Patriot Pen

Pride refers to a satisfied sense of attachment toward a group of people and is a product of praise, reflection or feeling of belonging. I am proud of my country because America is still the land of opportunity. If you come from a poor background, if you work hard you can still get an education and a job. Work ethic and willingness to sacrifice is the backbone of our strength as a country. Americans have fought in many wars and fought through many hardships in the short time the United States has been around. America rose from a mysterious land that was fought over, to become one of the world’s most powerful countries in a little over 200 years. I am immensely proud of my country, because it has proved itself to me, and to all.

The pledge of allegiance isn’t just something we say every first hour, it pledges our loyalty to the American flag, the symbol of freedom in our country. We may overlook it sometimes, but we are lucky to have the right to speak our mind, or write our opinion, or practice whatever religion we believe in. America is one of the few countries who give people the rights they deserve.

The government of America takes a lot of heat from the world, but America is a democracy created by the people, for the people, of the people. Democracy works, unlike communism, or dictatorship, Americans can vote for their leaders. If someone isn’t doing their job, America can kick them out. America is ruled by no one except itself.

In a dictatorship, one person controls the government and the military and he is feared. In America, the military is run by skilled, trained officers, who are appointed and work together to determine best practices. Our military is like the MIM-104 Patriot Missile. It is designed not to start wars, but to help eliminate them. The Patriot Missile was developed to use radar to track down attacking missiles, and destroy them. It is meant to discourage other countries from attacking us.

America is my country, and no matter where I go, it always will be. I will do my part to keep America great by contributing with my skills and work ethic.

Joseph McCarthy

(Authors note: This is a biography on a man who abused his power in congress)

"Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you no sense of decency?" Were the famous words that Joseph Nye Welsh replied, after one of his lawyers was attacked with the accusations of Joseph McCarthy.

Joseph McCarthy was born on November 15, 1908, and grew up in a small town near Appleton. He dropped out of high school, but went back a few years later and graduated in 9 months. Due to his exceptional grades, he was accepted into Marquette University School of Law. After college, he became a judge near his home town. He took a leave to fight in World War II, but when he returned, he had his sights on a senator position.

He was deemed to have little chance against his opponent Robert M. La Follette, surprisingly though, with a good campaign, he won. In his years as a senator, the biggest issue was the suspicion of communist infiltration in the United States. He followed this issue, and accused Secretary of State Dean Acheson of knowing of 205 communists in the U.S. government, thus sparking an event similar to the Salem Witch trials.

McCarthy's accusations were throughout the early fifties,making him the second most famous political figure, next to the president. McCarthy faced much criticism, but he kept going. The government found no conclusive evidence that McCarthy's accusations were valid, and his peers kept bringing him down, so the senate committee censured McCarthy. They called his behavior "inexcusable" and "vulgar"

Although McCarthy remained in congress, he was ignored by everyone. After his censorship, Joseph McCarthy became a dangerously heavy drinker. He died from acute hepatitis on May 2, 1957. Joseph McCarthy was bound to fail, because he relied on accusation and illusion, again much like the salem witch trials. He was paranoid man, and still is considered to be an embarrassment to the government.

Poaching

                (Authors Note: This is a persuasive piece on why the government should help end poaching)

Poaching is the unlawful act of stealing game from the wild. It is wrong, and I think the government should do more about it. It is sad, because many people poach, for varied reasons. Unfortunately, the most common reason if for money. People poach for pelts, tusks, furs, and for many other things, driving numerous species to extinction. The government needs to do something about this because when we are old, we don’t want to explain all the great animals that used to be around to our kids.

The government needs to increase security for poaching because little poachers are actually caught. There isn’t much security for the tiger in the jungles of Asia, or for the great elephants of Africa, but what about here in the United States? Many poachers here kill animals illegally, or out of season, leaving their orphaned young to die. We can’t have poachers just walk in and think that the right to take any life in the forest.

                Secondly, there are thousands of species on the endangered species list, and most are on there because of humans. Humans have been poaching animals for years, and finally problems in the environment came up. We have been doing a good job in the past few years getting back on track with nature, but that still isn’t enough. People are still poaching, and animals are still dying. We have to protect the animals from going extinct.

