Dhimmi This!

Project Valour-IT Rides Again - 3rd Annual Milblog Competition

Project Valour-IT and a SOGB Matty Burden

"There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again. You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the GWOT, you won't have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say, Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.  No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, Son, your Granddaddy supported Project Valour-IT and rode with the Great Milblog BlackFive and a Son-of-a-Goddamned-Bitch named Matty Burden!" ~ slight paraphrase of speech by General George S. Patton, Jr delivered to his troops on June 5, 1944.

Project Valour-IT, the brain child of Captain Chuck Ziegenfuss (along with Fbl) - tcoverride.com, provides voice-controlled software and laptop computers to wounded soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines recovering from hand and arm injuries or amputations at major military medical centers. The voice activated software allows the wounded to operate laptop computers by speaking into a microphone. Our wounded heroes are able to send and receive messages from friends and loved ones, surf the 'Net, and communicate with buddies still in the field, all without having to press a key or move a mouse.

The military blogs are heading up Valour-IT's online fundraising competition.  The goal of this friendly competition is to use the naturally occurring inter-service rivalry to raise money to help reconnect our wounded warriors with the world!  The competition started on October 29 and runs through Veterans Day.

Giving wounded warriors with hand and arm injuries access to a computer supports their healing and puts them back in touch with the world. The blogger teams have been divided along military branches, with civilians "up for grabs."

The lines are drawn by service rivalry:

Jarheads (Marines) will be led by Holly Aho
Zoomies (Air Force) will be led by Mrs. Greyhawk at Mudville Gazette
Squids (Navy) will be led by Chaotic Synaptic Activity.
Doggies (Army) led by Matt and Jim of Blackfive

I have signed up to support Army. Now, you go do the same.

James Buddy Caldwell - Experience

The documentation that I have found is all from the Legislative Auditors Website. Lots of interesting reading.  In regard to the report (Leg Auditor Report - Caldwell)  against Caldwell I think that what is not said is more damning.  The report says that Caldwell was using DA funds to pay his credit card for years and the only items reported were ones that were not paid back.  But paying them in the first place is a problem in and of itself. Just because he reimbursed the office  does not make it right. How much interest did he save by having the DA office pay off his credit card and then wait until some later date to reimburse it?  Less important are the less tangible benefits such as increasing his credit rating and what about the bonuses such as frequent flier miles that he racked up by using this very questionable accounting practice.  It is my understanding that the records of the investigation itself have been destroyed (business practice of the Leg Auditors Office) and all that is left is the report. 

These are links to Louisiana Legislative Auditor Reports.  The first one deals with Caldwell himself. The second deals with a report on fraud in the City of Tallulah.  The third deals with Carolyn Caldwell - (I do not know if she is related).  The others deal with various public corruption that the Leg Auditor reported to Caldwell - it would be interesting to see how many were prosecuted.  Also, it appears that he has to have the Leg Auditor come in and root out corruption - if he can't do it himself in three small parishes how can he do it for the state?

Leg Auditor Report - Caldwell       Leg Auditor Report - City of Tallulah    Leg Auditor Report - Carolyn Caldwell, Clerk of Court Madison Parish    La Leg Auditor Report - Madison Parish Port Commission    Leg Auditor Report - Madison Parish Police Jury    Leg Auditor Report - Madison Parish Police Jury 2    Leg Audit - Madison Parish School Board    Leg Auditor Report - East Carroll Parish Police Jury    Leg Auditor Report - East Carroll Parish Police Jury

La. Leg. Auditor Report by Parish - Caldwell is DA for Madison Parish, Tensas Parish, and East Carroll Parish.  As you can see from the links above Dan Kyle was very busy in Madison Parish when he was Leg Auditor.

Financial Audits of 6th JDC DA's Office - I did not look at all of these - I figured I would leave these to some nerdy financial types.

