Supply and Demand or Market Manipulation

Today Speculators control 73% of the unregulated commodities market responsible for setting the price of oil. Speculators only put up less than ten dollars per barrel of oil to purchase oil on the futures market. Its a recipe for disaster. If the price falls drastically the investment banks are left holding the bag and they will fail, along with pension fund investors. In the end like always the consumer will be hurt the most. Retirees and people ready to retire will find their pensions and 401k plans wiped out. Don't believe me check out what speculators are saying:

BEN STEIN: I was just in a room with a whole bunch of speculators who are former Enron traders that are now trading natural gas and oil. And they're laughing their heads off about how much they're manipulating the price of oil. They couldn't care less.

If this is true Congress must act. Price oil $143.

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Hilliary Then Hilliary Now

What is the difference between Hilliary Then, during the Democratic primary, and Hilliary Now, since she has lost to Barack?

Hilliary then, believed Barack was too inexperienced,

Hilliary then, believed Barack's plan for the economy was too expensive,

Hilliary then, believed Barack needed a period of on the job training,

Hilliary then, believed his 'Change' speeches were just words,

Hilliary then, believed Barack was promising false hope,

Hilliary then, believed Barack's past associations 'did matter',

Hilliary then, believed Barack wasn't being totally honest,

Hilliary then, believed Barack's plan for removing our troops from Iraq was flawed,

Hilliary then, believed Barack was in the liberal Medias' pocket,

Hilliary then, believed Barack's campaign played the race card,

Hilliary then, believed Barack's campaign and the media used sexism to beat her,

At Unity, New Hampshire Hilliary took a 180 degree turn:

Hilliary now, give me 10 million dollars and help me retire my campaign debt,

Hilliary now, I'll settle for a check for $2,300 and asking your wealthy supporters to contribute,

Hilliary now, Barack is the candidate of 'Change' we can believe in,

Hilliary now, Barack is ready to lead,

Hilliary now, Barack is the candidate of hope for peace and prosperity....................

What is a Hilliary kiss and Presidential support cost in Unity, New Hampshire, exactly $2,3oo and the promise to help retire her Presidential Campaign debt.

REMEMBER A VOTE FOR A THIRD PARTY IS A VOTE FOR SEN OBAMA

Oil Tops $142 State of America, Recession

State of America has gone from Crisis to Recession. Oil broke the $142 mark today and where is Congress, the House is not in session and the Senate is discussing North Korea. I am concerned with North Korea but doesn't America's economy and the facts that people are losing their homes, cannot feed their children, business are going under, and people have resulted to selling their blood (all due to the high oil and gas prices), don't these facts take priority over North Korea. The last I heard the 6 party talks are working. North Korea has given the declaration we asked for and they are gong to destroy their Nuclear Cooling Tower, sounds like progress to me.

When the oil prices hit the $140 mark yesterday the idiot traders on the floor of Wall Street were jumping up and down, shouting for joy like little kids on Xmas day. The stock market plummeted and with oil prices increasing today the stocks are continuing to fall. This could be reminiscent of the 1929 Wall Street crash that sent the world into the Great Depression. And where is Congress, running off to celebrate the 4th of July.

Barack Obama, in a recent interview, said by 2030 if we follow his plan we will reduce our dependence on foreign oil down from 63% today to 35% by 2030. Of course his plan is completely based on new and unproven future technology. It leaves out everyone that is below the poverty level and the millions upon millions that cannot afford to buy the cars of the future that his plan is dependent upon to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

Everyone is asking, "What is going on?" The expert analyst on television blame it on everything imaginable from Nigeria to the weak dollar to the new excuse, inflationary cycle. No Wall Street analyst is blaming it on the unregulated oil market. In 1929 the stock market along with banks were unregulated and the Congress set back and allowed unscrupulous investors to manipulate the market with junk stock and bad bank loans and investments until the market collapsed. This Congress is no different than the Congress of 1929. It is their job to pass the laws that will curtail the market manipulation and bring down these prices. It is Congress that must lift the ban on recovering oil from shale and open our coasts to offshore drilling. The President does not have the power or authority to do either. He can lift the executive ban on offshore drilling to send Congress a message, but the question remains if Congress will listen.

It is up to the people, how much more are we willing to except from this do-nothing-Congress? Instead of celebrating the 4th of July at some fireworks display, how about celebrating outside of our Representatives offices and homes, explaining to them we want something done now instead of 30 years from now. State of America has went from Dangerous to Crisis and now Recession. There isn't much left before Catastrophic and Depression.

Mexico Harboring Two Murderers

Jesus Navarro Montes was arrested Jan. 22 in northern Mexico in connection with the death of Luis Aguilar, 32, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent who was assigned to the Yuma, Arizona, station. A Mexican judge has released the suspected killer leaving U.S. officials “shocked and appalled,” according to a statement by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

Marine Cpl. Cesar Laurean was arrested April 10 by Mexican police on a US warrant for the murder of Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, who had accused him of rape. North Carolina officials say it could be 1 or 2 years before he is extradited back to the United States. All bets are off if Laurean has the opportunity to go before the same judge as Montes did.

What Mexico understands and Americans don't understand is our government just doesn't take murder all that serious. Murder someone here and all you have to do is cross the border into Mexico, it is like seeking sanctuary in the Catholic church. If you are a Mexican citizen or in the Laurean case have a dual citizenship you may or may not be extradited, ever.

The only thing this does is send a message to everyone around the world that America is weak when it comes to Mexico. We are so afraid of offending the Mexican government that we will allow them to harbor murderers of Federal Law Enforcement Agencies, our military by other active military members, our police and other citizens. American cities and our citizens are fair game to any criminal if he has money to bribe the Mexican officials or he is a Mexican citizen.

Laurean wasn't captured, he walked up to a Mexican check point and gave them his real name. He knew there was a warrant out for him and he knew exactly what would happen after identifying himself. Spend a little time in jail until the heat simmers down then he will be released, another Montes.

My heart goes out to the men and women of the Border Patrol. Having personal knowledge of the harsh training they have endured to become Agents and the daily dangers they face trying to protect our country, they have all my respect and sympathy for the way their government has treated them.

Having served in the Marines I cannot understand how the country can turn the other cheek and allow Mexico to harbor a deserter wanted for murdering a fellow Marine. There was a time when no country would dare harbor murderers of American citizens, out of fear or respect we need to return to those times.

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Are HHO Gas Vehicles The Future?

Since the price of gas has gone through the roof, people have been talking about all types of alternative fuels. HHO gas conversion kits are all over the Internet and some local News coverage of vehicles that have been converted. Opinions are all over the place as to whether its real or a scam. I am always open to new technology and innovation, America has always led the world in both. Using tap water and gas to fuel a combustion engine seems a little far out.

I have visited and investigated, the best I can, websites that offer conversion kits for cars and trucks. The websites swear by this new technology but offers no guarantee it will work on your vehicle. Problem is very few people have the technical knowledge required to install their particular conversion kit.

I have watched videos of people marketing this type of converted vehicle but most are very short and never go into detailed installation instructions.

Alternative fuel systems have been around for a long time. There has always been electric, steam, and even diesel engines were first designed for vegetable oil instead of diesel fuel. The military has had multi-fuel trucks and equipment for years. Solar powered vehicles have been tested as far back as the late 60s. Hydrogen cell vehicles and propane are nothing new. Most Propane gas companies use vehicles converted to burn Propane in their delivery trucks. For these reasons I will not totally dismiss the idea of HHO, but I will remain a skeptic for now.

Life and Experience Living In America

Ever since Obama’s "brilliant", "remarkable", "historical speech" on race in America the media and talk shows have jumped in offering expert opinions on how Americans should talk to Americans. Today the big thing is it starts at home with the children. What we do and say in front of our children will determine how our children think when they are adults. This may factor into how our children look at race issues, politics and life in general, but there is one thing all the experts don’t say. I believe, and this is only the opinion of a father of 4 grown children, that all children are individuals the same as all adults are individuals. The environment outside of the home and life experiences they face as young adults has more to do with their outlook on the world than their parents.

Due to economical differences in the world most of the experts, celebrities and anlysts grow up and live in a world far removed from the average street wise kid or average working American. Take away their income and place them in an inner ctiy living environment working as a mechanic, service station attendant, plumber, delivery driver, or any other job dealing with the public for 3-5 years and then ask them their views on the subjects they are now discussing. Let them live in inner city neighborhoods where average Americans live making 8-12 dollars an hour. Let them raise 2-4 kids on this income and have both parents working for this same amount just to raise their kids. Let them live this way for a period of time with no guarantee of a better future and then ask them their views.

At one time every culture around the world looked to their elders for advice and wisdom based on their life’s experience. Sadly younger generations started turning away from seniors because young adults felt the older generation had screwed up the world and it was up to them to correct all the mistakes of past generations. By doing this we have lost a great deal of knowledge and experience. We have also lost a sense of American culture, history and the principles for which our country was founded.

Today most parents teach their kids not to discriminate against other kids because of color. It’s when the kids become young adults and venture out into the cities that life hits them in the face and reality sets in. The average white American cannot tell you with absolute honesty where their ancestors originally came from. If their grandparents came from another country they may be able to claim that culture and speak about it. Get farther back to great or great great grandparents and the average white American will shrug their shoulder and give you their best guess. The average black American will claim Africa as their ancestory regardless of whether their original ancestors did or did not come to America as slaves. Most have relied on television, movies and what they have been told about the African culture to be true and now claim it for their own culture. You will find very few average black Americans that have ever set foot on the African continent. On the other hand the average Hispanic American will lay claim to the Mexican culture and most can speak the Hispanic language. I have met Americans that are clearly from Hispanic and Asian descent that cannot speak the native language and know nothing about the cultures, except from television, movies and what they’ve heard.

It’s natural for people to want to be different yet feel the need to have their own culture and sense of belonging to a group of people they can identify with. This has led to voluntary segregation not only in America but through out the world. Communities are set up not by government but by individuals that feel comfortable living in neighborhoods that identify more with their sense of culture than in neighborhoods that have a diverse population. Communities like this will not accept outsiders moving into their neighborhoods if they do not adhere to the common culture of their neighbors. Young adults that enter these communities can find out very quickly that entering these neighborhoods can result in resentment and sometimes violence. When this happens regardless of what we teach our kids about racism, it goes right out the door. It’s life’s experience like this that will dictate what our kids believe in when they become adults. Until all Americans decide to let go of their ancestors cultures and claim the American culture as their own we will always be a nation divided. I don’t see it happening in my lifetime, nor in my children’s lifetime. No President regardless of race can change how individuals think or what they believe. People living today cannot change nor should they be held responsible for things that occurred decades ago. We and our children have a future to look forward to, we need to get on with it and stop crying about the past. If we act like responsible adults and teach our kids the importance of family values, God and loyalty to our Country maybe we would see less drugs, violence and teenage pregnancies.

Doctor No Prescription For Consumer

The following transcript between Doctor No (Barack Obama) and his patient Ms. Consumer was made available by the patient for public viewing. State_of_America makes no claim to the accuracy of the patient's (Consumer) recollection of Doctor No's prescription since the good doctor's prescriptions are always verbal and off the record.

Patient: Good morning Doctor my name is Ms. Consumer. You come highly recommended by my Democrat friends.

Dr. No: Good morning. Yes I have been endorsed by some of the biggest names in the party. I must tell you I am highly educated and have a great deal of experience in all matters. By the way you must not believe some of the things Republicans are saying about me, they just want to scare you and did I mention I am black. And uh don't worry about my past associations, I've thrown most of them under the bus. Did I tell you I have a Master's in Elitism and a Doctorate's in Arrogance. So!

Patient: Oh I never listen to what Republicans say and yes I can tell you are quite Arrogant and I can see the Elitism just by how you act. I must say I am impressed.

Dr. No: So how can I help you?

Patient: Well doctor its the economy and the high prices we are paying at the pumps. I just don't know how much longer I can handle paying this much.

Dr. No: Yes I completely understand and agree the price is fairly high. I plan on doing something about that in my first term as President but there may not be a significant fall in the price until I am into my second term. It could take up to 10 years.

Patient: But doctor the price is effecting everything from food to clothes to the rate of unemployment. My children's school has stopped providing bus service, now I have to provide a way of getting them to and from school, plus their after school activities.

Dr. No: Have you discussed this with your local school board? This sounds like something they should be concerned with. Maybe they are not taxing enough in your local and state government to provide for the needs of your community. How many kids do you have?

Patient: Two, one is in elementary and the other is in middle school so I have to drive them in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon. Their schools are 7 miles apart and the closest one to our home is 10 miles so this is creating a big problem with my job.

Dr. No: Have you considered having your husband drive your children or maybe getting together with your friends and carpooling. Carpooling would really help cut back on how much energy you are consuming and help cut down on pollutants you are contributing to the environment, but also it will help reduce the negative impact you are having on global warming.

Patient: But doctor I'm a widow. My husband was killed in a car accident and we couldn't afford life insurance. I had to find a job to raise our kids and the only thing I could find was $8.00 an hour. After all of the local, state and federal tax is taken out there barely is enough for food, a place to live, and clothing for my kids.

Dr. No: I see, Have you considered going back to school, maybe a trade school, something that will get you into a better occupation so you can make more money?

Patient: I don't know if I have the time between working and my kids, I was considering a part time job. Doctor what do you think about maybe drilling for more oil? Would that help to bring down the price of gas so maybe it wouldn't cost so much to get back and forth to the places I have to drive? I've been selling blood for plasma twice a week to fill my car but I'm beginning to get a little weak.

