The saga of disgraced Interior official Julie MacDonald takes another amusing turn in today’s Nature. Last seen altering documents, overruling scientists, openly collaborating with friends in regulated industries and generally violating departmental rules with almost comic abandon, MacDonald shows up again in a recent Endangered Species & Wetlands Report:
The latest chapter comes from Steve Davies, editor of the newsletter Endangered Species & Wetlands Report. Davies learned through a Freedom of Information Act request that MacDonald received a Special Thanks for Achieving Results award of $9,628 in March 2005, during the period covered by the investigation. The DOI will not detail the reasons for the award; it says the justification is included in her performance evaluation, which is private.
Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are investigating MacDonald for her role in removing the Sacramento splittail fish from the endangered species list. MacDonald owns a farm in a floodplain that is a habitat for the fish, according to an investigation by the Contra Costa Times, a newspaper in California.
When you think about it, this is really a dog bites man story. Some administrations would fire a comically inept official whose flagrant rulebreaking disgraced the department. But you see, that is clearly pre-9/11 thinking. Julie MacDonald’s tenure at DOI is just another example of the bold, results-oriented leadership for which the Bush administration is well known. Of course Julie MacDonald was rewarded. If she stood her ground Stuart Bowen-like to uphold the Endangered Species Act, and then earned a bonus (or even kept her job), that would be news.
Jackmormon
The Contra Costa Times broke a national story!?! Wow. Congratulations, guys, I never would have expected it.
Jake
ee-i-ee-i-oh.
Rome Again
…and on this farm she had some fish… ee-i-ee-i-oh!
Rome Again
By the way Jake, that was very clever ;)
Tax Analyst
A new Tax Schedule, isn’t it? “Schedule EIEIO” – replacing “Schedule F” for reporting Farm Income or Loss. Well, that’s what I tell our caller’s here…until they ask for “Somebody who knows what they’re talking about”…then I tell ’em it’s just a little joke.
Tsulagi
Well, since that damned fish hadn’t accepted Jesus as its personal savior, it deserved no saving or protection. Do the math. If it had accepted Jesus, it would have been fruitful and multiplied thus removing itself from the endangered species list.
Show some personal responsibility and accountability you stupid fish. Julie knows the truth. We’re blessed to have many public servants like her.
Jake
And of those fish she made a dish,
ee-i-ee-i-oo!
Rome Again
You turned it upside down by mistake TA, it’s “Schedule 01313”. ;) It’s known as the evil within the evil.
Tax Analyst
How could I have missed that? I must be getting old…OH, shit…I already AM old…
Good thing it’s time for me to go home.
Rome Again
“710 77345”
I just hadda to that!
Krista
55378008
Tee hee hee hee hee hee……
The Other Steve
She deserved it for her work in helping this countries most Endangered Species.
Republicans who remember what they said and did.
Andrew
Does anyone know who to blow for a Special Thanks for Achieving Results award?
Rome Again
Something I’m definitely not. LMAO