I love Jimmy Carter with all my might.  And the letter I wrote him wasn't cranky - it was beseeching.  It is as follows:

Dear President Carter,
 
As you know, social media now allows people from around the world to get to know each other without having to travel to a foreign continent.  It is through Facebook that I met cartoonist Majed Badra from Gaza, Palestine.
 
I, too, am an artist, and as I got to know a bit about Majed and his art, I saw a young man with a gift for expression through images.
I write you because earlier this year, Majed was invited by the State Department to be part of an International Visitor program for political cartoonists from the Middle East and South Asia.  Majed’s dream to visit the US and meet fellow artists had come true.  But his visa was rescinded at the eleventh hour by the US consul’s office.  The reason was that some of the cartoons on his website were “anti-Semitic and extremely objectionable.”
Majed’s art has been misinterpreted. His work is not anti-Semitic or anti-Jewish.  His work does address Israeli occupation and extremist settlers.  He lives in a harsh world, and it is the responsibility of artists to give shape to what is troubling – and beautiful – in the world.
 
As Majed says, “I just wanted to express that I'm against the Israeli occupation, settlements, killing, siege and injustice, and how much we want democracy, human rights, freedom and two states solution,” he said via Skype. “I'm open-minded, and I carry all the respect to people in the world regardless of their gender, religion, race or color.”
 
Majed would like to study art here in the US.  There are two impediments.  The first is the visa situation.  The second is finding a scholarship to fund his education.
 
I hope that you are able to point him toward an organization that can help him visit and study in America. 
 
With much gratitude and great respect,
 
Stephanie Radakovich



I have not heard back.