Before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Tampa, Florida, officials there made an effort to help a man who went by the TikTok handle “Lieutenant Dan.” The man, whose true name is apparently Joseph Malinowski, defied their attempts to disembark from his 20-foot boat and chose instead to weather the storm.
Malinowski was filmed by Terrence Concannon, who uploaded the popular TikTok on October 8 and showed him justifying his choice. Malinowski, who was inspired by the Forrest Gump character, boldly declares his belief in God in the video, saying, “God told me to come out here and acquire a boat. I’m safe with him. We’re going to get through this. He brashly said, “Hell no,” when asked if he would be donning a life jacket, stating that his yacht was the safest place for him to be.
Around 43 million people had viewed the film as of October 9, garnering both local and national interest. Authorities in Tampa were worried about his safety, but Malinowski refused to leave despite multiple attempts to persuade him. The local police said that although they would have helped, they would eventually be unable to get to him due to the storm’s increasing conditions.
Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa first said that Malinowski had been rescued and taken to a shelter during a press conference. Brian Entin, a reporter for NewsNation, swiftly refuted this, posting a picture of Malinowski remaining on his boat as evidence that he had not departed. Later on, the mayor’s office stated that Malinowski had initially decided to depart but ended up staying.
Concannon, the person who first uploaded the popular video, launched a GoFundMe page in support of Malinowski, which raised almost $23,000. The money is meant to assist Malinowski—who has been called a “modern-day pirate”—in buying a new boat because his present one has “seen better days.”
With sustained winds of 120 mph, Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, was predicted to make landfall on Florida’s west-central coast as of October 9. Malinowski made the decision to stay on his boat despite several orders for the locals to leave, putting his faith and the security of his craft at risk.
Teacher sobs as she quits during school
Laura Morris, a former fifth-grade teacher at Lucketts Elementary School in Leesburg, Virginia, left her position due to her refusal to teach critical race theory (CRT).
During a Loudoun County School Board meeting, Morris emotionally expressed her opposition to the board’s “highly-politicized agendas” and resigned. She criticized the equity training and curriculum changes related to CRT, which explores how racism is embedded in societal structures.
Morris explained, “I quit being a cog in a machine that tells me to push highly-politicized agendas on our most vulnerable constituents – the children.” She shared that her Christian beliefs clashed with the district’s ideologies.
She also raised concerns about her personal life being affected by the school district’s political agenda. Morris received emails cautioning against dissenting opinions even in her personal life.
Frustrated by the lack of consideration for concerned citizens and what she perceived as the district’s bias against certain demographics, Morris chose to resign.
In her passionate speech, Morris encouraged parents and staff to explore alternative educational options.
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