TTSD has one of the lowest drop out rates in
the state. Reported to be in the range of
aproximately 19%.

I find this report to be of concern on many
levels. A fairly high degree of almost completely
avoidable human suffering can take place
within this 19%

Only in a taxpayer funded, union protected,
environment will you routinely see this level of
success? or failure? looked upon as a positive
by those in charge.

Some schools in the State of Oregon have
drop out rates of aprox 40% to 50%.

(sure helps to explain the state of things)

While I am sure that parents in the TTSD
are glad that the drop out rate for their
school district is only aprox 20%...

A one out of five failure ratio is nothing to 
be standing around high fiving ourselves
about.

The potential disenfranchisement of 20%
of our population at such a young age
does not bode well for our state or our
national society in general.

CSM

Some reports seem to indicate that the
national rate is somewhere between 9%
and 16%...My humble opinion is that a drop
out rate in the 5% to 10% range is what
our nation should be able to reach and
sustain...failure to do so should be viewed
as a mark of systemic failure.

I'll say it again... I don't care what you believe,
everyone has a right to believe in what they are
comfortable with, without being challenged, as
long as they do not use this process to propagate
policies the exclude, spread hate/discrimination
or otherwise use that process to inappropriately
impact, without consent, the lives/rights of others.

More specifically..when concerning issues of
human governance, management. ..ect.

If it cannot be measured, controlled, identified
through scientific, rational processes of verifiable
observation. I don't want to hear it, see it being
a part of the process, when plans are being
made impacting material outcomes.

I absolutely do not want it a part of any decision
making process, procedure, public scholastic
activity, government activity..period!

I find the invocation, or other instances of
such invasion of process by Christian, Muslim,
Hebrew, ect just as troubling as I would if
a witch doctor was called upon to shake their
rattles, with an actual expectation of reliance
upon said activity helping the physical success
of any human endeavour.

(This sounds far more strident and inflexible
than what I actually set as personal guidelines)
I have stated this position as a governor for
operational standards when you find yourself,
or a process unduly being impacted by a
religious zealot/s. Pretty much play nice, or
lose privileges. Don't discriminate, Don't
exclude.

People who know me know I am a spiritual
person, spiritual family ect.. Do I pray.. yes I
do. I also believe there can be value added
or strength provided by a balanced approach
to such things.

Our family also strongly adheres to the advice
given by Jesus "to beware" of those that
proclaim their faith the loudest.

I also would never introduce a religious aspect
to anything requiring an actual desired physical
outcome dependent upon the quality of effort,
or work product, made by the humans in control
of said outcome. "exception being perhaps if I
was in a fox hole, and I had a spare second....
hell, I'm human/mostly ;-)"

To do so would not be rational. no empirical data
exists to indicate that to do so would provide any
measurable impact on outcome.

If you use your religious beliefs to discriminate
against others, I will do my best to stop you
every chance or opportunity I get, but to be clear 
I will be working to stop you regardless, you just
won't get a free pass because you claim it's a
part of your faith!!..it will be only the degree of
harm being caused that will provide an indication
of the strength, or timing of my response.

(Some say, hey that sounds pretty aggressive...
but the fact is is this is an educational process
that we have been working on for a long time.
Which is eliminating power sources or safe
havens for thought processes that promote hate,
intolerance, discrimination..ect.. the sad fact is
we've worked our way down the list to the point
that it is now time to address failures within our
religious social structures/belief patterns, and do
so more aggressively than ever before.

I do believe that a persons spirituality can be a
positive anchor in helping to maintain a personal
relationship between themselves and the
immensity of the cosmos, but a person/s who
loses "rational" control over their spiritual lives/
beliefs can become a very dangerous person,
or part of very dangerous organization/s that
always without failure, will harm innocent people
who are usually just trying to get by, and enjoy
the small things life has to offer us all.

Colin Stuart McCoy

Also for your philosophical consideration...

There has been a topic of research from those
dedicated to neurological and psychological
studies that has given rise to the following
hypothesis...

Goes something like this....That humans
have a portion of our brain that when
stimulated seems to be able to produce
effects that are reported to be "spiritual"
in how they are perceived. Combine this
the above referred to hypothesis...That
humans, upon gaining sentience, became
aware of their own mortality, that they would
die...In order to compensate for the stress
and anxiety such self awareness created
within humans, we fabricated a constantly
evolving set of spiritual/religious beliefs as a
mechanism to cope or overcome the stress/
fear we would otherwise experience?

