Saturday, February 19, 2005

War and Peace

The United States Navy today commissed the USS Jimmy Carter. Carter said, "The most deeply appreciated and emotional honor I've ever had is to have this great ship bear my name." Now, in addition to lust, Jimmy Carter has torpedos in his heart.

The naming of this sub struck me as terribly ironic. During the Reagan years it seemed like Jimmy Carter was the most unappreciated man in our country. But a Nobel Peace Prize can work wonders for your reputation. The press reports mentioned that this is the first time a submarine has been named after a living ex-president. I have to wonder if this also makes him the only Nobel Peace Prize winner to have a piece of major war machinery named after him.

Is there an ISS Mother Theresa? An SASS Desmond Tutu? A TSS Dalai Lama?

(Note: Further research shows that Carter shares this war-peace distinction with at least Woodrow Wilson and Teddy Roosevelt.)

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