cannabisnews.com: McCrackin Steps Down as Stratford Principal McCrackin Steps Down as Stratford Principal Posted by CN Staff on January 06, 2004 at 06:59:37 PT By Seanna Adcox Of The Post and Courier Staff Source: Post and Courier Mounting pressure over a controversial drug raid has prompted the principal at Stratford High School to voluntarily step down after 20 years."I realize it is in the best interest of Stratford High School and of my students for me to make a change," George McCrackin said in a prepared statement released Monday by Superintendent Chester Floyd. Floyd appointed Mildred Brevard, a former assistant principal at the Berkeley County school, to serve as interim principal for the rest of the school year. The search for a permanent replacement will begin in the spring. The change in leadership was greeted with skepticism by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who was in town Monday and who has organized several local rallies in protest of the police tactics used during the raid. Several of the 14 Goose Creek police officers who rushed into Stratford's main hallway at about 6:45 a.m. Nov. 5 had guns drawn. Students were ordered to the floor, and officers put plastic restraints on about a dozen of the 107 students detained, while a barking police dog sniffed their backpacks. Officers found no drugs and made no arrests."He earned a firing," Jackson said, but that might have been politically impractical. "Clearly, he had to go, but he's a scapegoat. It goes much deeper than the principal."Until the school board determines the scope of his new job, McCrackin will work preparing for two federal lawsuits filed over the Nov. 5 search that brought national attention to the Goose Creek school. Floyd said McCrackin's salary and benefits remain the same, though information on exactly how much his salary is was unavailable late Monday.Floyd said there has been "enormous pressures on the Stratford High School community to dissect and discuss the events of Nov. 5. That pressure has probably been most intense on George McCrackin."Floyd said he and McCrackin spoke several times over the holiday break before McCrackin decided late Saturday he wanted a new assignment."We wanted to honor his request prior to students coming back" on Wednesday, Floyd said. McCrackin declined to speak directly with the media. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/stepsdown.htmSource: Post and Courier, The (Charleston, SC)Author: Seanna Adcox Of The Post and Courier Staff Published: Tuesday, January 6, 2004 Copyright: 2004 The Post and CourierWebsite: http://www.charleston.net/Contact: letters postandcourier.comRelated Articles & Web Site:ACLUhttp://www.aclu.org/Goose Creek Principal Leaving Posthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18096.shtmlPrincipal Resigns Over School Drug Raid http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18093.shtml17 Students File Suit Over School Drug Raidhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17923.shtmlShooting, Stratford Raid Draw FBI http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17849.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by kaptinemo on January 06, 2004 at 12:46:32 PT: Thank you, Virgil, for that link I had the brief pleasure and honor to speak with Dr. Cohen at the 2001 NORML Conference in Washington DC, after his presentation. Truly, in every sense of the word, 'a scholar and gentleman'.He again proves the latter quality in this article, which like most such, provide a revealing look at the mechanics involved in the role of preconceived ideas - whether rightly or wrongly - in the formulation of public policy. The dangers of allowing such preconceptions to stand without rigourous challenging of the logical basis for them is to suffer what we do today. Namely, that lies are used as the foundation of policy. I strongly suggest that everyone take a look at that article. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Virgil on January 06, 2004 at 11:33:52 PT Who would like to win the lottey and retire? People need/want money. Look at school teachers that spend 30 years saying "I love the children" and when their 30 years are up do they volunteer to work.Work is a necessity and not a desire, although the thought herders want you to believe that self-worth comes from doing a job and not think about the playing field being level or the opposing team of wealth always having the wind and sun at their back. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by E_Johnson on January 06, 2004 at 10:46:26 PT It's natural to like to work There is an evolutionary advantage in enjoying productive labor. You contribute to the future success of your tribe. If your tribe does not succeed then neither do you. Nature abhors the individual and tries to kill it as soon as possible, using despair and loneliness if wild animals and disease won't do the trick. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Virgil on January 06, 2004 at 09:51:57 PT CEDRO has a new article It is a speech by a socialogist that introduces the term, "harm refusal." This means not accepting the harm inflicted on people by imprisonment and military intervention around the world.The topic is cocaine and coca, where he draws a parallel between the Spanish Inquisition and the dehumanizing needed in the drug wars to be ruthless and cruel. I guess you could say it is justifying harm infliction. He said people were dehumanized in the Spanish Inquisition by not accepting the correct teachings of the Church. As they failed to live up to Christian ideals we now have a standard where people are not realizing their potential. Here is the link- http://www.cedro-uva.org/lib/cohen.harm.html I think Star Trek and the Borg are ingenuous. We are all ask to be assimilated. We are to be economic units that value work above all else so that this might accrue to the few that have now gamed the system. If we do not accept the God of Money that they worship with his only begotten son a God of Power, we are not worthy of entry into the kingdom of acceptance.I still see cannabis use as primarily being an activity. Those that worship Money and Power see this as frivolous as people could buy the line that education is about their personal achievement when it has more to do with building empire and driving down the costs of trained employees. All the education in the world will not make two presidents at General Motors or two principals at the high school. They treat us like fishes where our mission is to swim. People wake up early to swim the day away and end right back up on the couch they started on. I can see journey swimming, but circular swimming is not all that great of thing. The idea of finding satisfaction in work is insane. Outside of charity and social contribution, the objective of work is to get paid and not work itself as Wal-Mart might preach. We are ask to be assimilated as a worthy objective while those at the top practice the true and we are to accept the false. They work for money while we are to work for the sake of work. We already work 9 weeks more a year that the Europeans and they act is if there is a mystery to America that gives us a decent standard of living. They need to drop all the meetings that call for more productivity to make room for more work. Just say "Mush." We get it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Virgil on January 06, 2004 at 08:43:07 PT Democrats debate 2PM to 4PM The presidential candidates will have a radio debate that will be carried by NPR.org and on NPR programs live- http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/debate2004/index.html?npr_ur_inc [ Post Comment ] Post Comment