2006 Financial Audit

2005 Financial Audit

2004 Financial Audit

2003 Financial Audit

2002 Financial Audit

1996 Financial Audit

1998 Financial Audit

2001 Financial Audit

2000 Financial Audit

1999 Financial Audit

1997 Financial Audit

FYI - the three parishes in his district have 27,000 people total and they have about one murder a year total.  Caldwell's budget is about $800,000 per year.  A Chief of Staff's budget for a Congressman's office is $1.5 million and has about 15 to 20 employees.  Caldwell does not have the experience he claims.  Compare the stats on 6th JDC to Orleans or Caddo or BR.  His office is the minor leagues. I posted on this earlier:

Added to this is the fact that there really is not that much crime in the tiny rural Judicial District in which Caldwell is DA. The 6th JDC has 27,165 people in 2000 as compared to 1st JDC (Caddo) 253,118, Baton Rouge 429,073 people in 2006, Orleans 223,388 in 2006, 15th JDC (Lafayette) 319,569, 14th JDC 184,524. Caldwell's budget for for the 6th JDC District Attorney's office for 2006 was $814,111.00. source 6th JDC Budget. By comparison the budget handled by Royal Alexander as Chief of Staff for Congressman Alexander was $1.5 million and the budget for Congressman Alexander's campaign was $1.3 million.  Additionally, Congressman Alexander is a member of the Appropriations Committee which works on the budget for the United States.  The attempt by Caldwell to say that his experience in running an office greater than Alexander is disingenuous. 

Royal Alexander Supports Legislator's Efforts to Impeach Eddie Jordan

The Dead Pelican Reports:

Royal Alexander Supports Legislator's Efforts to Impeach Eddie Jordan    

OCTOBER 27, 2007 -- 14:43:23 -- CDT

Metairie –Attorney General Candidate Royal Alexander is supporting the call by two New Orleans area legislators to impeach New Orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan. Recently elected State Senator Steve Scalise and Representative Cameron Henry announced today they will introduce legislation at the beginning of the 2008 legislative session to remove Eddie Jordan from office.

“I am absolutely supportive of Senator Scalise and Representative Henry’s efforts. For too long Eddie Jordan has been allowing dangerous and violent criminals to walk the streets of New Orleans. Now he has crippled the DA’s office with his outlandish discrimination lawsuit, ending in a $3.7 million settlement that could bankrupt an entire public office.” said Royal Alexander.

In contrast, Royal Alexander’s opponent for Attorney General Buddy Caldwell has no stance on the problems of Eddie Jordan. In a recent WWL-TV debate when asked if he thought Eddie Jordan is doing a good job, he responded “I don’t know.”

“Considering Buddy Caldwell’s failed record as a District Attorney in his small Parish and his longtime association with Eddie Jordan in the Louisiana’s District Attorney’s Association, it is no surprise that he has failed to take a stand on this important issue.” Said Craig Murphy, an Alexander spokesman.

    I think that the impeachment of Eddie Jordan is certainly worth the effort.  The success or failure of New Orleans is Louisiana's single biggest issue at this time (even above the extension of I-49 North).  Integral to New Orleans' lack of success is Mr. Jordan.  Don't get me wrong, all of the failures do not fall on Mr. Jordan's shoulders by any means, but his failures have certainly been instrumental in New Orleans' continued problems and its inability to recover from Hurricane Katrina.  Mr. Jordan's first move, which was probably his worse move, was firing many of the white prosecutors for no reason other than that they were white.  Not only will this ultimately result in bankrupting his office, but it also removed many of the experienced prosecutors.  Now, I will be the first one to admit that any law school graduate should be able to prosecute misdemeanors and some felonies.  However, what they lack in experience must be made up for in supervision.  Mr. Jordan's office obviously had neither.  It is simply time for Mr. Jordan to move on.

    If the effort to impeach Mr. Jordan fails then I like Mr.Forgotston's suggestion of letting the assets of the office be seized to pay the judgment.  (It should be noted that a federal judgment and cannot be stopped.  In such instances the Federal Courts like to hold the plaintiffs off and try to force the governmental entity to come up with a solution short of seizure, but in the end the court will allow the seizure of funds and assets to satisfy the judgment.) The bankruptcy of the Orleans Parish DA would then force the AG's office (which it has authority to do in certain instances and under certain conditions) to step in and take over the running of the office. Under the Louisiana State Constitution and the statutes the Attorney General is tasked with "supervising" and overseeing the operations of the DA's offices.   The problem with Eddie Jordan's office has been a long time in coming and it is time that it be fixed.  The people of New Orleans deserve it.

By the way - Royal Alexander has been calling for the AG's office to take affirmative steps in this direction since the start of the campaign.  Mr. Caldwell does not know if Mr. Jordan is doing a good job. The difference between these two men is tha ability to lead.  Caldwell does things the old way - behind the scenes, with a wink and a nod and when that fail she resorts to intimidation.  Alexander sees public service as a way to better his community nit himself.  He has fresh ideas  and sees the world through different lenses than Mr. Caldwell. 

