Your    FREEDOMS!

Had enough? Uphold the Constitution!

power to the people
 


Democracy Now! on death of White House Rove's computer guru, Mike Connell

The December 22, 2008 edition of Democracy Now! has a segment about Mike Connell, the Republican IT Specialist who died in a plane crash last week.
A top Republican internet strategist who was set to testify in a case alleging election tampering in 2004 in Ohio has died in a plane crash. Michael Connell was the chief IT consultant to Karl Rove and created websites for the Bush and McCain electoral campaigns. Michael Connell was deposed one day before the election this year by attorneys Cliff Arnebeck and Bob Fitrakis about his actions during the 2004 vote count in Ohio and his access to Karl Rove’s email files and how they went missing,

Guest: Mark Crispin Miller, professor of media culture and communication at New York University. He is the author of several books, including Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000-2008 and Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election & Why They’ll Steal the Next One Too.

Rove's computer guru, Mike Connell dies in plane crash

Seymour Hersh:  

Seymour Hersh: "Executive Assassination Ring" Answered to Cheney, Had No Congressional Oversight
By Eric Black, MinnPost.com
Investigative journalist Sy Hersh dropped a bombshell revelation on Monday about international killings ordered under Bush. Read more »

Hightower: Conservatives Are Blind, Deaf and Dumb to Class Warfare  

Hightower: Conservatives Are Blind, Deaf and Dumb to Class Warfare
By Jim Hightower, Creators Syndicate
Are right-wingers really claiming that the U.S. has never been riven by class resentment? Get out your history books. Read more »

Breaking the Taboo on Israel's Spying Efforts on the United States  

Breaking the Taboo on Israel's Spying Efforts on the United States
By Christopher Ketcham, AlterNet
Israel runs one of the most aggressive and damaging espionage networks targeting the U.S., yet public discussion about it is almost nil. Read more »

$5 Billion in Lobbying for 12 Corrupt Deals Caused the Multi-Trillion Dollar Financial Meltdown  

$5 Billion in Lobbying for 12 Corrupt Deals Caused the Multi-Trillion Dollar Financial Meltdown
By Robert Weissman, Multinational Monitor
$5 billion in lobbying to Congress got the finance industry lucrative legislative favors that paved the way for Wall Street's devastating collapse. Read more »

Dems Introduce Vital Protections for Workers; Corporate America Responds With a Big Lie  

Dems Introduce Vital Protections for Workers; Corporate America Responds With a Big Lie
By Joshua Holland, AlterNet
There is nothing more terrifying to corporate America than the prospect of dealing with its workforce on an even playing field. Read more »






We can all be appalled by this.  WHY DID YOU MISS?!!!!
Uhmmm,  Cheney, Bush....Where did all the money go?


How did Bush win?  VOTE STEALING with electronic voting machines?  VOTE with PAPER!!!   See this example of hacked voting machines from Princeton University!


Princeton scientists Hack Diebold - The funniest bloopers are right here
Voting in America
Voting. It's the cornerstone of our democracy, but in recent years, both the systems we use and the trust we have in the accuracy of our votes have been challenged. A new report by Fortify.com (PDF) looks at all the systems currently in use--from paper ballots to Direct-Recording Electronic (DRE) machines--and the issues around them. Researchers at Fortify analyzed threats against three phases of an election (voter registration, casting votes, and tabulating votes), highlighting specific ways voting systems have been compromised, summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of current voting techniques, and then providing guidance for voters to ensure their votes are handled properly in upcoming elections.
Read more
 