Something for philosophical consideration.

B.C.E. and A.C.E. vs B.C. and A.D. don't really
care, don't have dog in that fight. probably
would lean towards the newer versions.

Against and concerned: about the effort to
minimize civil rights era, and MLK letters/
speeches some of which came while he was
in prison.

Against and concerned: about the effort to
minimize the thoughts and works of Thomas
Jefferson. Both he and Dr. King were flawed
humans doing their best, making much
needed efforts and positive impacts on the
human condition, under very dangerous
circumstances. Both would have defended
to their own personal destruction the right of
the other to be seen and heard.

I would have liked to have seen a person of
Dr. King's ability giving the "Continental
Congress", and Mr. Jefferson, hell over the
issue of slavery and the practical aspects of
"all men/people being created equal."

Against and concerned: about the effort to
minimize the importance of "Separation of
Church and State".

Support: the effort to include Jefferson Davis's
writings and innaugural speech.

Support: the intention to study how
organizations such as the U.N. may impact our
freedoms or lifestyles in the U.S.

Support strongly: replacing phrase "Democratic
or Democracy with phrase Constitutional
Republic.

CSM

Will it?
I believe we are "hopefully" entering into what
will be essentially an age of reason.

An age of rational thought, through which we
will seek real solutions to problems faced by
humanity.

In the U.S. as elsewhere Church membership
is in decline.

Some data shows that the only area in which
church membership is growing is in the areas
of the ultra conservative organizations.

These groups are typically the least rational,
the least able to accept opposing viewpoints,
as well as embracing the most exclusionary or
discriminatory dogma's.

Universally when these types of organizations
are threatened intellectually or with facts, the
response can be violent.

I believe that as these groups find their ability
to spread hate, and discrimination, marketed
under the guise of a religion, is eliminated, that
violence may be their last acts of desperation
as they try to hold on to their real or imagined
ability to impact our society.

Colin Stuart McCoy

and yes, the noise, and the fall out from the
noise, that people like Glen Beck make, worries
me more than just a bit.

Sinclair Lewis wrote/warned: that "fascism when
it arrives in the U.S. would be wrapped in the
flag, and carrying the cross."

See Texas board of education?

If the sea bed compaction ratio is solid
enough? to support a cap type effort.

Heavy lift transport/drill/lift vessels could lower
concrete caps..

robotic-ally guided into place.

5/3/10 update: BP announced yesterday a plan
for a 75 ton concrete cap, capable of being
plumbed to the surface for oil recovery.


5/4/10 update: BP cap now reported to be 98
tons.

All that is left is to see if theory is sound in
practice. 1st cap scheduled to be in place in
the next few days.

5/9/10 update: When I first threw my thoughts
on this out here, it was not a really in depth
process...I saw it as being pretty much a no
brainer. "Put a big heavy lid on the situation",
for temporary relief while a permanent fix is
created. I figured if the general theory was
sound, that persons with the proper
professional backgrounds would see the
process was managed to optimize it's success.
Now we're seeing, for a number of reasons yet
to be fully understood by one such as myself,
a process in danger of failure or very serious
delays.
5/15/10 update: Was BP's concrete cap effort
doomed from the start.. was it a bad idea?
1.) If it was not possible to create a "cap"
capable of sinking into/compressing the sea
bed, or going deep enough into, so that oil
could not force it's way underneath and out..
then this aspect of the process should not
have been considered..If it even was??
2.) Better design in the hybrid capping effort
appears to have had plenty of room..
a.) limit free space inside capping device.
b.) design to limit or resist effects of 
buoyancy by/or of crystal buildups. 
c.) device should have been lowered into place
ready to operate immediately- one step, not
a two step.
3. A device able to sever the pipeline at depth
I would hope exists ??? If not, I believe a
"skirt" could have been integrated into the cap
design that would have met this need if
required.
4.) Update: 6/22/10 it has been reported that
the blow out preventor sitting on the ocean
floor is five stories tall?? Why do Co's such as
B.P. not have pre manufactured containment
"domes"/cap"resources" located around the
globe in several strategic locations??