Pollyanna Reports XVII: Saturday (GOOD!) News Dump.
For more years than I can remember the politicians, the corporate media and The Deep State have utilized what has become known as the Friday night news dump to try to camoflauge or outright hide bad news from us deplorables who they think are too ignorant to discover the news for ourselves. Peter Sztrok summed it up better than anyone when he told his “close friend” Lisa Page that he had just been in a Wal Mart and could “smell the Trump supporters”! For what it’s worth I was in a Wal Mart yesterday and I didn’t smell a single MAGA-America First person! But here for what I hope is a break from the depressing news of judges acting badly, radicals cheering for MS-13 gang bangers and wife-beaters and fund raisers for murderers is a amall sampling of what the huge majority of Americans-otherwise known as good citizens -are up to. Please add your own to the list in the comments as we could all use a smile in these times!
Here’s one of my personal favorites (https://amgreatness.com/2025/04/23/unsung-heroes-for-the-last-6-months-amish-volunteers-quietly-rebuild-devastated-nc-town/):
“Unsung Heroes: For the Last 6 Months Amish Volunteers Quietly Rebuild Devastated NC Town
“Recovery and rebuilding efforts from the devastation unleashed by Hurricane Helene on towns like Chimney Rock, North Carolina has largely faded from the headlines and the public’s awareness.
“Over the past 6 months, however, a team of 2,000 volunteers from the Great Needs Trust, a Pennsylvania Amish community, have been quietly and steadily rebuilding the town’s homes, businesses and bridges.
“Mayor O’Leary noted that the recovery will be a long-term effort, stating, “This is a multiyear process. It is a huge job that is going to take a lot of input, a lot of resources, a lot of efforts by a lot of people. All of the building material going into these stores has been donated up to this point, and it has just been a tremendous recovery story that is ongoing.”
“While politicians and bureaucrats have bickered and postured over how to direct government aid to storm-devastated communities like Chimney Rock, the Amish members of the Great Needs Trust are showing what compassion and community, combined with action, can accomplish.”
The last line points up the importance of this kind of American neighborliness we always see after a disaster and especially when government agencies either cannot, or will not, do their jobs. As President Reagan said “The most frightening words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government andI’m here to help.”
Here’s another item which caught my eye as we were involved in a similar program in our hometown and our Smphony orchestra here in Pensacola has a similar outreach program (Young Minds, Big Sound: Students Experience the Magic of Live Orchestral Music at the Kennedy Center):
Young Minds, Big Sound: Students Experience the Magic of Live Orchestral Music at the Kennedy Center
In a rare moment of unity and cultural celebration, nearly 11,500 children and educators poured into the Kennedy Center over three days to experience the power of classical music through the National Symphony Orchestra’s “Young People's Concerts.” While Washington is often consumed with dysfunction and political theater, this event reminded us that exposing young minds to the arts, primarily through affordable, accessible performances, can still uplift and inspire. At just $7 a ticket, the program shows that fostering a love of music and tradition doesn’t require bloated federal programs or ideological agendas—just a commitment to excellence and a respect for the next generation.
“It is a joy to watch their faces light up with excitement as they enter the Kennedy Center Hall of Nations, see the red carpet and the tall ceilings, and are welcomed into a space to enjoy the arts – live. Their enthusiasm is palpable, and we love that we are the site for so many of them to enjoy their first performance at this scale,” Jordan C LaSalle, Vice President of Education for The Kennedy Center, said in a statement.
A story which caused a lump in my throat, probably because of my belief that we owe our military veterans more than we could ever repay-along with my own advancing age (!)- was this amazing account of a 100-year old veteran who made an astonishing journey to participate in a major WWII milestone (https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2025/04/06/watch-100-year-old-wwii-veteran-travels-from-connecticut-to-iwo-jima/):
100-Year-Old WWII Veteran Travels from Connecticut to Iwo Jima for 80th Anniversary of Battle
A 100-year-old World War II veteran traveled from Bristol, Connecticut, to Iwo Jima to mark 80 years since the U.S. fought on the small Japanese island.
Joseph Caminiti, a 100-year-old WWII veteran who still goes to the gym daily, joined U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, military officials, and families of those killed in the battle of Iwo Jima to visit the island for the combat’s 80-year anniversary, according to a report by WTNH.
https://www.wtnh.com/video/100-year-old-wwii-veteran-travels-from-bristol-to-iwo-jima/10600424
Caminiti took the 23-hour flight to Guam and traveled to Iwo Jima and laid one of the three wreaths at the site where U.S. Marines raised the American flag in March 1945. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was also on hand. The flag raising was captured in an iconic photograph that was the basis for the monument in Arlington, Virginia, and replicated in New Britain.
100 years old, one of three survivors of Iwo Jima left, goes to the gym every day and goes on a 23-hour flight! What a powerfully inspirational story: Sir, thank you for your service!
And for good measure why not a couple of memes illustrating the near-insanity of the week’s news:
Hope you enjoyed this little break from the looney bin with which we are surrounded.
God Bless America!