Feliz Navidad

I Have a Dream...

           My fellow classmates, let me ask you a question. How often do you see bullying? Probably more than you think. You see, there's more to bullying than just punching someone in the face. People take others' lunch money, which is basically saying that people take away others' right to eat. There's insulting and teasing. This form of bullying is the worst. If you punch someone, the pain will eventually fade, but to insult someone or call someone names, that looms over them like a shadow. It will never go away. You can try to forget about it, but it will always be there. The meanest thing someone can do is to post something bad about another person online, for the whole world to see. Many helpless victims commit suicide because of this act of shame.
           If someone is not acting the same way, or didn't do so well on a test, don't immediately blame them for not studying. Believe it or not, bullying can affect your schoolwork, too. A child can think about a bully after school, when it's their official "beating time" and worry about it the whole day. A bully may affect someone's whole life, turning them into a scared person when they grow up, or a troubled person that doesn't even know what they're doing, and they just randomly shoot someone, like the shooting last week in Connecticut.
           I have a dream, a vision, that there would be no bullying at all in any schools, anywhere. There are no bleeding children, no one clutching their stomachs and groaning. No one crying until their eyes are purple. No one being scared of anyone. No one exchanging lunch money for a break of getting beaten up. No one hiding in the bathrooms from anyone. Not even the slightest trash talk from people. Now, my friends, let me ask you again. How often do YOU see bullying? What can you do?

Upfront: Is It Too Easy to Get a Gun?

           Do you think it's too easy to obtain a gun? Colin Goddard definitely thinks so. Five years ago, a student killed 32 people, and wounded 17 people on school grounds. Colin luckily survived, and he decided to learn about how it's too easy to get a gun. "Anyone can walk into a gun show or surf the Internet to find a 'private sale' and pay cash for a gun," he says. Many gun owners don't have a permit to sell guns. Colin's gone to multiple gun shows in Virginia, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas, and he bought guns like Tec-9's or Mac-11's, and without going through backround check or being asked whether he should be allowed to purchase a firearm.
           While Colin says "yes," congressman Paul C. Broun doesn't think it's too easy to buy a gun. He thinks there are already too many restrictions limiting Americans' access to guns. Also, it doesn't mean more crime just because there are more guns being sold. To prove this, Vermont doesn't require gun owners to get a permit or register their firearms, and citizens were free to carry concealed weapons. Vermont is the second-safest state in the country. "Americans don't need a liscense to use their right to free speech. The same should go for their right to bear arms."
           I would have to agree with Paul C. Broun. It's a free country, and people should be allowed to buy guns freely. Gun owners should be smart enough to see who can handle a gun and who can't. And, as Paul Broun said, "Vermont's the second-safest state in the country, and gun owners don't need a permit and customers don't need a liscense." More guns don't mean more harm.

My Free Write!

Here is my free write for E.L.A. class. Enjoy!

What if cows gave root beer instead of milk?

           I go outside one day, and find my cows bathing in a huge lake of root beer. That's definitely not strange. "Whoa," I say. I go back inside the barn and get a cup. I go back outside to the edge of the lake. I fill the cup with the liquidy soda and take a sip, but I spit it back out because it tastes like cow sweat. I go wake up my parents and show them the amazing scene. My mom says, "Is that soda?" My dad says, "Soda... Is... That...?" Then they go into the shed and pull out a boat. They sail all across the lake, hauling the cows out. How did this happen? Then it hits me. The cows did it! Just to make sure, I take one of the utters and squeeze it. Fizzy liquid comes out and sizzles on the grass. I'll never be thirsty again! This is awesome!
           My friend, Connor, comes over that day to see the lake of root beer. "How did this happen?" He cried in surprise. "Somehow, these cows can spurt root beer from their utters," I say. "Well, lets go explore!" he says. "Okay," I say, "But we have to go by boat, it's too fizzy to go swimming and we could burn." So we take out and old canoe and start exploring.
           It's not much, just a bunch of soda everywhere, but then, one of the cows goes, "MMMMOOOOOOO!" We're startled and Connor accidentally falls into the root beer. I can hear it sizzling as he splashes into it. "Help me! I'm burning!" he screams. I'm frantic. I don't know what to do. Without thinking, I plunge into the root beer and try swimming toward him, but the burning pain stops me, and I start squirming. I look around, but I don't see Connor anywhere. Then, my skin starts burning off, and I can see bones where my feet should be. I sink into the root beer, falling deeper and deeper until I hit the bottom.

 

THE END

It worked!

Yeah, my blog is working and functional, this is sweet.

Does This Work?

This is my first post on a blog, I hope this works!