In his acceptance speech for the 1976 Democratic nomination, Jimmy Carter said a memorable phrase: The income tax system, he said, "is a disgrace to the human race." It is certainly the best rhyme of Carter's presidency, and it is still apt, because it describes Carter himself to a T.

After flunking as president, Jimmy Carter has now become an unalloyed embarassment. As president Carter almost managed to drive the US economy off the road, with the highest combined inflation and unemployment rate in a half century. Even worse, it was Carter who brought Ayatollah Khomeini to power, by refusing to support the pro—American Shah of Iran. Needless to say, Khomeini quickly created the first major Islamofascist government in modern times, which has terrorized Iranians and indoctrinated hundreds of thousands of people in the ideology of suicide martyrdom. The Khomeinist regime is now on the verge of getting nuclear weapons.

Needless to say, Jimmy Carter became a hero to the international Left, scoring a Nobel Peace Prize in the process.

Yesterday the International Herald Tribune, owned by the New York Times Company, published Carter's latest pearls of wisdom. His title? "Punishing the innocent is a crime." And no, he wasn't talking about the 3,000 American civilians murdered on 9/11. He was talking about the "innocent" terrorist group Hamas. Carter has now openly demanded US and European aid for a Hamas Islamofascist government for the Palestinians. Apparently he hasn't noticed what happened the last time he brought Islamic fanatics to power.

Innocent Palestinian people are being treated like animals, with the presumption that they are guilty of some crime. Because they voted for candidates who are members of Hamas, the United States government has become the driving force behind an apparently effective scheme of depriving the general public of income, access to the outside world and the necessities of life.

Where to start? When someone's head is so deeply sunk where the sun don't shine, there isn't any place to start.

First of all, the idea that Palestinians are "deprived... of the necessities of life" is a plain lie. Tens of millions of dollars of humanitarian aid is flowing to the PA territories. Even Jimmy Carter could have had somebody fact—check that sentence. It is only government—to—government aid to the Hamas appatus that is being suspended by the US and Europe ——— until they give some assurance that they want peace.

Interestingly, Hamas doesn't seem to think it is starving. The Jerusalem Post reports that:

Hamas leaders warned over the weekend of a new intifada and said they would "chop off" the head of anyone who works to bring down their cabinet. The warnings were made during huge demonstrations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in support of the Hamas cabinet and in protest against the US—led sanctions on the Hamas cabinet.

Carter seems to think that Palestinian voters had a choice — that they could have voted for a peace party. But there is no peace party. Palestinian kids are brought up from infancy with worst kind of propaganda. Fatah has committed terrorist acts for its entire existence, just as Hamas has. But Fatah is secular, while Hamas is a creation of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Sunni version of Khomeini''s fascist regime in Iran.

Hamas has proclaimed again and again that its Islamic duty is to destroy Israel. It has sworn to never, never negotatiate a lasting peace. To prove that it is serious, it has been murdering innocent children, women, and men in Israel. Hamas is now killing other Palestinians in a struggle against Fatah.

Carter is therefore demanding that the United States support a government that has denounced the Oslo Accords, and which repeatedly proclaims that it has no intention of making peace. Apparently Palestinian governments do not need to adhere to their treaty agreements. All the wildly celebrated international peace accords now mean nothing. It's heads I win, tails you lose.

Apparently terrorist killing of civilians is acceptable. If Flight 93 had crashed into the White House, we can only assume that Jimmy Carter would be all in favor. It is Hamas that is the victim.

It is a little—known fact that King Edward VIII of Britain secretly negotiated with Hitler at the start of World War Two, to take over the reins of power if the Nazis conquered England. In the end Churchill had Edward exiled to the Caribbean for the duration of the war. British governments have since refused to say a word about Edward's treason, in good part from sheer shame and embarassment.

Jimmy Carter is our Edward VIII. What a disgrace to the human race.

James Lewis   5 08 06

Ethel Fenig adds:

With all their faults, Hamas leaders have continued to honor a temporary cease—fire, or hudna, during the past 18 months,

Uh no.  They preach hatred of Jews and of Israel and why they must be totally eliminated,  looking the other way while so many prepare and attempt terrorist attacks.

And of course Carter continues to blame the Israelis for not passively acquiescing to their own slaughter, of resisting and using necessary measures to survive. 

Regardless of these intricate and long—term political interrelationships, it is unconscionable for Israel, the United States and others under their influence to continue punishing the innocent and already persecuted people of Palestine. The Israelis are withholding approximately $55 million a month in taxes and customs

Jimmy, go back to your peanuts.

Thomas Lifson adds:

Innocent Palestinian people are being treated like animals, with the presumption that they are guilty of some crime...

Animals are not capable of guilt because they do not exercise free will. This sentence fragment is incoherent. Yet both a former president and an aditor or two thought it worthy of publication.

Ed Lasky adds:

Carter also a long history of hostility to Israel. He has celebrated Hamas' involvement in politics and called them "so—called terrorists."