 

VICTIM'S SON CLAIMS CALDWELL FAILED TO PROSECUTE BRUTAL CRIME

The Dead Pelican reports:

Buddy Caldwell Jr. is currently running for Louisiana Attorney General. And now James Hill Jr. is insisting that Caldwell failed miserably in prosecuting the man who is responsible for his father's death.

James Hill Jr. issued a statement today regarding the death of his father and the lack of prosecution by Buddy Caldwell.

"It has now been three years and Buddy Caldwell has done nothing," said Hill. "Even though Caldwell represents a small area, his office has fallen down on the job on big cases. The man who committed this brutal act had 6 previous felony convictions, 2 of them violent felony convictions. This man should be behind bars. He is not."

Hill says that "Buddy Caldwell has been inattentive to the job he has had for years. He is already letting the people who he was elected to represent down while running for another job that is over his head."

"Buddy Caldwell has no business running for Attorney General. He is not doing the job he has now," Hill said in the statement.

    Reports are that Caldwell twisted off this afternoon when this issued was raised at a Baton Rouge debate and threatened to sue one of the attendees when the attendee told Caldwell to "tell the truth".

Monroe News Star Endorses Royal Alexander

Two men have challenged Foti: Royal Alexander, a Republican and former aide to U.S. Rep. Rodney Alexander, and prosecutor James D. "Buddy" Caldwell, a Tallulah Democrat. Of the two, we prefer the younger man, Alexander.

The Shreveport native promises to curtail gang warfare — it runs rampant in Foti's New Orleans — and to increase protection for consumers and the elderly, who are often targets of scams. A private attorney who has served as an administrative law judge, Alexander also said he would use the office aggressively wherever district attorneys fail to prosecute crimes, such as in Orleans Parish.

After Foti's four foul years, the attorney general's office needs cleansing. Give Alexander the chance. Monroe News Star

   

 

James Buddy Caldwell: Finds out that his son, David Caldwell, works for Charles Foti

BILL FEIG

The three contenders for attorney general in the Oct. 20 primary made their pitches during a forum at the Press Club of Baton Rouge. The candidates are, from left, Republican Royal Alexander of Shreveport, Democrat Attorney General Charles Foti and Democrat Buddy Caldwell of Tallulah, district attorney for East Carroll, Madison and Tensas parishes. source Advocate

See also: Picayune; News Star; Town Talk; The Daily Advertiser

Quick thoughts on issues raised during the debate-

• James "Buddy" Caldwell is more of the same old, same old.  He supported Foti in the last election, he is evidently close enough to Foti to have discussed the Pou prosecution with him prior to the arrest, and his son works for Foti.  Sounds like Caldwell used Foti when it was convenient and has now turned on him since Foti seems vulnerable. Nothing like stabbing a friend in the back.

• Caldwell has an issue with math.  In an article the other day he stated that the Pou prosecution had cost the state $50,000,000.00.

Caldwell and Alexander have criticized Foti for his criminal investigation into New Orleans' Memorial Hospital and accusations that Dr. Anna Pou and two nurses euthanized four patients after the city flooded. "Look at what was done with the investigative authority of the attorney general's office," Caldwell said. "That probably cost the state $50 million. The gravity of that harm is apparent. The more power you have the more careful you have to be." Source Shreveport Times

Now given the fact that the entire yearly budget for the AG is only $51,000,000.00 the assertion is not only wrong but it is also ridiculously out of touch with reality.  Caldwell also says that the AG's office has had a 51% turnover rate.  Foti says that the actual number is 16%.  Caldwell evidently just pulls numbers out of the air when it fits him and ignores real numbers.  He said in the debate that he takes issue with the assertion that his ridiculous, baseless prosecution of Judge Hedges cost the State $100,000.00, yet it is well documented that the State was forced to reimburse the defendants in the case their attorney fees in the amount of $100,000.00. There is also the issue with Caldwell's 99% conviction rate that he touts, but has been unable to prove with actual numbers.  This is even ignoring the fact that the DA has 100% control over the cases that he tries and can simply cut or agree to a plea bargain if his case is a loser.

