Steady stream of tea party pics

More pics from across the nation... Click the pics to see the larger size/full size version at twitpics.

Bellevue, WA (just ended - about 1,000 to 1,500 showed up):


Wow! The Capitol tea party in Michigan has GROWN MASSIVE!


And check out this panaramic shot of the TN Capitol (you have to click the pic to see the panaramic shot):


Sacramento:


Chatanooga:


More from Boise:


Pensacola getting underway:


Dockweiler (I'm not even sure where that is, but there's a thousand so far):


More from Oklahoma City:


Manfiled, OH:


Pleasanton:


Setting up in Houston:


Lydon, KS just starting out:


Setting up news broadcasting in Orlando:


AND more fun and funny (and even thought provoking) signs.

From NE,TN:


And from Jackson, TN:


And more from elsewhere...







And, would you look at this? Houston tea party is now getting underway...



Gotta take a break now. Be back later.

Breaking NEWS - Lafayette Square tea party evacuated?

Apparently, the Lafayette Square tea party in DC was completely evacuated after the White House was evac'd --- BREAKING NEWS!! ????

See scene here (from twitter):


Lafayette Square right before evacuation:


Not sure. I haven't seen confirmation yet... will keep you posted if I find out more. Laura Ingram was at that tea party, so I'm guessing if it happened, it will be on the newswires later?


Meanwhile...

I messed up on the pics for Nashville and CT (cut and pasted the wrong link/pic for one of them)... so, I'm adding more for each here.

Here's one from Nashville:


This is one of the pics from Hartford, CT:


And let's move on to some of the latest pics flooding into twitpics.

Santa Ana, CA:


Greensboro:


Hollidaysburg:


Denver:


Atascadero (good crowd for small town):



What about the signs?

Loved this pic... not sure where this is:


Thought this sign (from Charlotte, NC) was an eyecatcher:


Other funny signs:


From Ft. Lauderdale, FL:


And from the OC party:


More coming soon...

TEA Party Day

"This is not about politics. This is about America. This is a great day." Laura Ingram speaking from one of the DC tea parties.

It's sad that so many wingnuts are trying to pretend the tea parties are something different. Sad that they would want to dismiss so many -- shrug them off -- invalidate their feelings.

Here's an idea of some of the crowds (click the picks for a closer look at each).

The Cincinnatti, Ohio Tea Party:


The Auston Tea Party (when it was just getting underway):


One of the DC Tea Parties:


The Madison Tea Party:


The OKC Tea Party:


Crowd at War Memorial Plaza:


From Nashville (rumors say 5,000 showed up in Nashville):


In Harford, CT:


Collumbia (thousands!!):


From Tulsa:


From Naples:


At Colorado's Capital:


Denver (I think?):


Yep, another from Denver:


Michigan's Capital lawn:


And in Charlotte:


Russellville, AR:


White Plains:


Chicago:


Baton Rouge:


Another view from Baton Rouge:


Sacramento:


San Francisco:


A small retirement community in Bella Vista:


In Boise:


UPDATE - they say the OKC tea party is up to 7,000 people now:


Pictures are streaming in by the hundreds (thousands?) from all over the USA and most tea parties are just getting started.

Check it out through twitter pics (this link).

I'll be back with more later.

Tax Freedom Day Today

Generally speaking, it is Tax Freedom Day (TFD) today... not factoring in State by State adjustments.

The good news is, this is the earliest TFD since 1967.

The bad news is, we probably won't see it coming this early for a VERY VERY long time here in the USA.

You can thank the Bush tax cuts (and the poorly designed Stimulus Bill) for TFD happening so early this year... and, likewise, you can thank the Obama Administration next year when it's delayed. How much will it be delayed? This article paints the grim picture of where we are now heading:

However, this year more than most, TFD, average or not, does not adequately reflect the burden borne by taxpayers. Spending, whether financed by taxes or borrowing, is the best measure of government's fiscal impact. This year more than a third of government outlays are borrowed funds. Total government expenditures are at record levels. You have to go back to the last two years of World War II to beat this year's spending burden.

