Dear Fellow Democrat:

Welcome to the Book Club!

The State Party's website can be - and should be - a forum for talking about important issues. To that end, I'd like use this space to invite you to talk about a different book each month. Many of the books I pick are books that have either inspired me personally or that I think will prompt needed debate. But I hope you'll feel free to suggest a favorite book of your own.

November's book is Jimmy Carter's Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis (2005). For December, I suggest God's Politics, by Jim Wallis (2005). And for January, I propose The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, by Thomas L. Friedman (2005).

Each month, I'll start off with a brief summary of the book. Then I hope you'll chime in, posting your comments and thoughts.

With Best Wishes,

Jerry Meek, Chair

Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, by Jimmy Carter (2005)

In Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, former President Jimmy Carter makes the case that the current Republican leadership has abandoned long-standing American values. Carter acknowledges that his observations in the book are the result, in large part, of his deeply held religious convictions as a born-again and evangelical Christian.

What follows is a discussion of politics in America, ranging from abortion and foreign affairs to the proposed "gay-marriage amendment" and environmental policy. "There has been," Carter writes, "a disturbing trend toward fundamentalism in recent years," characterized by "rigidity, domination, and exclusion." The fundamentalism seen in the religious realm has resulted in "revolutionary new political principles" involving "special favors for the powerful at the expense of others, abandonment of social justice, denigration of those who differ, failure to protect the environment, attempts to exclude those who refuse to conform, a tendency toward unilateral diplomatic action and away from international agreements, an excessive inclination toward conflict, and reliance on fear as a means of persuasion."

Carter then sets out to examine a range of issues from his Southern Baptist perspective. With respect to the debate between science and religion, Carter (himself trained in physics) says we don't need scientific proof of the existence or character of God. "The existence of millions of distant galaxies, the evolution of species, and the big bang theory cannot be rejected because they are not described in the Bible, and neither does confidence in them cast doubt on the Creator of it all. God gave us this exciting opportunity for study and exploration, never expected the Bible to encompass a description of the entire physical world or for scientific discoveries to be necessary as the foundation for our Christian faith." There is "no place," he writes, "for religion in the science classroom"

Addressing the issue of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, Carter notes that "a constitutional amendment with more biblical authority might be" an amendment banning "adultery and divorce." But, "with a clear majority of Americans condoning divorce and believing it is acceptable for gays and lesbians to engage in same-sex behavior, it may be best to leave the U.S. Constitution alone." Carter then embraces equal rights for all citizens, including civil unions, adding that President Bush himself announced his support for civil unions during the 2004 election.

Regarding abortion and the death penalty, Carter notes that he does not believe that "Jesus Christ would approve" of either. "I am convinced," he writes, "that every abortion is an unplanned tragedy, brought about by a combination of human errors, and this has been one of the most difficult moral and political issues I have had to face." As President, he accepted his responsibility to enforce Roe v. Wade but "attempted in every way possible to minimize the number of abortions - through legal restrictions, prevention of unwanted pregnancies, the encouragement of expectant women to give birth, and the promotion of foster parenthood." Young people, he contends, must be taught ways to avoid pregnancy.

The death penalty, he contends, is wrong, unfairly applied, and has no deterrent value. "Some devout Christians are among the most fervent advocates of the death penalty, contradicting Jesus Christ and justifying their belief on an erroneous interpretation of Hebrew Scriptures. 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,' their most likely response, overlooks the fact that this was promulgated by Moses as a limitation - a prohibition against taking both eyes or all of an offender's teeth in retribution. Also, we might remember Jesus' explanation that Moses gave these and some other aspects of the Torah, including divorce, to accommodate 'the hardness of heart' of his listeners." It is known, Carter adds, that some people on death row are actually innocent.

On women's rights: "There is one incontrovertible fact concerning the relationship between Jesus Christ and women: he treated them as equal to men. This dramatically differed from the prevailing custom of the times."

On America's influence in the word: "This dependence on military force to expand America's influence and other recent deviations from traditional values have dramatically reduced the attractiveness of our political, cultural, and religious offerings to the world." "I am convinced," he adds, "that our great nation could realize all reasonable dreams of global influence if we properly utilized the advantageous values of our religious faith and historic ideals of peace, economic and political freedom, democracy, and human rights." Pointing, in part, to the treatment of prisoners at Guatanamo Bay, Carter argues that, "It is an embarrassing tragedy to see a departure from our nation's historic leadership as a champion of human rights, with the abandonment defended legally by top officials."

On nuclear proliferation: "In rejecting or evading almost all nuclear arms control agreements negotiated during the past fifty years, the United States has now become the prime culprit in global nuclear proliferation."

On the war in Iraq: "There are two basic facts to be remembered: the war was unjust and unnecessary, and our armed forces in Iraq deserve extraordinary gratitude and admiration for their special courage and effectiveness." The war has not reduced the threat of terrorism. Instead, Carter argues, it has resulted in the erosion of the almost unanimous sympathy of the world community in the aftermath of 9/11 and has turned Iraq "into the world's most effective terrorist training camp, perhaps more dangerous than Afghanistan under the Taliban."

On the environment: "America is by far the world's leading polluter, and our government's abandonment of its responsibilities is just another tragic step in a series of actions that have departed from the historic bipartisan protection of the global environment. Our proper stewardship of God's world is a personal and political moral commitment."

On the growing inequality of wealth in the world: "Our entire society is becoming increasingly divided, not necessarily between black, white, or Hispanic, but primarily between the rich and the poor." America has abdicated its responsibility, he argues, to the poor nations of the world. And, here at home, "almost every decision made in Washington since 2000 has favored the wealthy, often at the expense of middle-class working families and the needy, and fundamental legislation on taxation and expenditures has been designed to perpetuate these trends." In fact, our current budget deficits are the result not of greater spending (in relation to gross domestic product) but to tax cuts for the wealthiest.

Carter concludes with a vision for America. "Our government should be known," he writes, "without question, as opposed to war, dedicated to the resolution of disputes by peaceful means, and, whenever possible, eager to exert our tremendous capability and influence to accomplish this goal. We should be seen as the unswerving champion of freedom and human rights, both among our own citizens and within the global community."