Susan F. Shantzen surveyed her new office. Newly hired to be a U.S. Attorney, she still felt the thrill of the big move to the Justice Department. Moving from Washington State on the Pacific coast, she had little time to find affordable housing and arrange for movement of her household possessions to the other Washington on the Atlantic coast. But at last, here she was the first day in her new office, meeting people and getting organized as time would allow between compulsory meetings and drop-in visitors. Her new job as a prosecuting attorney for the federal government excited her. Here was a chance to really make a difference, to prosecute waste, fraud, abuse, and other crimes against the U.S. Government and the people of the United States.

Finally having some time to herself, Susan picked up a box of office supplies and opened the top desk drawer of an old government issue oak desk that her predecessor had left her. Inside, a single white sheet of crisp linen paper caught her eye. The type was clear, and five words headed the paper, "Lots of Luck to You."

"How nice," Susan thought, and then continued to read.

"Greetings. By now, you are wondering why I left this here. I am very saddened by the state of things in the U.S. Attorney's Offices. If you have any sense of real justice and ethics, you will be too. I had to learn the hard way, having come here still amazing naive about what was going on here at our county's top levels in the Justice Department.

I warn you that you will be assigned cases, and then you will not be allowed to prosecute them. In fact, you may not even be allowed to investigate them, so there will be no chance they will ever get to prosecution. The system is broken. It goes to the very top. The people being appointed are not being put here for reasons of being able to competently run an effective Justice Department. They are being appointed because of their politics and their blind loyalty to the powers that be. Corruption abounds here. I learned the hard way what happens when you try to do the job, (you no doubt believe, as I did), that you were hired to do.

You heard my name mentioned no doubt in the newspapers - another U.S. Attorney fired by the Administration. What you do not know is exactly why, because the news coverage was not extensive, not unbiased, and not accurate. I was not forced out because I did not do my job. I was forced out because I insisted on trying to responsibly do my job. And the powers that be could not allow that to happen.

"Be warned, the same thing could and probably will happen to you. And it is getting more dangerous with each passing week. Good luck."

"My God, what I have gotten myself into?" Susan muttered to herself, as her new boss popped through the doorway.




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