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Jimmy Carter’s early accomplishments
Jimmy Carter’s early life provides many lessons about him, about America, and about who we are. History has a way of doing that.
Jimmy’s early career touches on many parts of our national identity and shows how far we have come. He was the first in his family to graduate from high school! A Naval Academy graduate, Carter served under Admiral Rickover as a nuclear engineer in the early days of the atomic age. In 1952, he helped disarm a nuclear reactor in Canada that had malfunctioned, preventing a nuclear melt-down before anyone really understood what that was. He returned home to help his family when his dad died prematurely, resuming farming duties learned in his childhood. Slowly, he climbed the political ladder in Georgia, along the way encountering a corrupt local county supervisor who ran the local post office and doled out Social Security checks as patronage. If residents displeased him, he would steal their checks. Jimmy helped the community understand they had the power to challenge this bully, and eventually the man lost his power.
On Carter’s first day as governor of Georgia, he declared “the time for racial segregation is over,” surprising many in his southern audience, because he had run as a moderate. Expressing that opinion at that place and time was anything but moderate.
This all happened before he was on the national stage. His later accomplishments are better known. Jimmy Carter was a true American Original.
Sincerely,
Kaia Eakin,
Redwood City resident
Menlo Park City Council’s public parking lot TAKE OVER
In the name of providing affordable housing, Menlo Park’s City Council wants to take over the city of Menlo Park’s parking lot. The council is calling the parking lot take over a “Development on downtown parking.”
The Menlo Park City Council, elected by the people of Menlo Park, and who are suppose to represent the people are trying to push through this unwanted take over of public property, namely our Menlo Park downtown parking lots.
• It is indefensible to declare that those three parking lots are “surplus land.” They are heavily and purposefully used daily by the public.
• The proposed plan would be lucrative for a developer but ludicrous for the community (negatively impacting both residents and local businesses).
• The voters entrust the City Council to develop balanced solutions that respect the entire community.
• There are a number of alternative real estate choices to fulfill the state’s requirements for affordable housing without a take over of our parking lots.
The people of Menlo Park need to speak up loud by:
• Sending the Menlo Park Council members your letters;
• Signing the petition protesting against using our parking lots
at savedowntownmenlo.org and
• Attending the Jan. 14 Menlo Park City Council meeting at 751 Laurel St.; Menlo Park (but check to make sure they do not change the date since the website indicates it is “tentative”).
Do your part and make your voice heard. We the People of Menlo Park have the power.
Rubye Cervelli,
Menlo Park resident
