Jimmy Carter is an example of a man , who after completing the job that would be considered the capstone of a political career, has gone on to do great things. He has done more through his Carter Center and personal efforts to bring democracy and human rights to the fore than perhaps any other individual. His support for Habitat for Humanity and other valuable grass roots – up by the bootstraps programs have done more to help struggling families than most giant government projects.

His book, Our Endangered Values : America’s Moral Crisis, investigates changes that have occured in American life that are very troubling. Some of our mainstream religions have been hijacked by “leaders” with an unholy agenda. America has become divided over issues that are morally unimportant, while issues that are critical to the moral health of our country are left without attention. Our Endangered Values investigates just that.

Our government has little interest in being the leader of the world, but would rather be a bully. Where America once stood (at least in words) for human rights and fair play, we now obfuscate and send mixed messages about the acceptability of torture. We clearly accept the principal of preemptive attack, but stand by while genocide takes place in Darfur. Our government states that those we take from the battlefield are not entitled to humane treatment as specified in the Geneva Accords.

President Carter’s book is a searching look at how we as a nation have lost our moral compass. He also looks at what caused the slide to happen. Since President Carter’s background is engineering, I had hoped that he would have suggested some solutions, some measures that can be taken to reverse the willingness to take the apparent short cut instead of the high road. He only states the case, and very well. This book is an eye opener, laying the facts bare. It is up to us to figure out how to dig us out of the quicksand in which we find ourselves.