--Ohio Sec. of State Sues eVoting Vendor for Dropped Votes

 (August 8, 2008)
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner has filed a lawsuit against
Premier Election Solutions seeking damages for dropped votes in
Ohio's March primary election.  Premier, which was formerly
known as Diebold
, makes the evoting machines used in half the
counties in Ohio. Problems with dropped votes arose in 11 counties;
the discrepancies were caught and final counts corrected.
Officials from Butler County, where discrepancies were first detected,
wrote to Premier in April asking for an explanation for the dropped
votes.  Premier responded with a report in May that suggested that
the problems were due either to human error or to problems with
antivirus software.  A follow-up report suggested disabling antivirus
software on voting tabulation machines, but they had been certified
with the antivirus software installed.Brunner's lawsuit is a countersuit
in response to one filed by premier in May requesting a court
determination that the company had met its obligations as set out in contracts and warranties.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9112041&source=rss_topic17
http://www.informationweek.com/news/management/legal/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=210000402&subSection=Infrastructure
Expanding Border Powers Create ‘Constitution-Free Zone’ That Impacts Two-Thirds of Americans

The extraordinary powers of customs and border agents to invade the privacy of individuals at the U.S. border are spreading inland. The efforts amount to a “Constitution-free Zone” that fully covers two-thirds of the American population.

“The authorities can do things at the border that they could never do to citizens and residents inside our country under the Constitution,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. “Yet the government is asserting that some of these powers extend as far as 100 miles inside the actual border. It is a classic example of law enforcement powers expanding far beyond their proper boundaries -- in this case, literally.”

Using the latest census data, the ACLU released a map showing the 100-mile “border region” claimed by the government, and cities and states that fall within it. The map shows 9 of the nation’s top 10 largest metro areas fall within the border zone.

>> Learn more about ‘Constitution-Free Zones.’
ACLU Releases Presidential Transition Plan to Restore Civil Liberties

In anticipation of the presidential election, the ACLU released a set of recommendations detailing steps that the new president should take to “clean house,” renew freedom, and restore the nation’s reputation.

“This past administration has left us with a disastrous legacy of bad policy, abuse of power, and civil liberties violations,” said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the Washington Legislative Office. “The next president, whoever he is, must immediately begin the process of undoing this far-reaching assault on our nation’s freedoms and core values, and the ACLU’s ‘to do’ list provides a detailed roadmap for achieving that.”

”Actions For Restoring America,” outlines actions to be taken by the next president on his first day in office, in his first 100 days, and in his first year.

The 83-page document proposes actions across a wide variety of topics, including national security, human rights, women’s rights, civil rights, drug policy, the rights of LGBT Americans, immigrants and prisoners, privacy and free speech.

>>Read the entire ACLU transition plan including suggested executive orders, mandates and directives from the president.
 States Throw Out Electronic Voting Machines   
   from the returning-to-paper dept.                                
   posted by kdawson on Wednesday August 20, @08:16 (Government)   
   http://politics.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/20/0212223     

[0]Davide Marney passes along an AP story about the [1]thousands of
voting machines gathering dust in warehouses across the country after
states such as California, Ohio, and Florida have banned their use. Many
of these machines cost $3.5K to $5K each. Local election boards are
struggling to find ways to recover any of the cost of the machines, or
even to recycle them. The picture in Ohio is the most confusing, as
multiple court cases limit the state's options and result in a situation
in which the discredited machines will nevertheless be used in the
presidential election coming up in November. The state's new (Democratic)
attorney general has just issued a rule banning the practice of election
workers [2]taking the machines home with them the night before elections.

Discuss this story at:
   http://politics.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/08/20/0212223

Links:
   0. mailto:davide.marney@%5B%5Dmedia.org%5B'net'ingap%5D
   1. http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jej6XIWrQn6-gw5O5bJa1ELx78DgD92LLDO00
   2. http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/19/mom-can-my-voting-machine-spend-the-night/?hp