Reports the Tax Foundation:

"Because of the federal government's ability to deficit-finance its operations, Tax Freedom Day moves somewhat independently from an alternative calculation that adds the federal budget deficit to total taxes collected. In 2009, an unprecedented budget deficit over $1.5 trillion produces a date of May 29, fully forty-five days later than Tax Freedom Day." [link]

Now, there are a lot of people attending Tea Parties on tax day this year... and there are some media outlets "snearing" at them, dismissing the Tea Parties as a political gambit using taxes as an excuse. Even, albeit to a smaller degree, FOX News Channel has been emphasizing the tax side of the story.

But, it began with public outrage against massive Government spending... (see the Rick Santelli video).

You know it. We know it. All responsible adults know it.

You can't keep robbing Peter to pay Paul. The more money they borrow to throw at the Recession, the higher the burden will be on taxpayers in the years to come.

How bad, you might be wondering?

Runaway spending ensures that this year's TFD will be dwarfed by future TFDs. Some day someone will have to pay off the debts being run up today. The Obama administration's budget figures are bad enough, but they almost certainly rest upon unrealistic economic expectations. The CBO again offers a sobering analysis: "CBO's estimates of deficits under the President's budget exceed those anticipated by the administration by $2.3 trillion over the 2010-2019 period."

The agency's bottom line is even more astonishing. CBO reports that "the President's proposals would add $4.8 trillion to the baseline deficits over the 2010-2019 period," leading to a deficit of $1.8 trillion in 2009 (compared to the Tax Foundation's $1.5 trillion assumption) and $1.4 trillion next year. Moreover, "The cumulative deficit from 2010 to 2019 under the President's proposals would total $9.3 trillion, compared with a cumulative deficit of $4.4 trillion projected under the current-law assumptions embodied in CBO's baseline. Debt held by the public would rise, from 41 percent of GDP in 2008 to 57 percent in 2009 and then to 82 percent of GDP by 2019." Congress trimmed a bit from the president's proposals when it approved the budget in early April, but actual federal spending almost always ends up far higher than initially projected. [link]

There's more distressing news. Read the full article (particularly page 2) and you will quickly see there is cause for alarm. Better have your blood pressure pills handy before reading it.

The article closes with this food for thought:

In the midst of economic crisis, it is tempting to celebrate the Tax Foundation's report on TFD as a little bit of good news -- sort of the tax quiet before the spending storm. Alas, the bad news is really bad. The best case is a big increase in spending, smaller GDP, and much higher tax burden. The worst case is financial crisis and collapse.

So, as we approach the Tax Day Tea Parties, don't be fooled by media wingnuts claiming this is all about partisan politics. It's possible they haven't got a clue what a trillion dollars really looks like. I recommend they watch this video: Crash Course: Chapter 11 - How Much is a Trillion? by Chris Martenson

Just because the Tea Parties are massive on Tax Day, don't dismiss them as being only about taxes...

To many, they're about "NO MORE BAILOUTS."

To others, they're about "NO MORE FAKE STIMULUS."

To others, they're about "NO MORE TAXES."

To others, they're about "NO MORE DEBTS."

And to the great majority of people that will be attending, both those who voted for Obama and those who did not, it's about feeling disenfranchised, ignored, patronised and unheard.

Personally, I've been watching this Administration with growing horror as they dance around dishing out blank checks in the form of massive Government guarantees and bailouts of astronomical proportion, with budgets and stimulack plans that pile on the pork and worse... they're acting like irresponsible kids with their first gold credit card -- leaving the consequences of their rash actions for the taxpayers of both present and future generations.

'Nuff said.

Happy Tax Freedom Day.

FDIC Friday and Glimmers of Hope?

FDIC Friday is a nickname investors (and financial industry insiders) have given to bank closures and/or forced sales that usually occur late on a Friday after markets have closed and public attention is focused elsewhere.

I don't truly understand why one bank is shut down or allowed to fail while another gets "bailed out" by the Feds. Supposedly, they have some kind of magic formula. They announced last week that the stress tests have been completed. Needless to say, they are keeping those results away from public eyes. (So much for transparency in this Administration. Ha-ha-ha.)

Since I haven't covered the FDIC Friday bank failures of late, I thought maybe I should see where we are at so far this year.

