George Burns and I were both born on January 20. I maintain that that is why January 20 is used for the inauguration of presidents. Some claim that there were other possible reasons.

As for this essay, I do not buy into the notion of predestination. Predestination posits that what happens in life is already determined prior to our births. From my perspective, I don’t buy into the idea that some divine entity has choreographed all of our lives. That idea maintains that our time in life is merely dancing to a prescribed dance pattern. Essentially, we are human robots living in a world where all breathing animals, including us, don’t have choices, which doesn’t make logical sense. If I were some deity, I would want humans to think and make informed decisions in life.

However, this article addresses the one possible exception to predestination. Beyond Burns and I being born on January 20, I wrote a letter to Jimmy Carter during his presidential campaign. I mentioned that after Bobby Kennedy was killed, I didn’t see any politicians that commanded my attention. However, it seemed that he seemed to be the one. I didn’t expect a reply. However, several weeks before his inauguration, I received an invitation to the inauguration in Washington on January 20, 1977, accepted the invitation, and went.

Carter’s life can be seen in three time periods: his beginnings, his presidency, and his time after the presidency.

His early life was spent in a small village of Archery, a couple of miles from Plains. Most of the kids that he grew up with were black. He went to high school in Plains. He attended a couple of colleges until being accepted at the US Naval Academy in 1943...the year I was born.

A decade later, he left the Navy due to his father’s death. He returned to Plains to run his father’s warehouse. However, he, his wife, and their three children lived in a public housing project in Plains because he couldn’t make much money at his father’s business. During those years, he was on the board of education. I also was on the board of education at Dixon, IL. Carter was elected to Georgia’s State Senate for two terms. He then ran for governor of Georgia but lost to Lester Maddox. Nevertheless, he ran again for governor and won.

Several years later, he ran for the presidency and won in 1976. Carter returned the Panama Canal to Panama in 1977 during his four years. In the following year, he granted full diplomatic relations with China. In addition, he negotiated the Camp David Accords with Egypt and Israel. In 1979, he created the Department of Education and signed the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. However, his downfall was his attempt to rescue 53 American hostages from Iran. Carter lost to Reagan in the election.

Finally, Carter spent most of the following four decades creating the Carter Library and the Center. He also spent negotiating to resolve conflicts throughout the world. Additionally, he worked to elevate diseases, hunger, and civil rights abuses worldwide.

This picture shows one of the 4,390 Carter and his wife helped to build Habitat for Humanity.

This picture shows one of the 4,390 Carter and his wife helped to build Habitat for Humanity.

On January 20th, Trump was inaugurated as our next president. Flags were flying at half-staff in honor of the passing of Jimmy Carter. Trump was convicted on 34 felony counts. He faced two indictments at both the state and the federal level.

Trump, a convicted felon, has commuted sentences of leaders of the Oath Keeps and the Proud Boys: Stewart Rhodes, Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, Thomas Caldwell, Jessica Watkins, Roberto Minuta, Edward Vallejo, David Moerschel, Joseph Hackett, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Dominic Pezzola, and Jeremy Bertino on the 20^th. Another two hundred followers of various groups were commuted. Trump also pardoned over 1,500 arrested on federal charges related to the 1/6 insurrection.

If there ever was something predestined, it was January 20, 2025. Carter loomed over Trump’s inauguration not only because the flags flew at half-staff. It is an example of two men who were president. One worked for others, and the other worked for himself. One was honest, and the other doesn’t understand the meaning of honesty. One doesn’t view people based on racial or financial background, and one does.

This photo is of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter in front of their home.

This is their home.