A Few Speculators Dominate Vast Market for Oil Trading

"Invstment banks had been frustrated with the established exchange because they really were never able to get control of it," said Michael Greenberger, a law professor at the University of Maryland and a former staff member at the CFTC.
The most successful of the private platforms was InterContinental Exchange, or ICE, founded by Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and a few other big brokerages in 2000. ICE soon opened a trading platform in London, allowing its founders to trade vast quantities of U.S. oil overseas without being subject to regulation.
The exemptions for swap dealers and the development of overseas markets allowed big brokerages to open the door for more hedge funds, pensions and big investors to move into commodities.
In the coming years, commodity investments by funds could grow to $1 trillion, veteran hedge fund manager Michael Masters said in testimony before the Senate earlier this year. In an interview, he said this trend could raise commodity prices for everyone in the coming years and "have catastrophic economic effects on millions of already stressed U.S. consumers."
Meanwhile, commodities have been good business for big Wall Street brokerages. Its commodity trades helped keep Goldman Sachs profitable during the credit crisis, said Richard Bove, a banking analyst at Ladenburg Thalmann.
"Business is lousy right now," Bowie said of Goldman Sachs. "Commodities and currencies are clearly the strongest business they have right now."
In the coming months, swap dealers expect to have yet another venue for oil speculation. The CFTC has stated it would not stand in the way of trading in U.S. oil contracts overseas in Dubai. Goldman Sachs and Vitol are among the major investors in this new exchange.


no more blood for ooil
Had enough? Bush memorial?

Robert Eringer
August 2, 2008 12:00 AM
The Investigator
Few noticed that President George W. Bush quietly revamped the role of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board earlier this year. But nobody knows, until now, that a spy scare was one of the reasons to precipitate this change.The role of the advisory board, which President Eisenhower created in 1956, has been to monitor U.S. intelligence services and offer non-partisan, expert advise to the president on its conduct. In the mid-1970s, after the exposure of CIA abuses by the Church Committee, PFIAB's clout expanded to investigate crimes within the intelligence community, empowered by President Ford to report criminal activity directly to the attorney general.On Feb. 29, President Bush signed an executive order that diminishes PFIAB's authority and transfers the investigative powers to the director of national intelligence.This followed a lengthy FBI counterintelligence investigation into the activities of a retired U.S. Air Force colonel who they suspected of spying on PFIAB for Russia.It is believed in some quarters that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin personally recruited this colonel while Mr. Putin was posted to Dresden, East Germany, as a KGB intelligence officer. From 1985 to 1990 it was Mr. Putin's job to recruit spies in Germany, where U.S. military officers serving at NATO air bases were considered high priority targets.At that time, the colonel was based at Borfink Air Force Base, where he supervised top-secret U-2 and SR-71 reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union.Soon after retiring from the Air Force, this colonel, in 1992, organized a trade delegation of Russians to the Principality of Monaco. Included in this delegation was an obscure political functionary from St. Petersburg. His name was Vladimir Putin. (Mr. Putin had resigned from the KGB a year before.) This delegation marked a Russian entry into Monaco, a tax haven that provides a variety of shielded opportunities to the very rich.A Russian presence in Monaco has greatly proliferated during the past two years. As if to consummate the relationship, Prince Albert II of Monaco last August vacationed for a week in Russia with Mr. Putin, as the Russian president's guest. More recently, the Russian state "gifted" Prince Albert with a two-story, three-bedroom dacha, which Russian builders constructed from scratch on the grounds of Roc Agel, the bachelor prince's country hideaway in the French Alps, high above his glamorous principality.Back to the mid-1990s, the Air Force colonel created a business entity in Monaco with a member of a prominent Monegasque family. Over a five-year period this entity is understood to have laundered $600 million through Monaco's banks for corrupt Russian interests -- funds reputedly channeled into real estate around Western Europe and further laundered through coded accounts at banks in Malta, the Bahamas, and the Turks & Caicos Islands. An estate in Ireland was allegedly purchased on behalf of one "Andrey Vasiliyev," an alias that Mr. Putin, while president, was known to use in correspondence with his intelligence chiefs.The colonel was also known to carry suitcases full of cash -- presumably on behalf of Russians, maybe for Mr. Putin personally -- from Switzerland to Monaco for deposit in local banks.Although his last annual salary in the Air Force as an attachè was about $60,000 -- and that by his own admission he "retired broke" -- the colonel quickly amassed $10 million worth of real estate in Monaco, London, Malibu and Whistler, Canada, plus luxury cars, and a collection of ultra-pricey Ming Dynasty antiques.One of the Russians who figured into the colonel's Monaco-based Russian money laundering scheme was Viktor Bout, a former major in the GRU (Soviet military intelligence), nicknamed "The Bill Gates of Arms Dealing" and now in custody in Thailand, fighting extradition to the United States.Trouble for both the colonel and Mr. Bout, 41, first began in February 2001 when a prosecutor in Belgium, under pressure from the United States government, issued an arrest warrant for Mr. Bout alleging that this merchant of death had laundered millions of dollars from illegal arms sales, including the sale of Russian military aircraft to the Taliban in Afghanistan, pre-9/11.The colonel and his Monegasque partner, who has since died, liquidated their entity four months later and are understood to have destroyed the company's documentation. The colonel then left Monaco to lay low in his other homes.However, the colonel still maintained a link to PFIAB, whose meetings he had occasionally attended while in the Air Force to "flap charts" for senior officers conducting presentations. The colonel, in retirement, had been known to boast to others that he was attached to PFIAB, and that he was engaged in running secret missions on its behalf.But he was lying. The colonel neither sat on PFIAB's 16-member board nor was he on its staff; nor does PFIAB have operational authority or capability to run missions.Yet when annual PFIAB meetings rolled around every December, the colonel traveled first-class to Washington, D.C., for precisely the same dates and holed up in five-star hotels -- The Willard or the Hay Adams -- a stone's throw from PFIAB's venue, the Old Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.It is believed the colonel knew someone at PFIAB -- a board member or staffer -- whom he wined and dined at expensive restaurants and from whom he weaseled intelligence gossip about PFIAB briefings and discussions. And then reported everything he collected to the Russians.The colonel has apparently gotten off scot-free, unless the FBI turned him into a double agent. Obviously, they're not saying, and are otherwise preoccupied celebrating their 100th anniversary with a PR campaign.A call from The Investigator to PFIAB for comment was referred to the White House Media Office, which did not call back.




