2 events, Thurs&Fri, with E.Yourdon & P.Gordon in D.C.

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Tomorrow evening (3/25), Ed Yourdon and Paula Gordon will be at a George Washington University (GWU) sponsored program in D.C.: "Y2K -- Is There Still Time for the Government to Act?". Its at 7:30PM at GWU's Corcoran Hall, 725 21st St, NW (between G&H on 21st).

The following day (3/26), Ed and Paula will be at a "press briefing -- open to the media and the public": "Y2K -- What the Government Should be Doing", from 1:30PM-3:30PM, at GWU's Funger Hall Auditorium (room 103), 2201 G St, NW.

Seating is limited, come early. RSVPs to waz@gwu.edu

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), March 24, 1999

Answers

Response to 2 events, Thurs&Fri, with E.Yourdon&P.Gordon in D.C.

During the course of the visit to the Center of the Universe, I may also have a chance to meet some others who are involved in the Y2K scene. I have no scheduled meetings with Mr. Koskinen or any of the other "big wigs", but I may end up meeting staff members or confidants who can carry a message to these folks.

With that in mind, I would be interested in any advice or suggestions you might have for me. If you knew that just ONE message was going to be brought (albeit indirectly) to one of the key "Y2K players" in Washington, what would you want that message to be? Resist the urge to rant or flame; imagine that it's real (as it may well be for me), and let me know what the most serious, constructive message might be.

To get a sense of what a few thousand other people seem to feel about this, take a look at the " Presidential Poll " on the Y2K Newswire site.

Thanks for your help!

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), March 24, 1999.


Response to 2 events, Thurs&Fri, with E.Yourdon&P.Gordon in D.C.

Arnie, Robert --

I believe that CSPAN has been invited to the press briefing; whether they show up or not is beyond our control.

Professor Gordon and her colleagues are taking care of publicizing the event so that all of the obvious people (and/or their staff members) will be aware of it.

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), March 24, 1999.


Folks,

Thanks for the suggestions -- keep 'em coming! If you want to correspond with me off-line at ed@yourdon.com that's okay too. If you're really feeling nervous, feel free to send me an encrypted message. My PGP public key is available from http:// pgpkeys.mit.edu:11371

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), March 24, 1999.


Tim,

I haven't decided whether to post some observations about the Washington trip on this forum, or to write up an article. As you can appreciate, it will depend on what I hear and see.... assuming there is something noteworthy to report on, I'll do my best to ensure that it's posted somewhere readily accessible.

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (ed@yourdon.com), March 24, 1999.


Response to 2 events, Thurs&Fri, with E.Yourdon&P.Gordon in D.C.

Will either of these events be broadcast (CSPAN?) or transcripted in their entirety?

-- Arnie Rimmer (arnie_rimmer@usa.net), March 24, 1999.


Response to 2 events, Thurs&Fri, with E.Yourdon&P.Gordon in D.C.

More importantly, will Sen. Bennett, Rep. Horn, or any of their staff be there?

Do "you" (Ed) want us to email them (or our local rep's/Senators) to make sure at least one member of the staff attends?

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), March 24, 1999.


Response to 2 events, Thurs&Fri, with E.Yourdon&P.Gordon in D.C.

Ed,

Are you going to share your experiences/observations after this event here on the board, or are you going to post an article on your site? I may have to be on a Y2k panel, so I'm on a fact-finding mission at present.

-- Tim (pixmo@pixelquest.com), March 24, 1999.


I would like to see Koskinen address the fact that there is a growing cadre of professionals (as evidenced by this forum) that are predicting a much more serious outcome than a 3-day storm. How can he reconcile the official position with the carefully argued position that so many of us here feel has become obvious?

Break a leg, Ed.

-- a (a@a.a), March 24, 1999.


Ed -

I think that perhaps the only thing the gov is doing right is increasing the prep time incrementally, but they need to speed up public notification. Believe FEMA is currently at 7 days. Perhaps if they issued a 30 day minimum but 60 or 90 days maximum recommendation sooner rather than later, we would be in better shape. I think that if everyone (most) have a 30 day supply of comfort, if it really looks bad, they can stretch that to 45 or even 60 if it came right down to the nitty-gritty. That would give FEMA and Nat'l Guard more time set up food/water stations for the masses and allow them time to take care of the totally "non-compliant" inner city folk and DGI's. I'm sure with their "spin techniques" they could manage this without a panic.

Also, per Mr. Cook's suggestion - perhaps we should also be emailing CSpan to encourage them to cover the news briefing?

Thank you for all you do and have done.

-- Valkyrie (anon@please.net), March 24, 1999.


Ed,

To me the most important message is to let people know that there may be problems and they SHOULD PREPARE! They don't even have to admit the continuing lies . . . just let people know that they really should be ready for possible problems.

Good Luck!

-- linda (smitmom@hotmail.com), March 24, 1999.



Ed,

I suggest you address three topics: 1. the reality of the threat (about which you are a superb spokesman) 2. techniques to control mass panic (which understandably is a huge concern for any would-be leader) 3. techniques to save face (it will be politically difficult to change the message from "3-day storm" to "Houston, we have a problem".

Addressing only topic 1 will not give leaders what they need to lead.

Thanks for asking, and best of luck.

Jack Miller

-- Jack Miller (practicaljack@practicaljack.com), March 24, 1999.


Eeir emploees are distractblemig-wigs"d,

Thought for the "big-wigs"

A huge concern....

