09.06.08
What light through yon window breaks, Sarah Palin?
Is it the One Thousand Points of Light?
I think not. Sarah Palin, The light has gone out in your soul.
Or to misquote Dan Quayle (who was misquoting the motto of the United Negro College Fund): “A soul is a terrible thing to lose… Or never to have one at all.”
When I was privileged to serve as President, we had a program based on a concept I called being One of a Thousand Points of Light. Simply put, Points of Light are people who get involved in their communities and help to make them better places to live.
We named 1020 Daily Points of Light while I was in Office, including several groups and individuals here in Baltimore.
One of them was the Volunteers for Medical Engineering, started by Westinghouse engineer John Stachlin in 1981. We recognized them as our 136th Daily Point of Light in May of 1990 for their work to utilize the creative expertise of engineers to help disabled citizens lead more comfortable and productive lives. I’m told that Johns Hopkins has a good association with this program.
Yes, George Bush the elder came up with a program to serve community needs by convincing everybody to pitch in. It was called “One Thousand Points of Light”. It was the ultimate in community organizing, publicly honoring people and community organizing groups who made a difference in the lives of those who needed help.
Of course, to me it seemed at the time that this was just a cover to eliminate funding the social safety net by getting poor people to band together to help each other, rather than providing government services at the taxpayer cost. Rich people could take care of themselves, and poor people had the same responsibility .
And where we stand now, the Republican party has reached the ungracious point of pulling out the rug from under those who need help, then kicking them when they’re down. Way to go, guys! Nothing shows your bravery, boldness, and leadership than making jokes about people who are trying to help themselves and others. Show your true colors while you have the chance…which is… yellow to the bone.
While you’re at it, go ahead and send a note to Poppy telling him he got it all wrong, Dubya. Though haven’t you been having some political differences with him the past few years?
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