Some Positive, Reassuring Stuff #3
Some Positive, Reassuring Stuff #3
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced that the state would stop the $300 weekly federal pandemic unemployment compensation supplement as an incentive to get people back to work. Florida is the 23rd state to stop those added checks that ended up paying people not to work! The total of smart states ending those supplemental payments now stands at 27. And in those states, job hunting has reportedly picked up, reinforcing the correctness of the decision to stop those punitive-to-employers ‘stay at home’ worker payments.
In a bold and refreshing move, the Kansas legislature overrode its governor’s veto in order to enact legislation aimed at further ensuring free and fair elections in that state. Georgia recently did the same thing, with its Republican governor’s signature, to which Mr. Biden declared that very positive move to be “Jim Crow on steroids.” Interesting, and foolish to bring up that reference, given that “Jim Crow” was historically very much at home within the Democrat Party! The Kansas legislation “bans ballot-harvesting, prohibits electioneering in voting lines, bans private funds from being used to administer public elections, and prohibits the local secretary of state or governor from making emergency changes to election laws.” All critical for honest elections, but that last one especially. It was those last-minute Democrat politician-effected changes to state election laws that has led to lasting questions in some of those impacted states as to the true outcome of the presidential 2020 election. Congrats to the Republican-majority Kansas legislature for their bold veto override, accelerating the move toward ensuring fair elections in their state.
And the voters of Lubbock, Texas recently voted to approve (by 63%) a city ordinance outlawing abortion, and by so doing declaring Lubbock to be a “Sanctuary City for the Unborn.” This action makes Lubbock the largest city in the nation to outlaw abortion, and one of 22 other Texas cities to pass such an ordinance. The city council originally disproved of the measure, but a citizen petition forced the May 2021 election which then approved the ordinance.
When a father, 4-year-old daughter, and 7-year-old son were out in a boat fishing and playing in the St. Johns River near Jacksonville, Florida, the current got stronger causing the little girl (wearing a life jacket) to lose her grip on the boat. As she started to drift farther away, the father jumped into the water to save and be with her, as they both, then, were pulled away from their boat by the strong current. At that point, the little boy entered the water and began swimming toward the shore to get help. That painstaking effort took him an hour before he reached the shore! He “kept swimming, doggie paddling and floating on his back to keep from tiring out.” Mind you, this is a 7-year-old boy making that seemingly overwhelming swim to shore. Once there, he went to a near-by home for help. When the dad and daughter were finally rescued, they had drifted about a mile from their boat. An amazing story of fortitude, and the desire to save his dad and sister, on the part of that courageous young boy.
Beloved Edenton, North Carolina elementary school custodian, Raymond Brown, was drawn early on to Amos Wood, a very young student at the school with autism. Said Brown: “My heart went out for him. He was in Pampers when I first met him, and I kept showing my love towards him. He got that, became attached to me, and I got attached to him.” Because of his quality, humility, and service, Mr. Brown’s name was submitted for a $10,000 prize in a state-wide ‘School Heroes’ contest. Sadly, he didn’t win. Amos Wood’s Mom was so disappointed that she took to Facebook with the story of this wonderful man. Soon friends were asking how they could help. From that came a fund, named after her son, which ended up generating, within a week, $35,000 in donations, both locally and from around the country. At the check presentation, school principal Michelle Newsome said: “He’s our rock-steady fella. We’re so lucky to have him here. There isn’t a child in this building that doesn’t know who Mr. Brown is and that Mr. Brown cares for them and loves them.” Mr. Brown’s daughter added that her dad loves his job and arrives each morning before the principal. “He makes sure the school is nice and safe for the kids.” As for the prize money, a portion will be used for his wife’s wish for some home improvements and for some family travel. As for ever-humble Mr. Brown, he simply wants a second-hand truck! Great story of compassion, appreciation, and love, happily going both ways.
And now some tributes to our great law enforcement officers. At about 2 AM, near a canal in Phoenix, Arizona, a paraplegic gentleman’s motorized wheelchair tipped over causing the man to actually fall into the canal. After falling in, the canal’s current pulled him on downstream until he became stuck near a metal grate. When officers arrived, the man was neck deep in the water. With the help of two male citizens, who happened to have a rope, they slipped it around the man’s chest, and with the help of all there, were able to life the gentleman up out of the water with no injuries. Said one of the officers: “That rope saved that man’s life.” Great lifesaving work by the police officers with important help from two civilians who stopped to assist. One question does come to mind. What in the world was a paralyzed man doing out in a motorized wheelchair near a canal at 2 AM?