It turns out North regulators closed North Carolina's eight-branch Cape Fear Bank Friday (it will reopen Monday as a First National) and also shut down New Frontier Bank, one of Colorado state's biggest banks, which is the latest casualty. On reading the announcement about them, one alarming statistic leaped out at me...

Bank failures in 2005: 0
Bank failures in 2006: 0
Bank failures in 2007: 3
Bank failures in 2008: 25
Bank failures (as of April 10) in 2009: 23

Sources:
"Colorado bank biggest US bank failure of 2009"
"Banks in North Carolina, Colorado Die on Good Friday"

I hear all the media and Federal Government hype about glimmers of hope -- then I look at the statistics above, and I'm thinking, "Hey, something just isn't adding up here!"

The above numbers tell me bank failures are escalating, not declining.

So, what really has the TARP, TALF and the $7+ Billion-dollar-boondoggle Stimulack really accomplished so far? Why are the Feds, albeit cautiously, prancing around waving "glimmers of hope" banners while quietly plotting a way to bailout the insurance companies (like life insurance companies, etc.) next? What's really up? ...or should I ask, what's really going down?

Yes, I understand why they shut the failing banks down on a Friday. They are trying to prevent a rerun of the run on banks that occurred back in the Great Depression. By shutting the failing banks down (and/or negotiating/forcing their sale) on a Friday, things open up on a Monday almost like it's business as usual -- like nothing happened.

"Nothing to see here, folks. Move along, now, and go about your regular business."

The interesting difference in the New Frontier Bank closure is that this time, they are just shutting the doors on it... and to do so, they're creating a NATIONAL BANK:

Unable to have a rival bank take charge of New Frontier's credits and deposits, the FDIC said it "created the Deposit Insurance National Bank of Greeley (DINB), which will remain open for approximately 30 days to allow depositors time to open accounts at other insured institutions." [link]

There was also this:

“All insured depositors of New Frontier are encouraged to transfer their insured funds to other banks,” the FDIC said in a press release. [link]

Assuming it was toxic debts (supposedly mortgages gone bad) that got most of our banks into trouble in the first place, let's see what the Feds have accomplished with their "Hope for Homeowners" plan (launched last fall)...

I take a walk over to this blog and find:

The score is like something from of a cricket match gone horribly wrong: 3,675,971 to 1.

Sadly, it’s not sports. That is the tally as of April 8th for the number of mortgage modifications performed under competing public and private plans.


Private sector (Hope Now):3,675,971

Government (Hope for Homeowners): 1

The government figure is not a misprint. Exactly one - one - mortgage has been successfully modified and endorsed by the FHA under the Hope for Homeowners plan. While the Hope Now Web site clearly shows the successes, don’t bother looking on the government page, you won’t find the ‘one’ anywhere.

Those numbers - while disputed in an interview I did with HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan - came directly from HUD itself on Wednesday afternoon. I posted the email chain with a HUD official to clearly indicate that those numbers came from the agency itself.

The loneliest number is even more bizarre given the other figures involved: $300 billion, $20 billion, 400,000, and 865. Those are the other figures for the “Hope for Homeowners” government mortgage plan:

$300 billion dollars in loans insured by the FHA
$20 billion dollar credit subsidy to help fund the plan
400,000 is the estimated number of homeowners the program was said to benefit
865 is the number of applications received by the government under the plan

So what’s the problem? [read the rest of the article through this link]

What is the problem, indeed!

It's Not About the Bow

"It's not about the bow... it's about the White House lie, stupid."

If you haven't seen any of the numerous videos of Obama bowing to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, here is a link to one version:

"White House: No bow to Saudi"

The entire episode might have been just a few short hours of outrage from those who perceive potentially negative implications in his actions -- had it not been for the White House lie that followed.

Remember the phrase: "It's the economy, stupid."

Well, this incident has perhaps blown up owing to a new phrase that many have been attaching to the Administration of late: "It's the lies, stupid."

Now, some of the lies might technically be considered half-truths -- but with his bow to the King, even Obama supporters are calling a spade a spade. For example... "Posted by jojo: I'm an Obama supporter and that was definitely a bow. With all that's going on I think we should concentrate on more important things."