                Even with some animals climbing back out of the endangered species list, what is to say that they won’t sink back into it again? Kids today may grow up to be the poachers of tomorrow. The government needs to keep kids informed about the dangers of poaching. Kids need to be informed about the correct way to hunt and fish, and how to confront a person who does poach. Kids today will have a great impact in the future.

                There may be other pressing topics the government needs to worry about, but the government needs to pay more attention to poaching. I feel like poaching is a topic worthy enough to get some attention from the government. Poaching is a huge problem in the world recently and we need the government’s help to put a stop to it.

Cookie

(Authors note: This is a story from the perspective of a dog named cookie)

            Who in their right mind would want to be named cookie? Well that is just the name my owners picked out when I was adopted five weeks ago. I’m not even allowed to have any cookies! My owners at dinner time give me food that looks and tastes like meat cereal, while they get to eat amazing foods like steak, or smoked salmon, or pork roast. They aren’t even there all the time. They leave me alone from about 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, and what do they do to me for those eight hours? Leave me outside, even when it is raining! I hear them say that they will build me a dog house, but who knows how long that can take. My only pleasure during the day is sneaking off through a crack in the fence to see my friend Whiskers the Cat across the neighborhood. We always talk about how our owners are treating us, and how they should be.

            “I really think I’m going to do it Whiskers.” I exclaimed

            “You can’t run away! The humans are our source of food!”

            “The food they give me is garbage, besides; I just can imagine what fresh wild duck tastes like.”

            “How are you going to catch it?” Whiskers argued

            “Come on, it is in my blood. How hard can it be?”

            “Well I guess I can’t stop you, but, Cookie, be careful.”

            “Thanks, I’ll always remember you Whiskers.”

            After my conversation, I devised a plan. After dark, when I am let out to do my business, I ran out through the crack in the fence and into the forest behind my Masters’ house. I ran through the forest, adrenaline pumping, I felt like I was finally free. Free from the animal shelter, free from my tyrant masters, free from the world. I felt like I was a wild dog now. I ran across a road, avoiding traffic and into the deep woods. As I entered, I felt like this would be my home for the rest of my life.

            Soon after, I found a cave to spend the night in. In the morning I felt my belly rumble, so I went out to hunt. After a little bit of searching, I spotted a rabbit, and chased it around for a little bit. I then cornered it, and pinned it against the side of a large tree stump. Then I leapt and caught it. The rabbit meat tasted very good, especially because I was amazingly hungry. I felt like I actually was a wolf who just got a kill. I thought I was completely prepared for the rest of my life. Things were going great, until dusk.

            My stomach started growling again, so I went to hunt for dinner. I looked around, trying to find another rabbit, but none were to be found. I tried for another hour, and I found one. While I was chasing it, I tripped over a branch, and my dinner got away. I was getting less confident every minute after that. Now it was total darkness and no food was to be found. I started panicking. I realized that a meal on time every day was a blessing, not an expectation. I started missing Whiskers, and my family. “My family” I thought. Then that is when I had no doubt in my mind. “I need to go back”

            It is hard enough navigating through a pitch black forest at night by yourself, but it is even harder when you doing it on an empty stomach. Every tree looked the same, every stump, every scent, and every fallen branch. I was completely lost. I was searching desperately for the road I crossed. Then, I saw a light moving fast through the tree line. I finally found the road. I sprinted to it, but right as I was crossing a bright light came screeching behind me. Then, I blacked out.

            I woke up to the rumble of an engine, I felt faint, but I don’t seem to be hurt. I was in the back seat of a car. At this moment, all I could think about is my family.

            “Hey sleepy head.” The man in the front seat said. “I thought I clipped you.”

            I looked out the window and everything looked familiar. I saw Whisker’s house and I knew this man was taking me home. I was excited but if you were there, you couldn’t tell. I was cold, hungry, and tired, but I was going home.

            “There’s your house, Cookie.”

             

The man walked me up to the doorstep, rang the bell, and about a minute later, my master opened the door.

            “I believe this dog is yours.” The man said

            “Cookie!”

My master ran up to me, picked me up, and gave me a big hug.

“Everybody, Cookie has come home!”

Everyone in my house got out of their beds, and ran downstairs like Christmas morning. I never had so much love in my life. And that is why I never will run away from home again.