These organizations with contingency plans haven't addressed the contingency plans of their employees. How should we expect these organizations to "fix" the problem when the employees are distracted with basic necessity needs, family concerns, and even the ability to get to work? Also there's a concern of "good fixes" from the streesed-out remediators. The chain is only as good as its weakest link, right?

Thank for your super efforts

-- PJC (paulchri@msn.com), March 24, 1999.


Ed,

Tell them to _TRUST_ the American people and to inform them to start preparing _NOW_. No PR spin or happy faces will change the outcome of what is fixed and what isn't. We need true leadership, honesty & bravery, and then, We (the American people) by working together can make a difference.

-- Cary Mc from Tx (Caretha@compuserve.com), March 24, 1999.


Ed -- Seems to me they can't/won't consider backtracking on issues of preparation broadly and esp. for individuals, families. But the gov could put on a full-court press re: the health-care system. They could ...

... Acknowledge publicly that the Senate's/Horn's eval of Medicare (in danger of outright failure) MAY be accurate.

... Confirm the Senate's "rating" of the health care system dangers.

... Apply major incentives/pressures to the entire system (hospitals, managed care, doctors, pharmaceuticals) to lengthen the supply chain, implement contingencies, etc. Oh, yeah, and remediate.

They are shrewd enough to carry this off without too much spillover elsewhere ("well, what about 'x' industry? It's doing fine but let's focus on health care because it's our most critical .....").

While national prep would be best, hundreds, thousands or millions of lives might be saved over next couple of years by doing a death march on the health care system. Next to banks and water-food, it's probably the most critical "morale/confidence" sphere for folks as well.

Bottom line: appoint a SEPARATE czar for health care (not Koskinen) and give real, executive authority for cutting through red tape, etc.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), March 24, 1999.


Ed,

Give Mr. K a hardcopy of "Y2K And The Erosion Of The Middle Ground"

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch- msg.tcl?msg_id=000cvv

- got energy for something that makes a difference?

~C~

-- Critt Jarvis (middleground@critt.com), March 24, 1999.


Dear Ed,

Ask: What exactly are the plans to feed/hydrate the masses who have not wisely prepared because the official government advice has essentially been "Don't pay attention, this is no big deal."

Ask: Has the Unites States prepared to take full responsibility for massive dislocation resulting from its deceptive policies and misleading statements?

Ask: What are you waiting for before you start telling the truth and encouraging preparation?
Has the thought "too late" ever occurred to you?

Ask: Are you reconciled to the inevitable dissolution of the current government as a result of its failure to remediate and duly timely inform the public to become self-sufficient?

That's all for now ... much more possible along those lines :-)
We have no trouble asking TBTB to-the-point questions to their face. Helps that we're just little ppl with nothing to lose ;-)

xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), March 24, 1999.


if i had only 1 message for mr. koskinen, it would be this. he should encourage the stockpiling of food, if not for y2k, then at least to save the small farmers. last i heard, small farms in america are going bankrupt at the rate of 500 a week. indiana declared a crisis in hog farming last december, but then extended it to other agricultural commodities later. prices for the producers are abysmally low. be patriotic, buy more food! that makes more sense than more farm-aid concerts.

i was raised on a farm (mostly grain) and i want to share this bit of black humor that farmers appreciate. a farmer wins $1 million in the lottery. as he steps forward to receive his check, the official asks him what he plans on doing with his winnings. he shrugs and says, "i guess i'll keep farming until it's all gone". ed, please pass on that joke to the great white fathers, and tell them it's really not funny.

-- jocelyne slough (jonslough@tln.net), March 24, 1999.


Ed: A question to "them" in lieu of a message...

When and where will American families be able to read FEMA's y2k contingency plan?

-- PNG (png@gol.com), March 24, 1999.


Misinformation will kill many more than the truth.

-- Mike Lang (webflier@erols.com), March 24, 1999.

Our elected officials must LEAD the American people, not follow them. Every additional month that the federal government witholds the seriousness of the situation, or presents it ambiguously, represents a risk of having a national leadership crisis. If any serious international Y2K crises develop this year, e.g., related to fiscal year rollovers, BEFORE our leaders have made a genuine movement towards informing the public more openly, the American public will reject them. They will reject any further advice, however good, from the Clinton/Gore administration. The resulting political instability would be accompanied by a publc level of fear far in excess of what the government has been trying to avoid.

-- Bill Byars (billbyars@softwaresmith.com), March 24, 1999.

Dear Mr. Yourdon,

Our Federal Government has for some years now lacked the type of leadership that brought this country through the worst times. (WW1, WW2, The Great Depression) We have politicians, not leaders. With the events now in Kosovo, there is no way our government could also handle preparing this country for y2k,IMHO. (the past 18 months were wasted on a bimbo and her blue dress) Bill Clinton lacks the trust of most of this nation and Al Gore is too pre-occupied with campaigning and inventing the Internet.

The Senators and Representatives of each state should go to the Governors of their State and begin, on the state level, to inform the public. Follow the example of the state of Oregon, the city of Portland: "There will be no panic, as we will be prepared." The Governors, in turn, report to the communities. The communities enlist the aid of the local press, television, Emergency Management Services, Red Cross, Salvation Army, church groups, Lions Clubs, Veterans organizations, and any organization of public trust. Each state/community commences with their own Cassandra Project.

Let the Federal Government fight their war while we prepare for ours in our home towns lead by people we trust and admire. It's time for the American people to rely upon themselves.

Just my $.02, no flames, I'm a newbie that believes in the power of the "grassroots."

-- Carol Dufrene (cajun@bayou.com), March 24, 1999.


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