[MikeDubreuil]

FIRST inspiring students to pursue careers in technology was the short term goal. The thought process was that by getting more kids into technology the United States would keep it's dominant position in technology. Which is why all of Dean's current speeches are about the problems with outsoursing technology.

Everyone keeps saying rasing the bar is expanding internationally. That has never been a goal of FIRST. Dean Kamen constanly refers to the statistics for the United States. I don't remember exactly, but around 5% of high schools in the US have FIRST. Rasing the bar to him would mean getting 10% involvement.

Don't take what I say out of context. I would agree that the goal for FIRST is to inspire kids to pursue careers in technology. This applies locally to teams around the world. However, the ENTIRE goal was for the kids to pursue technology for the benifet of the US.

Not one person can explain to me why they believe FIRST's goal is to benifet the world... yet, Dean Kamen's speaches explain how techs jobs leaving the United States are a bad thing. Until you explain this, most of your attempts to explain FIRST going internation seem moot.