunning the ones who are Hell-bent on destroying Israel, and eventually the United States, we are “deepening conflict between the rival movements.”

If only Carter were around when Germany was bombing the crud out of England and France. Of course, there would be no problems aside from everyone speaking German.

Carter is criticizing the current President, something that had never been done so shamelessly and certainly never in a time of war, over the fact that because Hamas won the election fair and square, we should accept them as, as, as what, exactly?

Are they no longer a terrorist organization? Well, according the U.S. State Department and the United Nations, they are. Look, just because they won the votes of the people, that doesn’t mean that they are a peaceful bunch who want to play fair. In Jimmy Carter’s world, the United States should never have come to the aid of Europe in World War II because Hitler was elected President. Nor should the U.S. have concerned themselves in Iraq because Saddam Hussein was also elected – I believe by 99.3% of the vote.

If it isn’t incredulous enough, Carter also said “Hamas, besides winning a fair and democratic mandate that should have entitled it to lead the Palestinian government, had proven itself to be far more organized in its political and military showdowns with the Fatah movement of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.”

Oh, I get it. Since Hamas has better thugs and is stronger militarily, they should be in charge. John Hinderaker (via michellemalkin.com) has Irish TV news video of Carter’s appearance and sums up the visit: “So there you have it: in the perverse world of Jimmy Carter, the United States is a criminal nation that destroys civil liberties, tortures prisoners and oppresses Palestinians. But the Iran-controlled terrorists of Hamas? No problem.”

It’s sad that in 2007, we have to deal with anti-Semites and those who wish harm to America. The United States has certainly made mistakes in her history, but of all countries throughout history, the U.S. has done the most good. We have fed the most people, saved the most people and as if that weren’t enough, we constantly rebuke ourselves for not doing more. No other country in the history of the World has accomplished that. Imagine, if you will, that it isn’t America that were the richest nation, but Iran, or even Russia. Do you believe for even one moment that this would be beneficial for humanity? Do you believe the butchers of Hamas would be so careful about civil rights and liberties.

It’s bad enough that so many in the world blame America for all of their problems when their own governments are what have been failing them. It’s even worse when a former President – a man with a unique platform from which he could unite people from all over and bring a steady voice of peace and brotherhood – ignores the good in America while propping up the butchers and tyrants world-wide.

I always believed that the office of the President was beyond reproach. I may disagree with the person who currently fills the seat, but whether he is a Democrat or a Republican, he deserves the honor and respect of his citizens. Jimmy Carter has proven to me that this isn’t always the case. Carter deserves no more respect from me, or anyone else, than does Teddy Kennedy or anyone else who blindly follows the tenants of death and destruction. Whether it be in siding with the enemy, or just being a poor imitation of a public servant.

So I believe that Mr. Goldberg is just a bit off when he calls Michael Moore the person most “screwing up the country.” Michael Moore is a flea. His star will burn out as it does to all “Hollywood” players. But Jimmy Carter is more. He is a bigger-than-life character without character and that is why he is so damn dangerous.