Yeah just keep reading Oho


Losing OUR freedom! Vote for nobody Vote Illuminati



not even Norton can protect you


Stop in the name of The wall

Haliburton SUCKS

The Minimum Security Prison of America (aka "Fun Times at the Canadian Border!")


WMD ??? Impeach Bush! Vote Democrat!

Clinton and McCain and Bush Killed and Maimed for $3Trillion

Wounded Care                                                            War Contracts

Total war dead is 4,685, not 4,128 misinformed -- plus 80,000-800,000 others criminally ignored.

[Image]

Source

[Image]
Source

Clear link?
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
| FBI Seizes Library Computers Without Warrant                       
|   from the we-don't-need-no-steenkin dept.                         
|   posted by kdawson on Sunday August 03, @16:36 (Privacy)  
|   http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/03/192222          
+--------------------------------------------------------------------+
An anonymous reader writes "Two FBI agents walked into a public library
in Maryland, without a warrant, and [0]walked out with two computers. The
library director agreed to release the machines to these smooth-talking
feds. According to the article, the director of Frederick County Public
Libraries indicated that this was the third time in his 10 years there
that the FBI had requested records, but the first time they had come
without a court order. The director seemed to indicate no regrets,
stating 'It was a decision I made on my experience and the information
given to me.' He further justified his actions, noting that the agents
indicated specific computers they needed (of the several dozen in the
library) and further that they 'had an awful lot of information.'" The
library director speculated whether the raid may have involved the
[1]Bruce Ivins / anthrax case, musing "Obviously it coincided with the
events everyone is talking about," but he said the agents hadn't
mentioned it.
Discuss this story at:
   http://yro.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=08/08/03/192222
Links:
   0. http://wtopnews.com/?nid=598&sid=1452848
   1. http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/01/1532217&tid=266

The Dept. of Just Us
 --Maryland Police Infiltrated Activist Organizations
(July 18, 2008)
According to documents obtained through a Maryland Public Information
Act lawsuit, Maryland state police have been infiltrating peace and
anti-death penalty activist organizations and in some instances,
entering the names of some of the members into a law enforcement
database of suspected terrorists and drug traffickers, even though the
individuals' actions were lawful.  Nowhere in the documents is there any
indication that the protesters engaged in criminal intent or activity.
State police officials maintain that individuals' civil rights were not
violated.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-te.md.spy18jul18,0,3787307.story

war on terror

Liberty - Mother, not Daughter of Order

"If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the
animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel
nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest
lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen."

