Jimmy Carter Man From Plains

I found Jonathan Demme’s documentary on Jimmy Carter, Jimmy Carter Man From Plains, really fascinating on several levels. I think it was very courageous of Carter to write a book on the situation in the Gaza Strip called, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid. I think most Europeans and non-American are somewhat sympathetic to the Palestinian plight, but in America showing any sympathy immediately makes you anti-Semitic and that’s what Carter got and then some during his book tour. So, in a sense it was successful in opening up a dialogue. The man is in his 70s and still very vibrant doing good with his Carter Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and writing books to help bring peace to various parts of the world. But more than that, he is a decent human being making small talk with strangers in the street, shaking hands with people on an airplane, chatting with the make up lady before a TV interview-he’s humble and humane. At the end there was a montage of his past as president and I would have liked to have seen more about that part of his life since I can barely remember, but it seems that history hasn’t treated his presidency well. But he does point out that he brought all of the American hostages home without going to war.