14 Carter Center advisers resign in protest over former president's book

[Herman Munster]

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/11/america/NA-GEN-US-Carter-Center-Resignations.php

ATLANTA: Fourteen members of a Carter Center advisory board, who worked to build support for the human rights organization started by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and his wife, have resigned in protest over Carter's latest book.

The resignations, announced Thursday, are the latest in a backlash against Carter's book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," which has drawn fire from Jewish groups, been attacked by fellow Democrats and led to the resignation last month of Kenneth Stein, a Carter Center fellow and a longtime Carter adviser.

In their letter of resignation, the members of the Center's Board of Councilors wrote of Carter, "you have clearly abandoned your historic role of broker in favor of becoming an advocate for one side."

The board is responsible for building public support for the Carter Center. It is not the organization's governing board. Carter Center Executive Director John Hardman said Thursday in a written statement that the board's members "are not engaged in implementing work of the Center."

Hardman offered no further comment other than thanking the resigning members for their

[Robson]

1. Stifled candid debate = anger and racism

OK....call me naieve. But I'm a believer that stifled debate and censorship leads directly to built up frustrations, racism and a generally bad outcome for all involved.

If a former POTUS such as Jimmy Carter can't bring up issues, without being accused of racism, then the USA is in serious trouble imho.

[eppur_se_muova]

2. More from CNN, including names of those who resigned ...

"We can no longer endorse your strident and uncompromising position," the letter to Carter said. "This is not the Carter Center or the Jimmy Carter we came to respect and support."
***
"We are deeply troubled by the president's comments and writings and are submitting the following letter of resignation to the Carter Center," the letter said.

The letters were signed by Alan Abrams, Steve Berman, Michael Coles, Jon Golden, Doug Hertz, Barbara Babbit Kaufman, Liane Levetan, Jeff Levy, Leon Novak, Ambassador William B. Schwartz Jr., William B. Schwartz III, Steve Selig, Cathey Steinberg, and Gail Solomon.

The letter to Carter said while each person "has been proud to be associated" with the center and its work, "we can no longer in good conscience continue to serve the center as members of the Board of Councilors."
***
Brandeis University in Massachusetts -- a nonsectarian school with a Jewish heritage and a large Jewish student body -- said Thursday that Carter will speak there and take questions.
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more: http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/11/carter.resignations/index.html

[frylock]

3. laterz

[VelmaD]

4. sometimes advocating for one side...

is the right thing to do...I hope he told them not to the let the door hit them in the ass on the way out