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Last night Ed Hale presented the (heretofore, unseen) divorce decree on Plains Radio between Obama's mother and Obama Sr ( her FIRST marriage). The key bonus in this was the revelation of the specific version of her name in the decree, Stanley Ann D. Obama. Using this precise name variation ( the abbreviated, initial "D" --instead of 'Dunham', was the cipher that broke open the search), they are claiming to have now located a POE (Port of Entry ) document that Obama's mother provided when she returned to the US with her son--soon after Obama's birth, (allegedly in Kenya). The...

Barack Obama's upcoming presidency gives many reasons for conservatives to be concerned. All the more reason that we stick to substantive provable issues, as opposed to chasing such illusive rainbows as his alleged lack of a birth certificate. Such preoccupation adds to the bad name already accorded legitimate "conspiracy theories."

Precious metals markets were quiet on Friday. That is, up until the last few minutes when that little line on Kitco's live gold chart went vertical for what amounted to about a $7 gain for gold. Citigroup's (C) report the other day will certainly add some fuel to the fire when it comes to the debate over the future of gold prices. They figure the yellow metal could rocket as high as $2,000 an ounce sometime within the next two years, possibly before the end of next year, as all the government stimulus money works its way into the system....

Insight: Annihilation on Main Street By Mark Sunshine Published: November 27 2008 15:54 | Last updated: November 27 2008 15:54 Warren Buffett called credit default swaps “financial weapons of mass destruction” and they are about to annihilate Main Street. In a disturbing new trend, international banks are creating syndicated credit facilities that “weaponise” credit default swaps (CDS) by using the trading price of a borrower’s CDS to set the interest rate paid by the borrower. Unfortunately, banks don’t understand that they are arming speculators to ambush and kill unsuspecting and otherwise healthy companies. Regulators are oblivious to this danger as...

I can't give any more details than that, but I GUARANTEE that McCain wins NV by 5-7%...GUARANTEE!!! That should mean good things for many other states on election day, and expose these polls for what they are - tools of the MSM. Please help me with what a 5-7% win in NV means elsewhere...

OPEC left to its own devices Commentary: Hedge fund redemptions lay bare the role in oil speculation By MarketWatch Last update: 2:52 p.m. EDT Oct. 17, 2008 The following First Take is real-time analysis and opinion by the MarketWatch commentary team. SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Nations has called an emergency meeting for Oct. 24 aimed at halting a precipitous drop in oil prices. Crude, despite an uptick Friday, has crumbled to $72 a barrel, half the price it fetched in July. See Futures Movers. Funny how fast things can change. Gone is the steady drone...

NEW YORK - The stunning collapse in oil markets accelerated Friday, sending a barrel of crude plunging below $78 as investors grow more pessimistic about resolving a mushrooming global economic crisis. Oil hasn't been this cheap in 13 months — a rare silver lining for consumers amid a rapidly imploding financial landscape.

Caveat: None of the following is to be relied upon by anyone for anything. Anyother words, I have no idea what is going to happen in the financial markets, and if anyone tries to tell you differently, they are a bloody fool!!! That said, before going to law school, I was a stockbroker (I know, I know, next it is selling used cars). I remember looking at my Quotron in 87 and seeing the Dow drop 25% in one day! Never paid much mind to the charts (was always zeroed in on fundamentals).... BUT, recently, when I looked at the...

No confirmation on this, no tip, no hint. But I know what he's doing. John McCain is waiting until the bill passes. And then he will unleash the dogs of war.

Bailing Out The Oil Market William Pentland, 09.23.08, 11:35 AM ET While everyone knows the U.S. government is looking to bail Wall Street banks, few people realize that it's also bailing out speculative oil and commodities traders in the process, fueling a sharp rise in energy prices. Lehman Brothers and AIG held enormous trading positions in commodities markets. If those positions had been liquidated suddenly, the price of everything from wheat to oil would have collapsed. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the main regulator of U.S. commodity markets, allowed Wall Street's investment banks and trading companies to take control of...

McCain will play the proactive role. Obama will come to Washington, but will keep one foot outside the Beltway. Even though the president has called both candidates to Washington to save the country, Obama continues to campaign. Politics as usual. He doesn’t want to cancel the debate. He would debate while the markets burn. McCain is going to work while Obama is phoning it in. Oddly, McCain and Obama agree on the bailout package. But it is only McCain who can pass the bill. Only McCain can deliver the administration and the Republicans. McCain will be at the center of...

