The Civil/Voting Rights section of the Justice Dept. is all but dismantled

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

due to the political lackeys in charge. How about we address this issue now as opposed to later? Let's review this article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/09/AR2005120901894.html

Staff Opinions Banned In Voting Rights Cases
Criticism of Justice Dept.'s Rights Division Grows

By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 10, 2005; Page A03

The Justice Department has barred staff attorneys from offering recommendations in major Voting Rights Act cases, marking a significant change in the procedures meant to insulate such decisions from politics, congressional aides and current and former employees familiar with the issue said.

Disclosure of the change comes amid growing public criticism of Justice Department decisions to approve Republican-engineered plans in Texas and Georgia that were found to hurt minority voters by career staff attorneys who analyzed the plans. Political appointees overruled staff findings in both cases.

snip

Preventing staff members from making such recommendations is a significant departure and runs the risk of making the process appear more political, experts said.

If there should arise situations/complaints made about election fraud and/or voter supression, who exactly will be investigating those complaints? A little man with a rubber stamp that says "FILED PENDING FURTHER INVESTIGATION" before he puts the file in the POD destined to be shipped to the outsourced archive facility in the Lesser Antilles?

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

1. It's kinda sorta like this

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/16/AR2006091600193_pf.html

Ties to GOP Trumped Know-How Among Staff Sent to Rebuild Iraq
Early U.S. Missteps in the Green Zone

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 17, 2006; A01

Adapted from "Imperial Life in the Emerald City," by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, copyright Knopf 2006

After the fall of Saddam Hussein's government in April 2003, the opportunity to participate in the U.S.-led effort to reconstruct Iraq attracted all manner of Americans -- restless professionals, Arabic-speaking academics, development specialists and war-zone adventurers. But before they could go to Baghdad, they had to get past Jim O'Beirne's office in the Pentagon.

To pass muster with O'Beirne, a political appointee who screens prospective political appointees for Defense Department posts, applicants didn't need to be experts in the Middle East or in post-conflict reconstruction. What seemed most important was loyalty to the Bush administration.

same principles (or lack of) at work
although it is your principal (dollars) not at work

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

2. Good morning! nt.