Here is yet another example (of many) from Obama supporters: "Posted by Ghost: Wow!! I cant believe he actually bowed. Whoever said that he didn't bow is a dam liar. I did support the president and i will continue to support him, but i have to admit he definitely bowed."

And yet another example... posted by TG Chicago:

I'm an Obama supporter. I think Obama bowed, and I think he was wrong to bow. But I don't think it was all that big of a deal. Lying about it is a big deal. The anonymous Obama aide should be in hot water for telling an obvious lie on the record. Allowing anonymity to administration officials to tell lies is also a big deal. Ben Smith should be in hot water for printing this garbage. If an administration official tells you a baldfaced lie, don't let them do it anonymously. Make them stand behind their BS. Printing this garbage as if it's truth is a disservice to your profession. Already people are saying "Obama is lying!" or "The White House is lying!" So far, all we know is that this one cowardly anonymous aide lied. And Ben Smith is protecting the liar.

To understand why some in the realm of International politics might consider the bow a big deal, one has to understand the culture of the region. A caste system is far different than a democratic rule. In a caste system you are born to your station -- either an Aristocrat or a Peasant.

Can you guess which caste bows to which?

Sidenote: Makes me wonder if the Queen of England has ever bowed (or curtsied?) to King Abdullah.

Back to the story, here. Since the President acts on our behalf (or at least, he's supposed to) ...on which side of the "fence" do you think we've now been relegated? Subservient? On par? In the big picture, maybe it won't be a big deal....

From a more "militant" side of the analysis, the bow implies far more. It has struck a chord of unease among some moderate Muslim communities for what the action implies in their world. Also, the King's misogynistic approach to rule is no secret.

But, I'm not going to go there.

Instead, I'm going to reiterate: It's about the lie, stupid.

And as more and more and more information slowly rises to the surface shining a light on what is really happening to our taxpayer dollars, who is manipulating whom, who is hiding what... something tells me, it ain't gonna be about the economy by then. It's going to be about the lies, stupid.

For example, you've heard statements (which of course they will deny when the *hit hits the fan) that Obama's quick actions have put us on the fast road to recovery. They say, look at the stock market as a leading indicator. Of course, when it was tanking they told us to ignore the stock market.

Want to take just a wee peek into the future of what's coming next?

The IMF said in January that it expected the deterioration in US-originated assets to reach $2.2 trillion by the end of next year, but it is understood to be looking at raising that to $3.1 trillion in its next assessment of the global economy, due to be published on April 21. In addition, it is likely to boost that total by $900 billion for toxic assets originated in Europe and Asia.

Banks and insurers, which so far have owned up to $1.29 trillion in toxic assets, are facing increasing losses as the deepening recession takes a toll, adding to the debts racked up from sub-prime mortgages. The IMF's new forecast, which could be revised again before the end of the month, will come as a blow to governments that have already pumped billions into the banking system. [link]

It's no wonder rumor has it that they're bailing out the insurance industry next.

Time for tea, anyone?

Speaking of tea, the Indiana State Tax Day Tea Parties are listed here.

Script Frenzy - The Day Alaska Separates

Imagine, if you dare...

The date is April 2, 2011, and the official documents have arrived by special envoy to the White House.

Alaska has severed itself from the USA.

As part of the lengthy agreements left in place, Alaska will continue to lease parts of its land to USA military training in exchange for full control of the missile defense systems remaining on its shores.

New negotiations have been entered into for continued supply of energy resources for the lower 48, but the latest referendums held within the former State do not bode well for any "special pricing" of natural gas and/or oil flowing from Alaska. Mr. Ted Stevens heads the board for negotiations with Alaska.

Pipelines originally intended to stretch down to the USA from Alaska have been diverted to a new oil consortium currently located within the province of Alberta, Canada where all energy supply purchases must go through the new Northern Borse Exchange (NBE).

Most non-Alaskan mining companies have obtained leases to continue operations, however a few have been unable to negotiate contracts and have already sold off their assets to Alaskan mining companies. All mining resources are also now traded through the NBE.

New undeveloped deposits of gold, zinc, coal, copper and (surprisingly) uranium have been revealed owing to the receding glaciers, making Alaska the richest country in the world for precious metal resources (next to Canada with its new discoveries in both the Yukon and Northwest Territories).

