Rats

8 days ago: Large rat spotted in garage at night while parking car.
7 days ago: Rat poison purchased and laid as bait.
5 days ago: Evidence that some rat poison was consumed.
4 days ago: Rat seen in garage in the early morning.
3 days ago: Evidence that more rat poison was consumed.

1 day ago:

Rat found near death by A/C unit. All poison consumed. More poison laid out in garage.

Rat currently is rotting in a bag of dog poop in the alley, awaiting trash collection.

The Man really is out to get me

The DOJ released a report today confirming allegations of the politicization of the hiring process for entry-level career attorneys. I posted on this when the story first broke, but the latest revelations provide more evidence that The Man really is out to get me.

The findings will come as no surprise to those disgusted with the antics of this administration. But this report is a big deal because (1) it comes from within the Department of Justice itself and (2) is the first in a series of reports investigating the higher profile U.S. Attorney firing scandal.

I found the report interesting because it shows how mediocre, but loyal Bushie, attorneys were placed in senior positions with influence over the entire hiring process for what are supposed to be apolitical career positions.* It also contained some laughable justifications by the cronies for why Rhodes scholars or people in the top third of their class at Stanford etc. were not qualified for an interview.

And of course, this report is somewhat personal. It isn’t directly relevant to my situation because it examines those who were “deselected,” or removed from lists of applicants to be interviewed whereas I actually interviewed. Twice. And for the years in which I interviewed, there either wasn’t evidence of blatant politicization or it was after the scheme was exposed and reforms were supposedly in place. The report doesn’t examine if there was any politicization of final hiring decisions.**

I have my suspicions, though. I was told in both my interviews that final offers were subject to senior-level review. And my resume contains enough “liberal buzzwords” to constitute Exhibit A of what to watch out for if someone might be illegally screening for political or ideological factors. Also, the place of my 2L summer internship is explicitly listed as a “Liberal Organization” that was screened out. (See p. 107). So much for wanting attorneys who are interested in what they want to practice!

Due to the extension of my current position, I am still eligible to apply for the Honor’s Program. I’m lukewarm on doing so, and I wonder if I should even bother. The same people will be in charge. The clock is ticking!

*Neither of the two worst offenders still work for the government and thus can’t be disciplined. One quit her position at DOJ the day before she was supposed to be interviewed by the investigating committee. Suspicious? I wonder if she is taking a leave of absence from her position in this law firm or if she is now worried about ethics complaints to her state bars?

**This of course would be more difficult to control for since the interview introduces many more variables. For example, after meeting me, the interviewers probably decided that I was WAY too attractive and charming to bring into the DOJ because I might distract both the jury and the judge when arguing a case.

Cameroon on my mind

Many things are preferable to social security review, and one of those things today was thoughts of The Cradle of Our Fathers. For one, today is the TEN YEAR anniversary of my Peace Corps staging date. Oh so long ago, I left what I knew and headed to Washington, DC for two days of orientation and shots and then a very long flight to begin my two years in Africa.

For another, CNN's Anderson Cooper is in The Cradle of Our Fathers for some "Planet in Peril" series. I don't get cable, so all I know is what I see on the internet (never at work, of course, even though net surfing is preferable to said social security review).

Anyway, AC is talking about bushmeat, the rainforest, and zoonotics, which are diseases that jump from animals to humans. Cameroon has the dubious distinction of being the birthplace of HIV and no doubt has some other surprises in store for humanity. One of these could be buruli, a nasty flesh-eating staph-like bacterial infection. The kids who have the misfortune of contracting it are then said to have been cursed by witch doctors for stealing mangoes or whatever. The story from is from Akonalinga, which is pictured below, sans cursed kiddos.

African albinos

Here's a macabre story from today's New York Times about the current craze in African witchcraft: albinos have magical powers that can make you rich, so some people are hunting them to use their body parts in potions.

The story is from Tanzania, but superstition about albinos abounds and is widespread throughout Africa. The albino-skin-can-make-you-rich belief has spread to Kenya and D.R. Congo, and may have roots in Nigerian cinema.

There was one albino student in my Form 2 math class in The Cradle of Our Fathers. I remember that she was always sunburned and seemed cursed from birth just because she was born an albino in rural Central Africa. I hope she hasn't been made into a potion.