Setting of a criminal-trial date in a case tied to Balch & Bingham proves "You Don't Mess Around with Journalism that Makes a Difference" in public life

Jim Croce

 

The late Jim Croce was one of our all-time favorite pop/folk musicians, and if he were still alive and following corruption in Alabama, he might have written a song that goes something like this (to the tune "You Don't Mess Around With Jim"):

You don't tug on Superman's cape;

You don't spit into the wind;

You don't pull the mask off the ole Lone Ranger;

And you don't mess around with Banbalch.com

Our revised version messes with the meter and rhyming pattern just a bit (OK, a lot). And the last line of this new verse surely would have confused Croce's fans of the day since the Internet was well into the future at the time he was alive, But it helps drive home a point for the purposes of this post: Birmingham-based banbalch.com, which we have come to follow and admire, does serious journalism that has led to an indictment for a one-time client of the Balch & Bingham law firm -- with a criminal-trial date set. And you don't mess around with that kind of reporting, which comes under the banner of the public charity Consejo De Latinos Unidos (CDLU). From  a post by CEO/Publisher K.B. Forbes, under the headline "Update: Motion Denied; Criminal Trial Date Set for Ex-CEO of Balch & Bingham Client":

In 2019, in Balch & Bingham’s 69-page brief before the Alabama Supreme Court in the Newsome Conspiracy Case, the embattled law firm complained that they were not mentioned in the Report by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III, writing:

BanBalch.com also stated that BanBalch.com/CDLU.org had been in contact with the Office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller about Balch. The now-public Mueller Report, however, does not mention Balch.

Did the foolish leadership at Balch truly believe that we were not in contact with the Office of the Special Counsel because Balch failed at getting an honorable mention in the redacted report? Were these clowns really this stupid?

Perhaps lawyers representing the firm should have considered the matter more fully before writing their brief:

In November of 2020, after three and a half years, our work bore fruit and the ex-CEO of Black Hall Aerospace, Paul Daigle, was indicted for exactly what we wrote to the Honorable Robert S. Mueller III about: possible financial fraud and alleged unqualified personnel.

The indictment shook Balch stooges and defenders who had foolishly dismissed our work with law enforcement.

The shoe dropped loudly, and now a criminal trial date has been set for April 4, 2022, nearly 5 years after we originally briefed Mr. Mueller.

 The lesson? The wheels of justice turn slowly, but hard-nosed journalism can help them lurch ahead in a forward direction:

Judge Abdul K. Kallon, who presided over the North Birmingham Bribery Trial, is presiding over Daigle’s criminal case. In December, Judge Kallon denied Daigle’s Motion to Dismiss the Indictment.

Will Kallon be presiding over additional criminal cases related to Balch & Bingham, Alabama Power, and/or Drummond Coal? The Three Stooges need to be closely investigated and held accountable.

Even if it takes three and a half or five years, inherent goodness shall prevail.

While we're at it, let's enjoy the original version of a Jim Croce classic, which probably ranks up there with "Bad Bad Leroy Brown," and "Time in a Bottle" among his best-known songs: