As a young nuclear officer in the U.S. Navy, Carter helped dismantle a Canadian nuclear reactor after a partial meltdown. He trained on a replica, then entered the still-radioactive site to remove pieces one by one. It was a harrowing, heroic act of service.
🧵 2/ #JimmyCarter
Carter described the experience: practicing on a duplicate reactor—dashing in for seconds at a time to remove bolts and fittings.
When they went into the real reactor, every moment was radioactive risk. Each bolt they removed was a step closer to safety.
This early experience shaped Carter's views on nuclear energy. His biographer, Peter Bourne, believed it instilled a sense of caution and responsibility that influenced his presidency when navigating nuclear policy.
🧵 3/ #JimmyCarter
Jimmy Carter’s journey to leadership was rooted in humble beginnings
The son of farmers, no one in his family had finished high school before him
But young Carter dreamed big: "To go to the Naval Academy, get a college education, and serve in the U.S. Navy."
After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1946, Carter served with distinction. His awards included the WWII Victory Medal and China Service Medal. He left active duty in 1953 to support his family
🧵 4/ #JimmyCarter
In 1966, Jimmy Carter ran for governor of Georgia but finished a disappointing third
Undeterred, he ran again in 1970 and won. Carter served as the 76th Governor of Georgia from January 12, 1971, to January 14, 1975
As governor, he organized a massive structural reform, streamlining government to reduce costs and increase efficiency. Carter also prioritized improving Georgia’s weak educational system, laying the groundwork for long-term progress.
🧵 5/ #JimmyCarter
After serving as Georgia's governor, Jimmy Carter ran for president in 1976 as a Washington outsider, winning the trust of a nation weary from Watergate.
To avoid conflicts of interest, he placed his businesses, including his peanut farm, into a blind trust before taking office and later sold them.
Carter came from a family of farmers spanning 350 years, breaking the mold to serve his country.
🧵 6/ #JimmyCarter
As president, Jimmy Carter accomplished what many two-term presidents could only hope for, leaving behind achievements that continue to benefit us today:
Returned the Panama Canal to Panama
Doubled national park lands, adding 104 million acres
Passed more bills through Congress than any modern president except LBJ
🧵 7/ #JimmyCarter
Jimmy Carter entered office as a unifying force
On his 2nd day in office, he pardoned all Vietnam War draft evaders
And over his presidency, Carter:
Created FEMA
Established the Departments of Energy and Education
Deregulated trucking, railroads, and airlines, creating millions of jobs
And in '78 he legalized home-brewing, paving the way for the craft beer industry
🧵 8/ #JimmyCarter
As a skilled diplomat, Carter brokered the Camp David Accords, securing a historic peace between Israel and Egypt. This landmark agreement avoided massive loss of life and remains one of the most significant peace efforts in modern history.
🧵 9/ #JimmyCarter
Carter called for energy independence, creating the Department of Energy and setting the foundation for clean energy initiatives
Carter also broke barriers by meeting with LGBTQ+ activists during his presidency, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to engage directly with the gay rights movement. He publicly opposed discriminatory legislation, including Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" campaign
Carter’s advocacy marked a significant step forward for LGBTQIA+ rights
🧵 10/ #JimmyCarter
Carter normalized relations with China in 1979 and signed SALT II to limit nuclear arms, though the treaty wasn’t ratified due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
He imposed sanctions on the USSR, led the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and tripled minority representation on the federal bench
Carter also supported unions, advocating for worker protections during tough economic times
🧵 11/ #JimmyCarter
Anecdote time.
When Carter was elected president in 1976, Elvis Presley called to congratulate him
According to Carter: Elvis was "totally stoned and incoherent"
Despite the bizarre nature of the call, Carter listened patiently, even as Presley rambled on about wanting to work with him and offering to help the country
Carter later shared this story as a testament to his belief in treating everyone with kindness and respect, regardless of the circumstances. Uh'huh
🧵 12/ #JimmyCarter
While soft-spoken and humble, Jimmy Carter’s principles were unwavering
In 2000, he renounced the Southern Baptist Convention after 60 years, opposing its treatment of women as inferior and barring them from leadership roles
Carter’s belief in equality shaped his global advocacy, tackling issues like child marriage, human trafficking, and gender violence through The Carter Center.
🧵 13/ #JimmyCarter
I want to share something from my special folder—a place I turn to when I need a pick-me-up
This photo captures 97-year-old Jimmy Carter giving his wife of over 75 years a New Year’s Eve kiss. Love like this, enduring and inspiring across generations, is the kind of love I aspire to.
🧵 14/ #JimmyCarter
And if you need more inspiration, here’s 95-year-old Jimmy Carter just weeks after a fall that required 15 stitches,..
He traveled to Nashville to help build porches for 21 Habitat for Humanity houses.
A testament to his unwavering commitment to service and humanity.
🧵 15/ #JimmyCarter
The first photo I shared was of a boy named Carter Beckhard-Suozzi.
He survived Burkitt’s lymphoma and fulfilled his dream of meeting his namesake, President Jimmy Carter, through Make-A-Wish.
Jimmy Carter delayed a meeting to spend extra time with him. The younger Carter gave the president a bracelet that read, "Carter Crushed Cancer With Power, Strength, Love."
A moment of resilience, kindness, and hope—a true reflection of the Carter legacy.
🧵 16/ #JimmyCarter
A worthy tribute. Sadly, we will not see his like again and tis more the pity as we need men like him now more than ever.
@flexghost So I visited the Carter Center site and found that his middle name is Earl. James Earl Carter? Who knew.
The Carter Center reports 7 cases of guinea worm this year (exact numbers not yet confirmed). He always hoped to live to see the eradication of the disease. So close.
💔
@flexghost I don't get it. What was in it for him?
(trump irony trolling) How far we have fallen.
Two states, secure. Peace.
Improved education is why Georgia got two wonderful Senators like Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, and Stacey Abrams is so successful in turning out the vote
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2024/04/22/stacy_abrams_the_attack_on_dei_is_an_attack_on_democracy.html
https://www.npr.org/2023/04/05/1168216386/stacey-abrams-howard-university-race-black-politics
The benefits for democracy are so obvious, #KochNetwork does all it can to destroy public education.
https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9781682539101/the-privateers/
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/oct/05/reagan-nation-at-risk-education-policy-trump-bush
In 1952, an experimental nuclear reactor in Chalk River, Ont., about 180 kilometres northwest of Ottawa, partially melted down, becoming the world's first nuclear reactor incident. Disaster was averted, in part, with help from future U.S. president Jimmy Carter.
@flexghost I think he was a B-List president. But, as a human, he was.... whatever letter comes _before_ A.
An S achievement in
humaning.
CathBear
flexghost.
DaSkinny ⚜️
VexaciousFacts
Pamina
@pineywoozle ‘s #3WordNote
Crystal_Fish_Caves
Kevin Russell
Howard Chu @ Symas
Mary Clark
Flip them all
Nicole Parsons
Mike Gifford, CPWA @FOSDEM
amd
SilvertipGrizz
EllenJS
rynnan
soean
Longspeak
Scalara
Agyei Gyasi