Death Penalty

I wrote my first paper on the death penalty. I'm personally against the death penalty. Some people say the death penalty is okay because they like the "eye for an eye" approach. I don't think that killing someone because they killed someone is okay or is the fix to a problem. In most cases, the victims family does not get closure from the killer getting the death penalty. It is said that it prolongs their grieving. Not every murder gets the death penalty, so I think its so unfair that some gets to decide who lives and who dies. I think giving murders life without parole is a much better options because they have to live in jail for the rest of their lives and think about what they did. So, that's how I feel about the death penalty.

A day that will never be forgotten

People all over the world woke up on September 11, 2001 expecting a normal day, little did they know that their day would be anything but ordinary. 

Nineteen terrorist boarded four commercial airplanes with then intention of hijacking them and crashing them into iconic and important U.S. buildings. At 8:46 a.m. American Airlines flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. All passengers on board were killed instantly. 

At 9:03 a.m. American Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower of the World Trade Center. Like Flight 11, all passengers were killed on board. 

At 9:37 a.m. American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the Mall side of the Pentagon killing all passengers as well as civilians and military personnel inside of the building. 

At 8:42 a.m. United Airlines Flight 93 departed with hopes of crashing into the White House. The passengers supposedly heard about the hijackings and tried to take back the plane from the terrorist. In their attempt the terrorist ended up crashing the plane into a field in Pennsylvania. Everyone on board was killed on impact. 

At 9:59 a.m. the South Tower collapsed. At 10:28 a.m. the North Tower was gone. 

During all the devastation The New York Fire Department lost 341 firefighters and 2 paramedics. It is said that 2,996 people lost their lives during the events of 9-11. 

Although I personally do not remember September 11, 2001 very well, it is a day that will be remembered forever. 

"There is no such thing as an American"

The saying “There is no such thing as an American” can mean so many different things. I think the saying is used because America is full of so many different types of people with different back grounds. Everyone has had their own journey in some way, so of us were born here and some of us came here. So then the disagreeing comes in, how do you define an American? America is supposed to be “The land of the free, and home of the brave.” So many people come to America to start new and live in this “great” country full of opportunity, but does taking a few test and becoming naturalized really make you an “American”? Some people think that you have to be born in American to actually be considered an American. I think that being an “American” means having pride and taking the opportunities that are given to you. Then comes the other argument, does America have a national language? Many people say no, that we can’t have a national language since there are so many different races and languages spoken here. I personally think that the national language should be English. All the different nationalities coming over to America is completely fine, but if you’re coming over here then you should have to learn our language. But all this is just very controversial. 

About Me.

Hello. I've never done this before so I don't really know where to start. So I guess i'll tell y'all some stuff about Me. My name's Blake Gwaltney and this is my first year here at Richard Bland. I just graduated from Colonial Heights High School and I hope to transfer to William and Mary or Longwood to become a high school math teacher. I have two brothers, Gray who is 21 and goes to VCU and Jordan, who is 16 and is a junior at Colonial Heights High School. My mom is Police Officer with Chesterfield County Police Department. I love to volunteer in my spare time and work with children. I absolutely love to run, it helps me clear my mind and just get away from everything. I love to fish and do outdoorsy types of stuff. Volleyball is also a passion of mine.  My Family is a huge part of my life; they are always pushing me and inspiring me to be a better person. My friends are also a huge part of my life, they get me through everything. But, anywho being at Richard Bland is so much different than high school, but it’s much better. So I guess that’s enough for now.