Fresh water (an increasingly valuable commodity) from remaining Alaskan glacier areas are also being carefully preserved and withheld from trading at this time.

Both Russia and Canada have been in constant talks for Alaska to join their respective countries, however Alaska remains cautious about any union at this time.

Considerable competition has been heating up amongst nations for oil contracts as the Wildlife Reserve preliminary test drills indicate massive deposits, far greater than initial geological surveys had indicated. Oil deposits are estimated to dwarf all oil deposits combined in the Middle East.

A series of former USA federal laws which previously hampered Alaska and its economy have already been abolished by Premiere Palin who has seen her new country through the quickest transition (from State to independent country) in recent history.

Abundant in both fish and game, Alaska has already inked deals with several major companies in the food services industry. Rumor has it that ConAgra has also proposed new winter grains perfect for the perma-frost regions, and have been awarded a contract to set up a massive experimental farm complex outside of Fairbanks to study potential.

Owing to several threats by environmental groups as well as foreign nations wishing to invade and "take" its natural resources, Alaska's military is supplemented by both Russian forces and Canadian forces. Alaska also has entered into a standing contract with Canada's RCMP for additional security and related services.

The USA continues to attempt reconciliation, but with the official papers now in the hands of President Obama it is believed peaceful negotiations are no longer an option to keep Alaska in the Union.

Many reports are claiming that White House staff are blaming the breakup on the fact that former federal government administrations reneged on commitments made when Alaska came into the union.

Other reports suggest it was the "hidden" deals with China that actually fractured the USA/Alaska relationship.

An emergency strategy session has been called to discuss a way forward to force Alaska back into the Union. The strategy session will also deal with China's outrage over broken promises for Alaskan natural resources formerly made in exchange for them to continue funding the astronomical USA debt which has now spiralled completely out of control with the country now officially in a deep depression. With hyperinflation set to hit, further devaluing the USA dollar, China as well as several other backers are furious.

We enter our story with a split screen:

The left shows dignitaries in the USA, including the President, sitting down at the table for their strategy talks. The right shows another meeting taking place between dignitaries from Russia and Canada sitting down for talks with Premiere Palin in Alaska.

And that's where I leave you, dear readers as I enter Script Frenzy for this month.

I have to write 100 pages of script within 30 days.

Needless to say, all of this is completely fiction.

Wish me luck completing Script Frenzy!

Who Framed Senator Ted Stevens?

As the charges against Senator Ted Stevens are dropped, one has to ask the most important questions:

First question: Who framed Senator Ted Stevens?

Second question: What was their purposed in making him a target?

Third question: When did they decide to target him?

Fourth question: Where was the decision to target him made?

Fifth question: Why did mainstream media reporters back away from this pivotal case?

And sixth question: How did "they" manage to get away with removing Sen. Ted Stevens from office without having a single spotlight shining down on "them."

Ah yes, the basic tenets of investigative reporting: Who, What, When, Where, Why and How.

I'm not a reporter. I'm not a lawyer. I'm not a judge. I'm not a private investigator.

But I do have access to the Internet... and I have an intensely curious mind. When the Ted Stevens story hit the mainstream media headlines, I had my suspicions that something was fishy.

What I "tripped across" yesterday in my travels on the information highway investigating a few interesting financial "secrets" being hidden behind the gas price spikes of last year (and the parties involved) shocked me -- because it immediately triggered in my mind that Senator Stevens was FRAMED. He opened his mouth and landed directly in "their" target sights. He had to be removed from the Senate -- as FAST as HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Or at least, that was the "gut feeling" I got.

You see... he was asking some questions -- questions that some very powerful people do NOT want to have answered -- and making some comments that possibly were far too close to the truth for comfort -- at least for one financial giant that protested loud and clear (perhaps their first BIG mistake and everyone missed it).

Stay with me here.

I'll explain shortly.

So, when the headlines came out this morning that the charges against Sen. Stevens were being dropped, a part of me had already expected it.

What disgusts me is the "reasons" they give for dropping the charges.

They cite "his age" and the fact that "he's no longer in office" as being a good reason to let it go.

Uh, yeah, sure...

