Please read R17

[Jack Jones]

I don't want to put words in FIRST's mouth, but this seems to me to be a pretty clear attempt to force engineers in FIRST to NOT work on FIRST.

The irony is that they have over achieved.

As much as we’d like to put on a show and to be all that we can be, I would not think of asking our buyer to put that Kevlar order aside and order us some aircraft grade aluminum tube because powers-that-be demand we have the robot done on Tuesday, and the spare helix done by Friday. I would not consider asking our welders to put that HWMMV kit away and weld us up some drive platforms because the team across town worries that we’d tilt the playing field if we came in this weekend. I won’t ask the kids and teachers to do their five hours after midnight because that’s the only time Bob and I get to use the water jets.

We want to be a positive force in our community, and maybe to encourage our country’s best and brightest to go to work for the ones who’ve put themselves in harm’s way.

We don’t need the powers-that-be to schedule our priorities. We’re well aware of what they are. It will always be first things first – lower case. If that becomes unworkable, then that’s a shame.