Samuel Adams, (1722-1803)
U.S. Founding Father and Public Enemy  #1

Bush on Iraaq and Vietnam
Why is Free Speech so important?...
Why speak up about things that don't seem to affect you?
Perhaps
Pastor Martin Neimoller's view in one version of his quote will answer that question.
He supported the Nazis until he realized, too late, what they were really about and was sent to Dachau concentration camp. 
He was one of the fortunate to be freed and live until 1984.
First they came for the Communists,  and I didn’t speak up,   because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Social Democrats, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Social Democrat.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I didn’t speak up, because I wasn’t a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew,
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me.

want change


FISA flowchart

Brett Dobbs says: "I found this the most useful guide to explain what has gone on with FISA. With flowcharts!"

1. It Eliminates the requirement that there be probable cause that a foreign target is a suspect of any kind — terrorist, criminal, ore “foreign agent.” They merely need be your French grandmother, as long as they are outside the United States and not a U.S. person, and if the government says wiretapping them is for the purpose of collecting “foreign intelligence information” (e.g., her Pommes Frites recipe)

2. It requires the cooperation of telecoms in these efforts

3. It eliminates of the need to specify a particular email address or phone number to be wiretapped

4. 1-3 together imply that certifications of wiretapping on individuals is not the issue. The point is to use telecom cooperation to target large collections of data on communications between U.S. Persons and foreigners. This implies data mining — where, for instance, because a foreign target has communications passing through a given domestic switch, any communications (domestic or international) passing through that switch are subject to collection, analysis, and storage. There are “minimization requirements” meant to ameliorate this, but it is unclear if they really help.

Understanding Recent Changes to FISA — A Visual Guide (Flowchart) (Ketchup and Caviar)
posted in:
Resstance is ILLEGAL!



Error!

http://www.stopoilspeculationnow.com/site/page/the_problem

The Problem

What is causing the high price of fuel?

The oil price bubble is unfairly taxing American families and restricting our nation’s economic potential. While everyone is aware that supply and demand constraints contribute to price increases, there’s another force at work that, like gravity, is invisible yet powerful. This force is rampant speculation.

Every time you buy products such as food or gas, you are impacted by unregulated, secretive and often foreign commodities futures markets. Speculators in these markets are increasingly buying and selling commodities such as oil to sell again, rather than to use. As largely unregulated speculators pocket billions of dollars at your expense, the price of commodities has increased out of proportion to marketplace demands.

As speculators continue to dominate the market, the volume of oil traded “on paper” has been as high as 22 times greater than the volume of oil consumed. As prices rise, institutional investors have become active traders, turning commodities into just another asset class. This has caused severe market imbalance and upset the natural relationship between supply and demand. As a result, legitimate customers such as trucking companies, airlines, and consumers have been forced to purchase oil at unnecessarily higher prices. This has dramatically raised costs, resulting in needlessly high prices for American consumers and businesses.

How do they get away with that?

Over the last 20 years, commodities markets have become increasingly less regulated. Today, as many as 90 percent of all commodities trades occur outside of the traditional marketplace exchanges. In these so-called “Swaps trades”, parties secretly buy and sell commodities with absolutely no one watching. This means speculators can manipulate oil prices and corner the market without anyone knowing.

In addition, other loopholes exist allowing increasingly sophisticated speculators to take advantage of consumers. For example, in 2000 Enron lobbied policy makers to permit some U.S. commodities exchanges to operate without normal oversight. This has allowed speculators to dodge public disclosure rules that would normally limit the number of trades an investor can make.

vote illumanti

had enough?
Conspiracy!
The erosion of our civil liberties continues.  Congress seems to be uncaring or even in conspiracy to undermine The Bill of Rights.  This is demonstrated by a letter from congressman Todd Akin below.   PLEASE tell your congressmen that they are WRONG.


From: Congressman Todd Akin <mo02ima@mail.house.gov>
Date: Jul 14, 2008 1:06 PM
Subject: From the office of Congressman Todd Akin
 

Dear Friend:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the FISA Amendments Act of 2008. This bill passed in the House on June 20 with significant support from both Democrats and Republicans and is currently before the Senate.
Much of the controversy over this bill is rooted in the powers granted to the executive branch. In addition to this delegation of authority, many are troubled by what has been termed "telecom immunity." While I share your concerns about a more powerful federal government, I believe that this bill does much more good for our nation than harm.
First of all, this legislation aims to facilitate the ability of our defense intelligence organizations to collect information on foreign threats in foreign nations-not spy on American citizens in America.
When drafting the Constitution, James Madison insisted that Congress be assigned the authority to "declare war" rather than the authority to "make war."  Madison stressed this distinction because he wanted the President to be able to respond promptly and effectively to urgent national security threats without being blocked by legislative gridlock in Congress.
The wisdom of the Founding Fathers still holds true today, when, more than ever, our security forces must respond quickly to terrorist threats if they are to prevent more attacks on our nation
This is why the President-not Congress or the judicial branch-is charged with the duty to levy war as Commander in Chief of our armed forces.  According to Constitutional law, the authority to monitor operations such as conducting surveillance on foreign targets in foreign countries in the interest of national security during wartime clearly falls under the scope of the executive branch of the government, and with good reason.  This FISA bill reinforces the wisdom of James Madison and our Founding Fathers.
One must remember that this bill does not give the executive branch a blank check to practice domestic surveillance on American citizens. Limiting the scope of authority to foreign targets in foreign countries, this legislation provides a process for judicial review by federal courts should time permit such action. Only in the most urgent cases will individual FISA court orders be issued.
Secondly, I share your concerns over telecom immunity. Rest assured that I will always support reasonable measures of governmental oversight. Telecommunications companies aiding the government, however, must have assurance that they will not be subject to frivolous lawsuits for helping protect the country. By providing liability protection, we will facilitate these organizations' ability to ensure America's safety.
There will be no "blanket immunity" granted through this bill. In order to receive civil liability protection, the Attorney General must provide evidence that certifies that a telecommunications company assisting the government in intelligence gathering was the subject of a written request or directive certifying the authorization by the President.
Representing you is a privilege. As always, I appreciate the opportunity to hear from you about the issues before Congress. Please do not hesitate to contact me regarding any matter where I may be of assistance.

Member of Congress


Sincerely,

W. Todd Akin

[note: bold is added by this site]
It is interesting to note that there was NO Fisa court in the founding fathers' time.  Similarly there was no literacy rate above 10% or even ability to communicate faster than horseback.    This legislation is giving CLOSED courts with absolutely NO congressional or legislative oversight  the right to SPY on ALL communications with a simple presidential order and as we have seen in the Reagan years and the current Cheney Bush administration the president's office often issues sweeping orders of which the president may not even being aware.  
not like you

Gas could fall to $2 if Congress acts, analysts say

Limiting speculation would push prices to fundamental level, lawmakers told

 By Rex Nutting & Michael Kitchen, MarketWatch

Last update: 4:24 p.m. EDT June 23, 2008
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- The price of retail gasoline could fall by half, to around $2 a gallon, within 30 days of passage of a law to limit speculation in energy-futures markets, four energy analysts told Congress on Monday.
Testifying to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Michael Masters of Masters Capital Management said that the price of oil would quickly drop closer to its marginal cost of around $65 to $75 a barrel, about half the current $135.  Fadel Gheit of Oppenheimer & Co., Edward Krapels of Energy Security Analysis and Roger Diwan of PFC Energy Consultants agreed with Masters' assessment at a hearing on proposed legislation to limit speculation in futures markets. Krapels said that it wouldn't even take 30 days to drive prices lower, as fund managers quickly liquidated their positions in futures markets.
"Record oil prices are inflated by speculation and not justified by market fundamentals," according to Gheit. "Based on supply and demand fundamentals, crude-oil prices should not be above $60 per barrel." Futures trading in London has not been a major factor in rising oil prices, testified Sir Bob Reid, chairman of the Chairman of London-based ICE Futures Europe. Rising prices are largely a function of fundamental supply and demand, not manipulation or speculation, he said. "Energy speculation has become a growth industry and it is time for the government to intervene," said Rep. John Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the full committee. "We need to consider a full range of options to counter this rapacious speculation." It was Dingell's strongest statement yet on the role of speculators.
There has been much discussion recently about how big a role speculators have been playing in the sharp rise in energy prices, though no consensus has emerged on this point.
Dingell introduced a bill on June 11 that would ask the Energy Department to gather the facts on energy prices, including the role played by speculators. See full story. There are two kinds of speculators in the futures markets, Masters said. Traditional speculators are those who need to hedge because they actually take physical possession of the commodities. Index speculators, on the other hand, are merely allocating a portion of their portfolio to commodity futures.
Index speculation damages price-discovery mechanisms provided by futures markets, Masters added. The committee will likely consider legislation that would rein in index speculation by imposing higher-margin requirements; setting position limits for speculators; requiring more disclosure of positions; and preventing pension funds and investment banks from owning commodities. Both major presidential candidates have supported closing loopholes that encourage speculation in the energy markets. Read more on Election Blog. However, other witnesses said that pure speculators have had little impact on energy prices, which have doubled in the past year to about $135 per barrel. Both Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman have dismissed the impact of speculators on prices paid by consumers. Speculators now account for about 70% of all benchmark crude trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange, up from 37% in 2000, said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., chairman of the investigations subcommittee. Stupak introduced a bill on Friday that would limit index speculation. There has been much discussion recently about how big a role speculators have been playing in the sharp rise in energy prices, though no consensus has emerged on this point. Congress, however, has grown increasingly concerned over speculative investors' role in the energy market in comparison with those buying futures contracts to hedge against risk from price changes. Lawmakers are expected to consider legislation to set strict limits -- or in some cases, an outright ban -- on speculative trading in energy futures in some markets. Dingell is looking into any legal loopholes that may have contributed to speculation in energy markets. In 1991, according to documents provided by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to the committee's investigators, the agency authorized the first exemption from position limits for swap dealers with no physical commodity exposure. This began what Dingell said was "a process that has enabled investment banks to accumulate enormous positions in commodity markets." Is Congress barking up the wrong tree? Neal Ryan, manager at Ryan Oil & Gas Partners, said that if Congress develops regulations to cut back speculative trading, speculation will just find a new home. "Speculation is the root of capitalism," he said. "If the speculation is forced out of the U.S. exchanges, it'll simply show up on other exchanges that are OTC like the ICE, or new exchanges will pop up to allow for the spec trades to continue functioning." Ryan said he does see a reason for Congress to look at eliminating aspects such as allowing West Texas intermediate crude oil futures to trade on foreign markets and the "Enron loophole," but "these exchanges are currently functioning as they are supposed to in a free marketplace." The creation of a comprehensive U.S. energy policy that tackles issues of increasing domestic supply and reining in consumer demand via conservation should be Congress' focus, Ryan said. "Instead we're on bended knee begging the Saudis to put more oil on the market and talking about shutting down spec trades." End of Story
bush

THE BILL OF RIGHTS
Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III
No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Speech on 5th Ammendment rights:

Speech by a cop on interrogation techniques


ConsumerWatchdog.org

— Keeping an Eye Out for You

A list of  sites by ConsumerWatchdog.org:


OilWatchdog.org


ArnoldWatch.org


DirtyMoneyWatch.org


Corporateering.org


CalPatientGuide.org


MakingAKilling.org

How- many?

Time for Some Campaignin' | Funny Jokes at JibJab

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