Year 2000 Getting Closer -- YEAH, S.F. Chronicle!!!!

YES-S-S-S!!!! Way to go S.F. Chronicle! Its working!!!-- Diane

Year 2000 Getting Closer

Tuesday, December 1, 1998 )1998 San Francisco Chronicle

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1998/12/01/ED93450.DTL

DENIAL AND OBFUSCATION are the worst possible responses to the Year 2000 computer problem, yet many private businesses and government agencies are still stubbornly pretending all will be well in the high-tech world when the calendar changes from Dec. 31, 1999, to Jan. 1, 2000.

One of the scariest Y2K malfeasances has to be admission by the Pentagon office responsible for the safety and security of U.S. nuclear stockpiles that it falsified reports on whether the agency had assessed and taken action to avoid Y2K problems. Without corrective action, a Defense Department inspector general report said, ``The Defense Special Weapons Agency . . . may be unable to execute its mission without undue interruption.''

A miscalculation regarding nuclear weapons is no small matter, and some members of Congress seem a tad too forgiving of the Defense Department's outright lie. ``Does it come as any surprise to you that the Pentagon on occasion fudges on the truth?'' asked Senator Robert Bennett, R-Utah, co-chair of a Y2K special committee. ``The Pentagon has the biggest problem simply because they are the biggest agency. I know they are working very hard.''

Bennett and his colleagues, as well as members of the Clinton administration, need to instill a sense of urgency into government officials and to brook neither inaction nor delay. Havoc will reign if government and industry fail to take the steps necessary to avoid Y2K glitches.

The Small Business Administration is doing its part with a Y2K Web site (www.sba.gov/y2k) encouraging business owners to address the problem immediately and avoid such difficulties as computers locking up, credit cards being rejected due to an ``expired'' date of 00 and security doors failing to open. Many systems need no change or upgrade. But many computers, as well as some equipment that uses time-sensitive electronic chips, do require adjustments. Inaction means serious trouble.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 01, 1998

Answers

WheeeeHeeeee, applause, Diane!

Nominate Diane for Stick-It-To-'Em+Get-It-Going trophy.

No matter how bluntly the news puts it, don't think there will be public panic for a while. Why? "Because there are so many people working on it, nothing bad could happen." This from an 'enlightened' person. And don't count on the Pres to light any fires. If he says it's of concern, ppl will get suspicious and decide it truly is hype and just a weird diversion.

Gonna take an Act of God to wake ppl up. But Diane's right, our efforts can prod the media into action.

Ashton & Leska in Cascadia, where it's already dark and raining + blowing, where snow is gonna frost us next week
xxxxxxx xx

-- Leska (allaha@earthlink.net), December 01, 1998.

Leska, it's a start. We just all need to keep the media momentum going.

People who are regular posters on other sites, please spread this article around!!

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), December 01, 1998.