Commodities ravaged as traders flee risk Leo Lewis, Asia business correspondent Surging fears of Armageddon in the global financial system ravaged a wide selection of commodities across Asia as groups ranging from hedge funds to day traders spent the day in a headlong flight from risk. The shock waves from the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers reverberated through markets for vegetable oil, soy beans, rubber and industrial metals as confidence in the financial system faltered, global growth prospects dimmed and cash became king. Broad baskets of commodities — once seen by speculators as a sure-fire bet because of China and India’s...

Big jump in gold sale spurs manipulation talk Some analysts say only manipulation is government's attempt to take down oil By Moming Zhou, MarketWatch Last update: 7:54 p.m. EDT Aug. 29, 2008 NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- Recent heat from Congress and regulators, along with public speculation, over whether commodity prices are being manipulated has also reached gold pits, where the debate was stirred by a surge in bets last month that gold prices would fall. "Congress is already investigating allegations of manipulation in the oil market, and it seems likely that it is only a matter of time before a...

A Few Speculators Dominate Vast Market for Oil Trading By David Cho Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, August 21, 2008; A01 Regulators had long classified a private Swiss energy conglomerate called Vitol as a trader that primarily helped industrial firms that needed oil to run their businesses. But when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission examined Vitol's books last month, it found that the firm was in fact more of a speculator, holding oil contracts as a profit-making investment rather than a means of lining up the actual delivery of fuel. Even more surprising to the commodities markets was the massive...

A few speculators dominate vast oil market Regulators: Swiss energy firm holds 11 percent of contracts on NYMEX Regulators had long classified a private Swiss energy conglomerate called Vitol as a trader that primarily helped industrial firms that needed oil to run their businesses. But when the Commodity Futures Trading Commission examined Vitol's books last month, it found that the firm was in fact more of a speculator, holding oil contracts as a profit-making investment rather than a means of lining up the actual delivery of fuel. Even more surprising to the commodities markets was the massive size of Vitol's...

An exhaustive, eight-year Media Research Center study of the Big Three TV networks’ coverage of Barack Obama shows that their favorable spin on the Democrat gave him his margin of victory in the primaries, according to MRC president Brent Bozell. The MRC notes that this year saw the closest nomination contest in a generation, with just one-tenth of a percentage point — 41,622 votes out of more than 35 million cast — separating Obama from Hillary Clinton when the Democratic primaries ended in June. “But Barack Obama had a crucial advantage over his rivals this year: the support of the...

$65 oil is coming (maybe) A top analyst expects crude prices to start plummeting. If you don't believe it, you're not the only one, and a few stocks look good if you're in the skeptics' camp. By Jon Markman If you're frustrated over the high cost of gasoline at the pump, don't trade in your Hummer for a Vespa just yet: A leading energy analyst is telling clients these days to prepare for crude oil to retreat back below $65 per barrel over the next three years. How could it happen? He says conservation, new drilling, efficient new vehicles, alternative...

I'm not much of a believer in conspiracy theories. I've seen up close and personal how wrong they were in the case of my old boss, Richard M. Nixon. He was not a criminal mastermind. He was not paying attention to a bunch of juvenile delinquent aides and they did him dirt. It was a case of an absent minded father, not a KGB plot. But every so often something happens in the world of finance that is at least a bit like a conspiracy. The Drexel-Milken junk bond fraud was a conspiracy, at least as I saw it (though...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate is unlikely to pass legislation aimed at reining in excessive energy speculation before lawmakers leave for their month-long August recess, a top Senate Democrat said on Monday. The legislation sponsored by Democrats to provide the Commodity Futures Trading Commission with greater oversight of energy futures markets stalled Friday when it failed a key procedural vote. Bingaman said Republicans blocked the bill because they were not allowed to add an unlimited number of amendments to the bill. Democratic and Republican lawmakers seem to be deadlocked on passing energy legislation. Republicans are pushing to lift bans...

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Proposals to reign in wallet-draining gasoline prices by curbing speculation in oil markets would likely increase costs at the pump instead of trimming them, a University of Illinois economist says. Scott Irwin argues congressional efforts to curb trading by speculators is a “misguided witch hunt” that ignores the root of America’s energy problem – a finite global oil supply that has been stretched thin by surging demand in China, India and other developing countries. “We need to have a real national debate about issues related to both the demand side and the supply side of our energy...