Amazing how the media choose to ignore the 8-page FBI "whistle-blower" agent complaint officially filed in this case. Names were named. Actions fully described. And almost the entire document red-acted. I'd say there is a bigger story here, wouldn't you?

For the record -- I'm not a registered Republican. I'm not a registered Democrat. I am a seeker of truth... plain and simple.

With that said, I don't think the "sting" was orchestrated solely to help the Democrats and sway undecided votes in favor of Obama (although it most likely helped because Senator Stevens was from Alaska and in the same party as was vice-President-elect Sarah Palin whom they are still attacking and using Internet zombies and mainstream media as weapons against her -- man-oh-man, are the zombies ever getting played -- what morons).

The timing of the targeting and pursuant smear campaign against Senator Ted Stevens was simply convenient ...having it all came down at a critical time during the 2008 elections.

And a critical time for a very well known and powerful financial giant -- one financial giant that is so embedded inside the White House (for decades) that it is often assumed they are a stepping stone into Government positions.

Call me crazy if you want... but with respect to the Ted Stevens case, I sincerely believe something far more sinister was/is going on here.

It involves MONEY.

It involves OIL.

It involves POWER.

Forbes broke the story. "Did Goldman Goose Oil? - How Goldman Sachs was at the center of the oil trading fiasco that bankrupted pipeline giant Semgroup." [LINK]

Now, some of you reading this might be slapping your forehead and going,
"Ah, yes! I remember the gas price spikes at the time."

Remember?

We were still in the heat of the Democratic primaries when gas prices were going through the roof. And now, a few short months later it seems like so many out there have completely forgotten it.

What does this have to do with Ted Stevens and what did he say which would make him an enemy of the "Goldmanite shadow government" that would paint a target on his back?

When oil prices spiked last summer to $147 a barrel, the biggest corporate casualty was oil pipeline giant Semgroup Holdings, ... some of the people involved in cleaning up the financial mess are suggesting that Semgroup's collapse was more than just bad judgment and worse timing. There is evidence of a malevolent hand at work: oil price manipulation by traders orchestrating a short squeeze to push up the price of West Texas Intermediate crude to the point that it would generate fatal losses in Semgroup's accounts.

Speculation? Here's another important quote from the article:

"What transpired at Semgroup was no less than a $500 billion fraud on the people of the world," says John Catsimatidis, the billionaire grocer turned oil refiner who is attempting to reorganize Semgroup in bankruptcy court. The $500 billion is how much the world would have overpaid for crude had a successful scam pushed up oil prices by $50 a barrel for 100 days.

And here is where the sinister hand of Goldman Sachs enters the picture:

What's the evidence of this? Much is circumstantial. Proving oil-trading manipulation is difficult. But numerous people familiar with the events insist that Citibank, Merrill Lynch and especially Goldman Sachs had knowledge about Semgroup's trading positions from their vetting of an ill-fated $1.5 billion private placement deal last spring. "Nothing's been proven, but if somebody has your book and knows every trade, it would not be difficult to bet against that book and put the company into a tremendous liquidity squeeze," says John Tucker, who is representing Kivisto.

What's known for sure is that Goldman Sachs, through J. Aron & Co., its commodities trading arm, was in prime position to use such data--and profited handsomely from Semgroup's fall. J. Aron was Semgroup's biggest counterparty, trading both physical oil flowing through pipelines and paper oil, in the form of options and futures.

So how does Senator Ted Stevens fit into this picture?

Another, separate story that ran back in July 2008 -- at the height of the price spikes -- demanded something be done about speculation in the oil markets by parties that have no intention of taking delivery:

"Americans are being taken advantage of not only by OPEC but by speculators right here in our own country," says Senator Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, referring to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. "Historically, this has not been a bad problem. Only recently has speculation reached these unsustainable levels." [link]

Indeed, Senator Ted Stevens was one of 3 Republicans (along with Snowe and Collins) who signed on to proposals backed by Democrats to limit speculation.

What was the response from the financial community?

Surprise, surprise... it came from Goldman Sachs:

Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the world's biggest securities firm, said supply and demand, rather than speculators, are responsible for oil's rally. [link]

We all now know that Snowe and Collins are both more Democratic in their leanings. But Ted Stevens... not so. He was a long-standing Republican.