Dr. No: I understand your situation fully and I'm going to write you a prescription, wait I'm going to give you a verbal prescription. Listen up.

a) Vote for me this Nov
b) Trade in your gas guzzler for a more efficient vehicle, maybe electric or Hybrid
c) Find a babysitter so you can go back to school, learn a trade
d) Cut back where you can so you can learn to live with high gas prices
e) Find a school closer to your home so your kids can walk
f) Talk to your kids, make them understand they cannot participate in after school programs
g) Turn your lights down, open your windows and don't use air condition
h) This winter put on extra clothing and sweaters don't use as much heat in your home
i) Find a husband so your kids will have a stay at home father
j) Vote for me and you'll get a tax credit after I'm elected, and even government health insurance

Patient: But doctor, what about drilling offshore to help bring down the prices? And oh by the way, my husband was driving one of those little Smart cars when the brakes failed and he drove under a semi-truck.

Doctor No: NO, we must protect our pristine beaches. In 20 or 30 years we will be off oil and we will all be driving cars that don't need gas or oil. Trust me,... So.

Gas Prices Cut In Half In Thirty Days

Finally Congress has decided to do something about high gas prices. For months I have advocated cracking down on speculators and market manipulation, FTC: Oil Market Manipulation The House has before it bills that would do just that. Some market experts believe if Congress would act to;
a) restrict the amount large hedge fund investors can invest,

b) increase the amount investors must risk to purchase oil futures (currently less than 10 percent)

c) make the market investment more transparent

d) restrict certain high risk investment in oil (pension funds)

e) lift the offshore drilling bans

f) enforcing a use it or lose it clause in leasing permits to oil companies

the price of gas would be cut in half within 30 days. The proposals being put before the House and Senate are being offered by both Democrats and Republicans. Democrats are against lifting the ban to offshore drilling and Republicans are hesitant to regulate the market. It is most of the American people's opinion they must do both.

No American that believes in a free America is advocating the government taking over or Nationalizing the oil industry or market. Some honest and transparent regulations to eliminate the opportunity to manipulate the market and create artificially high prices, plus using domestic oil to become independent from foreign countries, must not become a political game.

If Americans want to see the price of gas fall, call your Congressmen/Senators and tell them to pass legislation before they recess or stay in session until they pass meaningful legislation. If you don't think drilling for oil is safe just look around the Los Angeles Basin in Ca. Sometimes you cannot tell a building from an oil well being actively drilled in the heart of a city, safe and legal.

Two Apple Trojans Threaten Users

Two Mac viruses have discovered. SecureMac and Intego Security reported that Trojans in the wild have the potential to cause serious damage to Mac desktops. For more info visit: ChannelWebb/The Channel Wire

Oil Prices Continue To Rise

Over the weekend the Saudis agreed to up the production of oil. Under normal circumstances the price of futures for oil would automatically to start to fall. This is not the case for this heavily manipulated market. In the commodities market any negative news coming out of any country that is heavily dependent on oil production or consumption has an immediate effect on prices. A person would think that on the other hand any good news would also have an immediate effect, but not in this market.

Unrest in Nigeria= Immediate Increase in price

Political unrest in Middle East= Immediate Increase

Hurricanes in Gulf= Immediate Increase

Fire at any refinery= Immediate Increase

Terrorist Threat= Immediate Increase

Political Election= Immediate Increase

Candidate for Presidential election makes a statement about oil= Immediate Increase

Analyst predicts higher oil prices= Immediate Increase

News Media reports a rumor (true or not) about future oil supplies= Immediate Increase

Oil rig in Gulf shuts down for maintenance= Immediate Increase

Refinery shuts down for maintenance= Immediate Increase

You name it= Immediate Increase

It should be clear to everyone including Congress, the market is being played. Like the hide the pea under the shell game, the price of a barrel of oil is controlled by greedy speculators for purely selfish reasons. Some are investing for monetary gain and some are investing for political reasons. Unless something is done these continued high prices will bankrupt America and set off another worldwide Depression. China and other nations that subsidize the cost of gasoline in their own countries have began to feel the pressure of a weak dollar and inflation. The situation is becoming intolerable, and America (because oil like most commodities is tied to the dollar) must take immediate action.

Increase the cost of investing in commodities.

Lift the Executive Moratorium on offshore drilling.

Congress-Lift the ban on offshore drilling.

Pass Legislation making the Commodities Market investors more transparent.

Pass Legislation forcing large investment firms to name investors and investments.

Pass Legislation Restricting Pork Barrel Spending.

Pass Legislation Forcing all amendments to a bill to be directly relevant to the bill.

Support Sen McCain's idea of awarding up to $3oo million to the first person to come up with a viable and reliable battery for the electric car.

Redirect the NASA mission to investigate a viable consumer friendly alternative vehicle/fuel.

Create a Manhattan Style Project to study Oil Shale, Clean Coal technology and other means of becoming independent from foreign oil.

Hold an emergency session of Congress (Do Not Take The 4th of July Vacation) and pass legislation dealing with the Crisis Facing America.