Re: Why it was a bad idea to drop The Mandate.

[Richard D Riehle <laoXhai@ix.netcom.com>]

In article <gwinn-1112971205070001@dh5055146.res.ray.com>,
	gwinn@res.ray.com (Joe Gwinn) wrote:

>What Emmett Paige also has said in the memos discussing the lifting of
the
>Mandate is that they dropped the Mandate because it simply was not
>working.  Translation:  He was forced to, by market realities.  
  ...  delete stuff
>Joe Gwinn

I attended Secretary Paige's Tri-Ada account of the events and information
leading to the abrogation of the DoD Ada policy.  In his speech, Secretary
Paige affirmed that Ada has fulfilled its technical expectations, that it
continues to be a preferred choice for DoD weapons systems, and that the
policy is not being changed for technological reasons.  Rather, if I may
apply my own analogy to his rationale for the change of policy, the
requirement for Ada has been discontinued because a lot of children refuse
to eat their broccoli.  

We put this nice plate of healthful, green brocolli in front of them and
they assumed, from the odd clump of bristles flowering over a forbidding
looking stalk that brocolli would taste bad.  Most of them sat staring at
it for a long time muushing around in their mashed potatos, feeding the
dog under the table and otherwise distracting themselves and others in an
attempt to avoid their broccoli.  

The on-going intractability of rebellious children finally eroded the
well-intentioned resolve of the parent.  Finally, in contradiction to his
widely published statements of determination regarding Ada policy,
Secretary Paige, like many frustrated parents, realized that some children
simply cannot be forced to eat their broccoli.

I recall as a child I too refused to eat my broccoli.  My mother, a
wonderful cook in most respects, simply could not prepare palatable
broccoli.  Only after I became an adult did I discover that broccoli is
actually tasty as well as good for my health.  Perhaps, with broccoli as
an option rather than as a parental demand, more of the recalcitrant
children will, in the future, make the intelligent choice.  

Richard Riehle