And thus, I believe, he was also the most likely "target" to be removed as quickly as possible.

I somehow doubt he even realizes how close he came to opening the Goldmanite Pandora's box. And I sincerely doubt there is a politician alive, in this country and other countries, with the courage to go after them. The Goldman virus is like mold spores, with fibroids feathering out into every nook and cranny in finance, energy and beurocratic power. They're not "to big to fail"... they're too BIG to STOP!!!

How many current administration officials have ties -- directly and indirectly -- to Goldman Sachs?

Sure, all of this is speculation on my part.

And, as in every single case that others have tried to bring up with respect to securities speculation... most of the evidence can only be circumstancial, right?

Well, considering those running the finances of our country are so well connected to the "Goldmanite shadow government" are also, in many cases, guiding, advising and/or actually making the laws in this country... you decide.

Bottom line, what was the reasoning behind dropping the Ted Stevens charges?

An Alaska FBI agent has accused fellow agents and at least one prosecutor
of misconduct and unethical behavior in the public corruption investigation in
Alaska and the trial of U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens.

...The complaint had sharp words about one supervising agent, accused of getting too close to sources, including Allen. It said agents took gifts and accepted favors from
sources and revealed confidential grand jury information and investigative practices to sources and reporters.

And the complaint said that prosecutors deliberately withheld and covered up evidence favorable to Stevens during his month-long trial, contradicting their statements to the judge at the time that their errors in not producing material to Stevens were accidental. [LINK]

Hmmmm... everything from FBI agents (and prosecuters?) possibly "taking bribes" (err, gifts?) to possible "perjury" to hiding evidence favorable to the defendent.

Does it sound like Senator Ted Stevens was framed?

'Ya think?

Keep in mind, Senator Ted Stevens was "convicted" on all 7 counts.

But, even though it appears oh-so-easy to tie this together and paint a picture of voter manipulation against the Democratic party, I still believe it is far deeper, far more sinister ...and far more dangerous to this nation. I'm giving the Democratic machine a walk on this one (but I'm paying very close attention to the Goldmanites in their Administration).

Oil... gold... silver -- POWER -- there's more to this story.

Don't believe everything you watch, hear and read in the news. If the critical questions have not been asked, the full story has not been told. Dig deep. Look for the story behind the story behind the story.

What "short selling" do 'ya think some of those big bailed out financial institutions were (probably still are) trying to cover using taxpayer dollars to do it? Who requested they make those "shorts" in the markets? Who is really manipulating what in this country?

Dig. Dig. Dig.

"In a world without truth, freedom loses its value." Pope John Paul II

Further Reading:
- THE ROLE OF MARKET SPECULATION IN RISING OIL AND GAS PRICES: A NEED TO PUT THE COP BACK ON THE BEAT
- Goldman Says Demand, Not Speculators, Behind Oil Gain
- Goldman Reverses Course, Says Dollar Has 'Bottomed'
- International Policy Aspects...
- The Commodity Conundrum: Securitization and Systemic Concerns (Part III)
- How Banks Can Exploit Geithner's Plan
- Goldman Takes Risks With Lending Offer
- A Senator Whom Colleagues Are Hesitant to Cross (Pay particular attention to this one. IMPORTANT: Ask yourself, why would Goldman want to hamper/prevent drilling in Alaska?)

PS: Some further "food for thought" on all of this.

The 2008 elections for the White House and Congress and state office will cost a staggering $5.3 billion. The presidential race alone, that cost will amount to more than $2.4 billion. The presidential candidates have raised and spent nearly $1.6 billion alone.

That's double the candidate's fund raising just in 2004. It has tripled the fundraising of 2000. This is also the first time the candidates for the White House have raised and spent more than $1 billion in an election campaign. The biggest corporate contributor, by the way, turns out to be Goldman Sachs.

Goldman's political action committee has contributed more than $5 million to the 2008 election campaigns. Citigroup and JPMorgan are close behind contributing more than $4 million each. And you wondered why Wall Street was getting a bailout. [link]

Just wait 'til you find out what REALLY HAPPENED to those pension funds and mutual funds. And wait 'til you see what happens next in the carbon credits markets, too. Think these guys are NOT really pulling our strings?