ITEM The state Board of Education has approved delaying the requirement that high school students pass the math section of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning in order to graduate. Thats in the wake of the failure of 49 percent of sophomores last spring to pass the math test, and an announcement by Gov. Chris Gregoire and Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson that they will ask the 2007 Legislature to approve the delay through 2010. In the meantime, plans are for better teacher training, more emphasis on the importance of math and a longer school day and year.
COMMENT As I understand it, teachers are paid by the number of days in the school year, so extend the hours of the school day but not length of the year. And dump any mollycoddling of teenagers allowed to sleep in and come later to class because of the excuse they need their sleep, which only allows them stay up late at night watching TV or driving around. Add an hour or two to the daily schedule devoted exclusively to the teaching of math. And make sure the math teachers can pass the test before they teach it.
ITEM U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Belfair, was passed over for chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee and will chair instead the Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies.
COMMENT He wasnt passed over. He didnt want it. Which would you prefer, a committee on which you are privy to a lot of inside information you cant talk about, or a subcommittee that handles budgets for important agencies? Intelligence would gain him no votes whatsoever while the other is like being behind the counter in a candy store.
ITEM Death of a former KGB agent from radiation poisoning and the suspected use of the poison in another prominent Russians case has raised tensions in the West. The dying agent accused Russias Putin, who said someone is just trying to get him in trouble.
COMMENT Since theres no way of knowing for sure at this point whos doing it, I would suggest to our president and other officials who are on the road a lot that from now on, when traveling away from home, bring your own lunch.
ITEM King County election officials said in certifying their Nov. 7 results that they wound up with 51
more absentee ballots counted than approved for tabulation, but nobodys perfect. The number of ballots counted differed from the number issued in 40 of 2,499 precincts.
COMMENT Maybe we ought to ask the 2007 Legislature to also require that King County election workers have to pass the math section of the WASL test too.
ITEM President Bushs tete-a-tete with Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki was disrupted by the appearance on the front page of the New York Times the day before of a classified memo to the prez from his national security adviser pulling the rug out from under Maliki. Stephen Hadley wrote that Maliki was either ignorant of what was going on, misrepresenting his intentions or that his capabilities are not yet sufficient to turn his good intentions into action. Bush Maliki meetings were delayed and shortened.
COMMENT The world must get the same impression I do, that there are more people in the administration working against President Bush than are loyal to him. He needs to root these people out and bring charges against them, using the same spy techniques theyre using to cut him down, i.e., telephone surveillance, etc. And the media of this country should stop ignoring or making heroes out of newspapers that divulge secret material that gives aid and comfort to the enemy.

Adele Ferguson can be reached at P.O. Box 69, Hansville, WA, 98340.