Every four years, along with county elections, the local computer science professors raise the question of the correct teaching language for programming. There's a lot of brave talk about throwing the rascals out, many lunches devoted to campaigning, a wave of confidence just before the election, and then the ultimate defeat for the upstart. In the end, both Fortran and the sheriff are reelected. They may be corrupt; they may be incompetent; they may be creaking with age; but at least they're familiar.