Added to this is the fact that there really is not that much crime in the tiny rural Judicial District in which Caldwell is DA. The 6th JDC has 27,165 people in 2000 as compared to 1st JDC (Caddo) 253,118, Baton Rouge 429,073 people in 2006, Orleans 223,388 in 2006, 15th JDC (Lafayette) 319,569, 14th JDC 184,524. Caldwell's budget for for the 6th JDC District Attorney's office for 2006 was $814,111.00. source 6th JDC Budget. By comparison the budget handled by Royal Alexander as Chief of Staff for Congressman Alexander was $1.5 million and the budget for Congressman Alexander's campaign was $1.3 million.  Additionally, Congressman Alexander is a member of the Appropriations Committee which works on the budget for the United States.  The attempt by Caldwell to say that his experience in running an office greater than Alexander is disingenuous. 

• Caldwell's campaign is all about himself - not Louisiana. His first commercial, before it was evidently decided to remove his voice from the commercial, is all about how great he is, not about what he can do for the State.  In the debate he states, Sixth District Attorney James "Buddy" Caldwell says his years of experience as a full-time prosecutor will benefit him if he is elected as the state's next attorney general.  The 59-year-old Tallulah Democrat has prosecuted crime in his judicial district -- West Carroll, Richland and Franklin parishes (note: article is wrong his district is Madison, East Carroll, and Tensas)-- for 29 years. "I'm offering myself up to straighten this system out, and I know it well," Caldwell told the editorial board of The News-Star in Monroe. He obviously needs to get a grip on his ego.

• Caldwell has obvious anger issues. "He said recent YouTube postings that claim he cost the state $100,000 in a recent case involving a St. Tammany Parish judge are not accurate. "I get real mad when someone attacks my credibility," he said. Is this the same anger he displayed against Dr. Kyle when Caldwell was trying to intimidate Dr. Kyle into not issuing the Legislative Auditors Report? That's right - He's tough.

James Buddy Caldwell: I'm All Shook Up

“Caldwell, 61, has been district attorney for Madison, Tensas and East Carroll parishes since 1978. He is also an amateur entertainer, songwriter and guitarist known for his impersonation of Elvis Presley.”

        - Source: Advocate Capitol News Bureau, October 8, 2007

James Buddy Caldwell does not know if Eddie Jordan, Orleans Parish DA, is doing a good job and he thinks that the Katrina Recovery effort is going "okay".YouTube

James Buddy Caldwell also blames his use, over a period of years, of public funds to pay his private credit cards as a clerical error by his secretary. YouTube

James Buddy Caldwell claims that Dr. Dan Kyle was just confused about the threats Caldwell made in an attempt to squelch Kyle's report. YouTube

James Buddy Caldwell challenges Foti's handling of the St. Rita's case and the Dr. Ann Pou case, but conveniently forgets about his ridiculous attempt to prosecute Judge Hedges in what was referred by one attorney as "something out of Alice in Wonderland" and "crazy".

In the same case:

Caldwell finally dropped extortion and conspiracy charges against Hedges' campaign manager, Randolph Slone, who "expressed anger that Caldwell announced the indictments only after seeking news media attention, but dropped them…without informing reporters or even Slone himself." Slone added: "It's been emotionally and financially devastating. People believe you're guilty when you're indicted. It's really been a nightmare."

Yet Caldwell says:

Caldwell said Foti’s office is beset by misjudgments on criminal cases, heavy turnover among employees and inordinate delays issuing legal advisory opinions. “It is literally reaching the point of collapse,” Caldwell said of the Attorney General’s Office.

Turns out that the son of James Buddy Caldwell works for Charles Foti. Foti, in an apparent admission of the good o'le boy network admitted that he hired "mini" Caldwell at the behest of James Buddy Caldwell.  In a denial reminiscent of his denial of his threats against Dan Kyle - James Buddy Caldwell told the room full of reporters that Charles Foti was confused.

Such actions segueway perfectly into Caldwell's penchant for nepotism that started with getting his third wife a job with the Secretary of State's office. 

Caldwell testified that he arranged his wife's hiring with the help of an employee of the attorney general's office. "I've known Fox ever since we were children," Caldwell explained. Caldwell's wife testified that McKeithen called her into his office May 12 and that they discussed her divorce case. "I was terminated from my job," she said. "I was upset. I was crying. I have a child to support. I could not survive without a job." ("Divorce Delayed Due To Family Tie," Associated Press in Times-Picayune, 6/4/95)

James Buddy Caldwell for Attorney General - Misuse of Public Funds,  Intimidation, Nepotism, Cronyism.

Come on Buddy, tell the truth!