Jimmy Carter has driven the near-extinction of a species!

[hedgehog]

Guinea worm is about as close to a real-life Alien event as you can get — a parasitic worm mates inside a person's abdomen, grows up to 3 feet long and then exits (painfully) from a blister.

But the worm's final chapter is near: The world is closer than ever to wiping the parasite off the face of the Earth.

There were only 17 cases of Guinea worm in the first five months of this year, the Carter Center Monday. That's a 75 percent reduction from this time last year, when 68 people reported infections.


http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/07/08/329519260/going-going-almost-gone-a-worm-verges-on-extinction

[longship]

1. Parasites are horrible. Then there's things like the Guinea worm.

The differences are between biological parasites, like the guinea worm, and the the memetic parasites, like the theocratic GOP. Both should be extirpated.

[littlemissmartypants]

5. Love it! nt

[littlemissmartypants]

7. Expiration of government. nt

[Hekate]

2. Blessings on Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter, two of the finest former occupants of the White House ever.

Seriously. They live their Christianity every day of their lives.
`
`
`
`
must
`
not
`
snark
`
at DU's current obsession
`
Oh hell. I wonder if Jimmy Carter gets paid a lot for his speeches, or if he speaks for free and helps sweep out the auditorium afterward?
`
aaaagh. I feel like such a bad person for giving in

[littlemissmartypants]

4. Agreed. nt

[littlemissmartypants]

6. No one beat you to it. Best to get it over with.

Lessen the pain.

[F4lconF16]

16. Oof. Lots of Republicans live their Christianity every day of their lives, too.

I wouldn't say that's a good thing. While in no way meaning to detract from what they have done and continue to do, I'd ask that we don't celebrate their Christianity for it. They do these things because they're fantastic, moral people, and they'd be doing these things whether or not they believed in a god.

[Hekate]

19. Just my way of pointing out that despite the noise at DU from a vocal clacque...

... who are pretty sure that all religions and gods are stupid delusions and that all Christians are Dominionist theocrats who want the rest of us to bow our necks in submission...

... Painting with such a broad brush is pretty dumb itself.

Jimmy Carter was, in his time as a presidential candidate, mocked for his piety after an interview with Playboy. He's continued to be a pious man, who teaches Sunday School at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, GA. He made a public break with the Southern Baptist Convention several years ago, however, over their newly-rigid policies toward women.

As far as I can tell, he lives his deeply ethical life as a testament to his beliefs, which are Christian. He doesn't demand that others do so.

Personally, I thank whatever gods/goddeses may be that he is still a Democrat. Welcome to DU.

[F4lconF16]

20. I hear what you're saying.

Thank you for your thoughtful response.

[littlemissmartypants]

3. I previously read of this an he is amazing.

For an old ex-president.

Love, Peace and Shelter. Lmsp

[littlemissmartypants]

8. Interesting post . Thank you. nt

[littlemissmartypants]

9. ...

This could be a picture of me pulling an elephant out of my vagina.

Love, Peace and Shelter. Littlemissmartypants

[Hekate]

21. >shudder< This process takes weeks, and you don't dare leave any bits behind to fester

It's a horrible disease.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/goatsandsoda/2014/07/08/329519260/going-going-almost-gone-a-worm-verges-on-extinction

[littlemissmartypants]

23. Healthcare takes bunches of

Internal fortitude and compassion. Both glaringly lacking in the GOP.

[merrily]

10. Good on Carter, for this. Also, he created the altruistic Post-Presidency.

Good on him for that, too. Ran on integration, even though that had already cost him an election, then integrated Georgia, despite the personal political risk. Awesome.

Good man. Not perfect. No one is. But danged good.

[littlemissmartypants]

11. Agreed. nt

[dsc]

18. He didn't run on integration

in point of fact he opposed busing both in his Georgia race and his national one. That said, he did integrate Georgia after he won.

[delrem]

12. I always thought that the US caved to the militarists, in rejecting Carter.

Carter wasn't perfect. But he wasn't a militarist and, IMO, was the last POTUS to have a sane social consciousness. A consciousness that wasn't bought.
He was overthrown by an actor reading and answering to a clique of .01%ers.

Reagan was the most perfect precedent.
USians proved that they would go along with it.
They still do.

[hedgehog]

14. i think if the internet had been around then, it would have been a very different

Presidency. I still recall major newspapers, networks and news magazines spreading stories depicting Carter and his entire staff as incompetent small-towners ignorant of how to behave in polite society!

[delrem]

15. I think the same powers would act the exact same way today.

More concentrated.
They are coming from a succession of wins.

I count "third-way" as a win for them.

[democrank]

13. Bless you, Jimmy Carter.

~PEACE~

[Uncle Joe]

17. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, hedgehog.

[Coventina]

22. Proud to be a supporter of the Carter Foundation

As small as my donations have been, I feel like it really is doing good in the world.