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Jimmy Carter Sends Historic First Text Message

Jimmy Carter Fires Off His First Text Message
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NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 24: Jimmy Carter leaves the 'Late Show with David Letterman' at Ed Sullivan Theater on March 24, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Donna Ward/Getty Images)

Though he's skeptical about the privacy of using technology, it looks like Jimmy Carter has finally caved and joined the 21st century.

The former president's grandson, Jason Carter, a Georgia state senator, tweeted this screenshot of this conversation with his "Papa" following an appearance on The Colbert Report Tuesday.

It's unclear as to why the 89-year-old is just now choosing to start texting, as he has said he's skeptical about the privacy of electronic communications and even said he'd consider pardoning Edward Snowden. Just Sunday, he said intelligence agencies are "abusing" their surveillance abilities during an appearance on Meet The Press.

"As a matter of fact, you know, I have felt that my own communications are probably monitored. And when I want to communicate with a foreign leader privately, I type or write a letter myself, put it in the post office, and mail it," Carter said. "I believe if I send an email, it will be monitored," he added with a laugh.

Carter is currently promoting his new book, "A Call To Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power" and even recently met with Pope Francis to talk about the abuse of women.

As he enters his nineties, he shows no signs of slowing down. His secret? "There's no magic involved," Carter said on Meet The Press. It's his work with the Carter Center, promoting democracy and advocating for human rights across the world that keeps him going.

Keep giving the NSA something to talk about, Mr. President.

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Before You Go

Redditers Share How Tech Has Affected Their Lives
Long-Distance Call(01 of13)
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"I remember when I was very young, my family calling me to the phone, excited that we were making a 'long distance' call from our home in New Jersey, all the way to Chicago! I listened to the person on the other end, who sounded like they were at the end of a long tunnel. What a miracle!"- Wayndom, 64(Image via Flickr, Si Levitas)
First Computer(02 of13)
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"The first computer I used was a remote terminal that would read the punch cards we fed it, sent the data 200 miles to a mainframe where the data was run and the results were returned, several hours later. The terminal, as primitive as it was occupied an entire classroom."- Slowshot, 59(Image via Flickr, Marcin Wichary)
Reel-To-Reel Tape Recorder(03 of13)
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"In the mid-60s (my early teens) I was the only person I knew who owned a reel-to-reel tape recorder... and I owned it expressly to record TV show's audio off the air. I still have the recordings actually -- the first Star Trek episodes, The Prisoner episodes... and in 1967 portable audio cassette recorders became available."- Chuxarino, 59(Image via Flickr, Carbon Arc)
First Video Game(04 of13)
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"The first video game I ever played was Pong."- SOmuch2learn, 71(Image via Flickr, Jimmah82)
My First Computer Was A Science Fair Project(05 of13)
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"I built my first 'computer' as a science fair project in 1962. It was just a register made from transistor flip-flops, a rotary phone dial for input, and incandescent bulbs for display. I wrote my first program on punched paper tape on a teletype machine connected via 300 bps modem to a timeshare computer. It was in fortran, contained an infinite loop and timed out the CPU at 3 mins. That bug cost me $50, minimum wage was around $1 then."- Anonanon1313, 63(Image via Flickr, Providence Public Library)
TV(06 of13)
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"I remember our first little black-and-white TV, and our first color set several years later, and how much tweaking you had to do to get even crappy green faced images."- Anonanon1313, 63(Image via Flickr, Jacob Whittaker)
From Cassettes To CDs(07 of13)
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"I remember my first cassette player. It had a built-in radio. I taped the Beatles first hits. I remember 8-track car tape decks. I remember the first Walkman (cassette), I bought it in an appliance store. I remember the first CD player, buying it and my first CDs ($17!), and soon after boxing up my collection of over 1,000 LPs and hundreds of cassettes, where they still sit."- Anonanon1313, 63(Image via Flickr, edvvc)
From PCs to MacBook(08 of13)
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"Technology fascinates me. I used PCs for years & now am finding my way around a MacBook Pro. When VCRs came out, I was first in line. Watching movies at home -- unbelievable -- as was using a phone without being limited by the length of the cord. Now I have an iPhone which is really a mini-computer. Love the Internet and trying new apps. I'm excited to see what's next."- SOmuch2learn, 71(Photo credit: Getty)
Two TV Stations(09 of13)
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"We had two TV stations, on a black-and-white TV, but there was always something to watch. Today we have over 100 channels (most in HD), but the same programs that I watched as a kid, 'I Love Lucy,' 'Leave It to Beaver,' 'Andy Griffith,' etc. are still being re-run endlessly, while people complain that there is nothing on worth watching."- Slowshot, 59(Image via Flickr, Jonas Merian)
Film Reels(10 of13)
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"In school, educational films and documentaries came on reels of 16 mm film that ran 15 minutes. Today you get high def blu-rays that run four hours on a 5 1/4" disk."- Slowshot, 59(Image via Flickr, Salvagenation)
Computer Class(11 of13)
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"My first introductory computer class about 35 years ago used punch cards for very remedial database programming exercises. It was tedious as all get out, but it gave me a huge foresight into an understanding of the power of data and how to harness that power and manage it to your benefit. A substantial portion of my current job still involves database administration."- Reg-o-matic, 57(Image via Flickr, Marcin Wichary)
Vinyl Records(12 of13)
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"In the late 50s/early 60s stereo recordings and phonographs were just becoming popular. A high quality vinyl record had a max of 45 minutes of music on a double-sided 12" disk. Today you can get 6 hours of music on a thumb drive."- Slowshot, 59(Photo credit: AP)
Computer Tracking(13 of13)
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"Biggest technology wonders in my 52 years, definitely communications. Work has changed dramatically... I started as a medical receptionist and learned an antique, handwritten system for keeping track of the money (in 1979), and the last system I learned was a completely comprehensive computer system that kept track of everything, and I mean EVERYTHING."- MeliMagick, 52 (credit:Getty)
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