In Gloucester County, Virginia, a deputy responded to a call about an overturned car with an adult trapped underneath. A child still in the car pleaded with the officer to save her Mom. Said the department later: “The driver was lying underneath the vehicle with her head pinned by the sunroof. Seeing the trauma her child was witnessing, the deputy went into overdrive.” He first quickly got the child out of the car. With no time to spare or call for assistance, then came his tremendous “overdrive” effort. By himself, he lifted the car up enough so that the driver could free herself, who was then, thankfully, able to start breathing again more normally. Hospitalized, the mother was said to be doing well. Responded the hero deputy, J. Holt: “I’m just a, you know, average cop. It’s what we do. Thinking of doing anything different is out of the question.” Great humility from another one of our nation’s finest serving us 24/7 in blue.
The Covington, Georgia Police Department received a 7:30 PM call regarding a 15-month-old infant choking. Officers responded, with Office Matt Holbrook immediately starting to give “back thrusts to the unresponsive child, eventually dislodging the object stuck in his airway.” Said the very appreciative family later: “Each one of the officers came in a very timely manner and were all very professional, caring, and helpful. The Tovar family cannot thank everyone enough for all the help.”
And finally, for now, with our finest: Honor student Aleena Kondek graduated recently with a B.S. degree in Nursing from the University of Central Florida. Sadly, her father, Tarpon Springs, Florida officer Charlie Kondek, Jr. was unable to attend her ceremony. That’s because Officer Kondek was killed in the line of duty back in December 2014. So, to try to make her graduation day extra special, several members of the Tarpon Springs PD, along with members of the University of Central Florida PD, made it their point and priority to be with her at her graduation ceremony, for a total of almost twenty uniformed officers in all! Additionally, the area sheriff’s department sent an honor guard to her home. “Aleena, the youngest of five siblings, has told teachers and peers that she owes her determination to her dad and intended to make him proud by reaching her academic goals.” Great support by local & university police officers to help make her graduation all the more special and especially doing so in memory of, and as a tribute to, their fallen colleague.
Switching gears and wrapping up this edition with a truly amazing story of selflessness. In Southwick, Masachusetts, Lea Fiega, a regular customer at a local convenience store, bought a lottery ticket. “I was in a hurry, on a lunch break, and just scratched it real quick and looked at it. It did not look like a winner, so I handed it over to them (the clerk) to throw away.” The ticket, as it turns out, wasn’t fully scratched-off and just sat there with other discards for over a week, until one day when the store owner’s son happened to notice the un-fully-scratched-off ticket. “I scratched the number and it was $1-million underneath,” said the son. The family remembered that the ticket belonged to Ms. Fiega, contacted her at work, and when she returned to the store, they told her about her incredible winnings (and amazing luck, having first discarded the ticket, and then having the store identify her solely because she was such a regular customer!). Said Ms. Fiega: “I was in total disbelief. I cried. I hugged them.” While that great store ownership family could so easily have kept the one-million-dollars, they chose to do the right thing, which is a definite credit to their integrity. They did get a handsome check from the state lottery commission for being the location that sold the winning ticket, which is tradition across the states.
(Florida payment stoppage stats via theepochtimes.com, Tom Ozimek, 5-25-21; Kansas override stats & quotes via americanthinker.com, Monica Showalter, 5-4-21; Lubbock ordinance stats via dailywire.com, Hank Berrien, 5-2-21; Young boy to the rescue stats via associatedpress.com, Staff, 6-2-21; Raymond Brown stats & quotes via The Epoch Times, Louise Bevan, 5-12-21; Phoenix police rescue stats & quote via foxnews.com, Paul Best, 5-18-21; Virginia hero deputy stats & quotes via breitbart.com, Amy Furr, 5-21-21; Infant choking stats & quotes via foxnews.com, Paul Best, 5-19-21; Fallen officer’s daughter university graduation stats & quote via theepochtimes, Louise Bevan, 5-24-21; Lucky lottery winner stats & quotes via nypost.com, Mark Lungariello, 5-24-21).