JIMMY CARTER HAS PASSED. We don't need obituaries; we need a Speaker for the Dead
The talented science-fiction author Orson Scott Card is best known for Ender’s Game. I love that book. Yet, like many of his fans, I like even better Speaker for the Dead. In that sequel, Ender is once again the protagonist, though he is much… older.
The Speaker for the Dead is a social role that Card imagines, and that is occupied by Ender. As such, Ender functions as a kind of ‘eulogist’ who goes beyond saying nice things about the deceased. His goal is to present an honest, objective account of a life, acknowledging virtues, flaws, and motivations, seeking to understand the deceased’s choices, struggles, and impact on others, while fostering understanding among the living. It’s a role rooted in truth rather than idealization.
In the wake of Jimmy Carter’s death, I have seen an avalanche of appreciation for the man’s life. I think we need a Speaker for the Dead. I will try to be that Speaker. Since the accolades have been coming rather strong, I will balance that with an opposing view. My approach will be to see Jimmy Carter through his role in the Iran-Contra Affair.
Iran-Contra is usually considered to be something that Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr. did, and that is fair. But Carter’s role setting the whole thing up is understood by almost nobody. My piece on Jimmy Carter’s role on this has been pending for a while, and now is a good time to publish it. I will do that in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, you may want to brush up on Iran-Contra to get the full impact of what we will document. You may do that with the articles already published in our Iran-Contra series, which are the following:
