Wednesday, November 30, 2016

La Niña Outlook, Impacts for Winter 2016–17 | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) formerly known as National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

La Niña Outlook, Impacts for Winter 2016–17 | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) formerly known as National Climatic Data Center (NCDC)

La Niña Outlook, Impacts for Winter 2016–17

Graphic showing typical impacts of La Niña on U.S. winter temperature and precipitation
Typical impacts of La Niña on U.S. winter temperature and precipitation. Such
impacts have been associated with past episodes, but all impactsaren't seen
with every episode. Drawing by Fiona Martin, NOAA, for Climate.gov.

In regional climate outlooks for the Great Lakes, Missouri basin, and the Midwest, forecasters from NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center expect several potential impacts this winter from the current La Niña pattern in the Pacific Ocean.
From now until early spring, forecasters anticipate La Niña could affect precipitation and temperatures across several central states. The forecasts address the potential for impacts on agriculture, the economy, and ecosystems.
Each region is subject to different repercussions from La Niña. The polar jet stream, which can vary based on La Niña conditions, tends to cut through the Missouri basin, making it the U.S. dividing line between cold and warm air masses. Colder, wetter conditions could be in store for the northern portions of the basin, while the southern Great Plains could be warmer and drier.
Precipitation and temperatures could possibly breakdown as such:
  • The northern Rockies, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Great Lakes may experience above-normal precipitation and below-normal temperatures.
  • Southern areas of Colorado, Wyoming, and Kansas may see slightly increased chances for below-normal precipitation and above-normal temperatures.

La Niña Impacts

Dry soil conditions in the Missouri River basin have already challenged winter wheat, particularly in western Kansas and parts of Wyoming. Lower crop yields and overwintering of pests may develop if predictions for warmer, drier conditions hold true.
Colder spells in the Great Lakes, where a wetter, more frigid winter may develop, could be negative for livestock, driving up farming costs and commodity prices. These factors may contribute to more ice cover as well. Similar conditions could have consequences in the Midwest, where La Niña has the potential to negatively impact fall seeded crops or perennials, such as alfalfa or fruit orchards. Increased costs for heating fuel, snow removal, and transportation are also possible. The northern Rockies could experience above-normal snowpack, which is normally good for water supply later in the year.
Because the La Niña phase is predicted to be weaker and shorter this winter than in previous years, forecasters are assessing the winter with a conservative outlook. It’s likely La Niña’s influence may wane by early spring.
A La Niña develops when temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean are cooler than average for an extended period. This year, the cooling is slight, so there remains a chance the La Niña may not persist. Also, forecasts depend on many variables, such as short-term weather or long-term climate events, that can overshadow the typical La Niña pattern and lessen the reliability of predictions.
To help you better understand how the current La Niña may impact the Midwest and surrounding areas, NOAA releases regional La Niña Outlooks:
For general information about La Niña, visit:

These maps show how daylight savings time is ruining our lives

These maps show how daylight savings time is ruining our lives 

These maps show how daylight savings time is ruining our lives


lead_largeAndy Woodruff
Like clockwork, it happens twice year. No, not just Daylight Saving Time—the kvetching about it.
The facts: DST does not actually reduce electric demand, as it was created to do. Additionally, it shatters delicate sleep schedules, leading to upwards of $400 million in economic losses each year.
DST has also been linked to traffic accidents, heart attacks, Seasonal Affective Disorder, commuting snafus, and in my house, general unpleasantness and fist shaking.
But what would the country really look like without Daylight Saving Time? As Axis Maps cartographer Andy Woodruff points out in a recent blog post, its effects are not consistent across the United States. But even so, the time-turning phenomenon looks pretty horrifying for those who arise at the reasonable hour of 7 a.m.
Woodruff’s maps also assume you prefer a sunset after 5 p.m. Where should you live? The maps below may give you a hint.
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The takeaway may be that if you love the sun, Hawaii is calling. The sun rises and falls before 7 a.m. and after 5 p.m. every single day. Those who do not want to flee across the Pacific might instead consider a move to the southeastern-most point of your local time zone.
But as with all things, moving for the sun comes with tradeoffs. “[M]aybe you could cut your coffee budget if you live on the western side of your time zone,” Woodruff writes. “Just remember you’d be giving up those wonderful summer evenings.”
Head over to Woodruff’s blog to play with an interactive version of the map and emerge with the largest lesson: Limited winter sun is miserable, no matter what the clock says.

Global Temperatures Plunge. Icy Silence from Climate Alarmists

Global Temperatures Plunge. Icy Silence from Climate Alarmists

Global Temperatures Plunge. Icy Silence from Climate Alarmists



Global land temperatures have plummeted by one degree Celsius since the middle of this year – the biggest and steepest fall on record.

But the news has been greeted with an eerie silence by the world’s alarmist community. You’d almost imagine that when temperatures shoot up it’s catastrophic climate change which requires dramatic headlines across the mainstream media and demands for urgent action. But that when they fall even more precipitously it’s just a case of “nothing to see here”.
The cause of the fall is a La Nina event following in the wake of an unusual strong El Nino.
As David Rose reports:
Big El Ninos always have an immense impact on world weather, triggering higher than normal temperatures over huge swathes of the world. The 2015-16 El Nino was probably the strongest since accurate measurements began, with the water up to 3C warmer than usual.
It has now been replaced by a La Nina event – when the water in the same Pacific region turns colder than normal.
This also has worldwide impacts, driving temperatures down rather than up.
The satellite measurements over land respond quickly to El Nino and La Nina. Temperatures over the sea are also falling, but not as fast, because the sea retains heat for longer.
This means it is possible that by some yardsticks, 2016 will be declared as hot as 2015 or even slightly hotter – because El Nino did not vanish until the middle of the year.
But it is almost certain that next year, large falls will also be measured over the oceans, and by weather station thermometers on the surface of the planet – exactly as happened after the end of the last very strong El Nino in 1998. If so, some experts will be forced to eat their words.
Yes indeed. I recommend this sober assessment of the situation written earlier this month by Dr. David Whitehouse, science editor of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
With 2016 being predicted as a record warm year it is interesting to speculate on what the El Nino’s contribution will be, which is, in a word, everything. It can be argued that without the El Nino (and the so-called “Pacific Blob”) 2014-2016 would not have been record warm years.
He calls the cooling a “reality check”, noting:
Many think that 2017 will be cooler than previous years. Myles Allen of Oxford University says that by the time of the next big United Nations climate conference global temperatures are likely to be no warmer than the Paris COP in 2015. This would be a strange thing to happen if, as some climate scientists have claimed, recent years would have been a record even without the El Nino.
The last three years may eventually come to be seen as the final death rattle of the global warming scare. Thanks what’s now recognised as an unusually strong El Nino, global temperatures were driven to sufficiently high levels to revive the alarmist narrative – after an unhelpful pause period of nearly 20 years – that the world had got hotter than ever before.
It resulted in a slew of “Hottest Year Evah” stories from the usual suspects. As I patiently explained at the time – here, here, and here – this wasn’t science but propaganda. If you’re a reader of Breitbart or one of the sceptical websites this will hardly have come as news to you. But, of course, across much of the mainstream media – and, of course, on all the left-leaning websites – these “Hottest Year Evah” stories were relayed as fact. And, inevitably, were often cited by a host of experts on Twitter as proof that evil deniers are, like, anti-science and totally evil and really should be thrown in prison for sacrificing the future of the world’s children by promoting Big-Oil-funded denialism.
This is why there is such an ideological divide regarding climate change between those on the left and those on the right. The lefties get their climate information from unreliable fake news sites like Buzzfeed.
Just recently, I had to school my former Telegraph colleague Tom Chivers, now of Buzzfeed, with a piece titled Debunked: Another Buzzfeed ‘Hottest Year Evah’ Story.
Perhaps I’m wrong: I don’t actually look at Buzzfeed, except when they’re doing something worthwhile like “Five Deadliest Killer Sharks” or “Ten Cutest Kitten Photos”. But I’ve a strong suspicion they haven’t yet covered this 1 degree C temperature fall because, well why would they? It just wouldn’t suit their alarmist narrative.

Celebrity "outs" Obama & Wife (Manchelle?)

America's Economy Before Obama Versus After Obama

America's Economy Before Obama Versus After Obama

America’s Economy Before Obama Versus After Obama



At a press conference in Greece one week after the American voters rejected his legacy at the polls by picking Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, President Obama defended his record, saying that people think he “did a pretty good job” as president.

“The president said the U.S. ‘is indisputably better off’ because of him, and those who voted for Trump “are better off than they were when I came into office for the most part,” CNS News reported.
Breitbart News put President Obama’s claim to the test using eight key metrics of economic health: the federal debt, the gross domestic product annual growth rate, the unemployment rate, labor participation rates, median annual income, home ownership rates, health care costs, and reliance upon food stamps.
Six of these eight metrics show that Americans are demonstrably worse off in November 2016 than they were in January 2009, when President Obama was inaugurated.
The two metrics which show nominal improvement–the unemployment rate and median annual income–come with significant caveats.
While the measured unemployment rate has declined under Obama, the dramatic increase in the number of those not participating in the labor force, and stagnant median household annual income in real terms, suggest that those two economic metrics represent illusory gains.
Measuring President Obama’s Eight Years Using Eight Key Metrics of Economic Health
1. The federal debt has doubled from $9.99 trillion at the end of FY 2008 (September 30, 2008) to $19.95 trillion at the end of FY 2016 (September 30, 2016), according to usgovernmentspending.com. That $9.96 trillion increase in Obama’s eight years is about equal to the $9.99 trillion in debt racked up in the 219 years from the founding of the republic in 1789 to 2008.
2. President Obama has overseen the worst economic growth of any President since Herbert Hoover. He’s the only President since Hoover who has not had a single year that saw an annual growth of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) that reached or exceed three percent, as CNS News reported:
 Barack Obama has served since January 2009 and will be in office until this coming January. During Obama’s time in office so far, annual growth in real GDP peaked at 2.6 percent in 2015.
The last year that real GDP grew by 3.0 percent or more, according to BEA, was in 2005, when it grew by 3.3 percent. Since then, the United States has gone a record ten straight years (2006-2015) without a year in which the growth in real GDP was at least 3.0 percent.
In October, the Bureau of Economic analysis reported, “Real gross domestic product increased at an annual rate of 2.9 percent in the third quarter of 2016…In the second quarter, real GDP increased 1.4 percent,” and in the first quarter it increased less than one percent.
All of Obama’s predecessors since John F. Kennedy, whose administration saw annual growth of real GDP peak “at 6.1 percent in 1962,” have seen far more robust economic growth. Even the relatively poor economies of the Jimmy Carter administration, which saw annual growth in real GDP peak “at 5.6 percent in 1978,” and George W. Bush’s administration, which saw annual growth in real GDP peak “at 3.8 percent in 2004,” did better.
Obama’s eight years pale in comparison to Ronald Reagan’s eight years between 1981 and 1989, where “annual growth in real GDP peaked at 7.3 percent in 1984.”
3. The unemployment rate declined from 7.6 percent in January 2009 to 4.9 percent in October 2016.
While the number of employed increased by 9.8 million and the number of unemployed decreased by 3.8 million, the number of Americans not in the labor force increased by 13.5 million while the civilian non-institutional population increased by 19.8 million.

As Tradingeconomics.com reported:
US unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent in October 2016 from 5 percent in the previous month and in line with market expectations. The number of unemployed persons was almost unchanged at 7.9 million while the labor force participation rate decreased by 0.1 percentage point to 62.8 percent.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for Hispanics declined to 5.7 percent in October, while the rates for adult men (4.6 percent), adult women (4.3 percent), teenagers (15.6 percent), Whites (4.3 percent), Blacks (8.6 percent), and Asians (3.4 percent) showed little change.
The number of job losers and persons who completed temporary jobs declined by 218,000 over the month to 3.7 million. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was unchanged at 2.0 million in October and accounted for 25.2 percent of the unemployed.
Both the labor force participation rate, at 62.8 percent, and the employment-population ratio, at 59.7 percent, changed little. These measures have shown little movement in recent months, although both are up over the year.
4. The labor participation rate has declined from 65.8 percent in February 2009, according to tradingeconomics.com, to 62.8 percent in October 2016, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As CNS News reported:
94,333,000 Americans were not in the labor force in July, a slightly better showing than June’s 94,517,000; and the labor force participation rate improved slightly, increasing a tenth of a point to 62.8 percent from June’s 62.7 percent, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics reorted on Friday.
In September 2015, the labor force participation rate dropped to 62.4 percent, its lowest point since 1977. The best it’s been since Barack Obama took office is 65.8 percent in February 2009, the month after Obama was sworn in amid a recession.
The labor force participation rate is the percentage of people in the civilian noninstitutionalized population, age 16 or older, who are either working or actively seeking work.
As noted by the Congressional Budget Office, the labor force participation rate reflects people’s decisions about the attractiveness of working or looking for work compared with alternatives such as attending school, caring for family members, or retiring.
5. Median household annual income has remained stagnant in real terms under Obama.
When President Obama took office in January 2009, median household income, in nominal terms, was slightly above $50,000. According to Sentier Research, median household annual income in September, 2016, the most recent period for which data is available, was $57,616.
While that shows an increase of about $7,000 in median household annual income in nominal terms during President Obama’s administration, when adjusted for the Consumer Price Index, real seasonally adjusted median household income (in September 2016 dollars) was about $57,500 in January 2009, virtually the same as it is almost eight years later.
“In real dollar terms, the median annual income is 1.5% lower (-$884) than its interim high in January 2008 but well off its low in August 2011,” Sentier Research found.

6. The home ownership rate declined from 67.3 percent in the first quarter of 2009 to 63.5 percent in the third quarter of 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of the Census.

7. Health insurance rates, both for employer-sponsored programs and Obamacare, increased significantly between January 2009 and November 2016.
“In 2008, the average employer-sponsored family plan cost a total of $12,680, with employees footing $3,354 of the bill, according to Kaiser data. By 2016, the cost of the average employer family plan was up to $18,142 for the year, with workers picking up $5,277 of the tab,” as Time.com reported.
“In 2008, high deductibles were the minority: 18% of covered workers had deductibles of at least $1,000, per the Kaiser Family Foundation . . .Fast-forward to 2016, and high-deductible plans have become standard: 51% of all covered workers, and 65% of workers in small firms, face deductibles of at least $1,000,” Time.com added.
According to CNN Money:
Obamacare premiums are set to skyrocket an average of 22% for the benchmark silver plan in 2017, according to a government report released Monday.
The price hike is the latest blow to Obamacare. Insurers are raising prices and downsizing their presence on the exchanges as they try to stem losses from sicker-than-anticipated customers. Enrollment for 2017 will be closely watched since insurers want to see younger and healthier consumers enroll.
The benchmark silver plan — upon which federal subsidies are based — will cost an average of $296 a month next year. That figure is based on prices for a 27-year-old enrollee in the 39 states that use the federal healthcare.gov exchange, plus the four states and Washington D.C. that have their own exchanges.
For 2016, the benchmark plan’s premium rose only 7.2%, on average, for the states that use healthcare.gov.
8. The number of individuals receiving food stamps increased from 32 million in January 2009, according to trivisonno.com, to 43.6 million in August 2016, according to the Food Research and Action Center, an increase of 11.6  million.
The food stamp participation rate has, however, come down slightly since December 2012, when the number of recipients hit their peak of 47.8 million, as the Washington Times reported:
Enrollment in the food stamp program — officially the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — has soared by 70 percent in the years since President Obama first took office, a new report finds.
The government said the recession ended in 2009, The Wall Street Journal reports, but enrollment in the food stamp program didn’t wane, as would be expected in an improving economy. Since 2008, it’s been on a steady rise, The Journal reports.
A record 47.8 million people participate in the program, as of December 2012.
Summary
With six of these eight economic metrics lower in 2016 than they were in January 2009, and with the two improved metrics qualified at best, it is hard to conclude that America is “indisputably better off” economically today–compared to January 2009.
President Obama’s approval ratings continue to remain above 50 percent less than two months before he leaves office, a reflection of public sentiment concerning his personal style more than his performance on his job.
By most objective measurements, most Americans are not “indisputably better off” economically after eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency.
If most Americans really thought they were “indisputably better off” today than in January 2009, the media might be writing stories about President-elect Clinton rather than President-elect Trump in the final days of 2016.

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Dakota Access Pipeline Project near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation


Dakota Access Pipeline Project near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation

I was extremely privileged in the last several days to have the opportunity to travel to North Dakota as President of the National Sheriffs' Association to see firsthand the protest and the response thereto to the Dakota Access Pipeline Project near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation about 25 miles south of Bismarck.
I learned first that the pipeline project, which has been in the works for several years, will traverse four states including North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois carrying crude oil. I was surprised to learn that a natural gas pipeline is already underground on the same right of way. The DAP has received all federal approvals over several years and, litigation which attempted to stop it in the federal courts has been resolved. Despite this project being very "federal" in nature and clearly in interstate commerce, the Obama administration has refused to provide any law enforcement or other support to North Dakota state and local law enforcement that has placed them in the position of having to enforce the rule of law. As usual, law enforcement is put between the rock and hard place due to various political agendas.
Based upon sensational news reports, I had the wrong impression that this pipeline was to run directly through the Standing Rock Reservation and would disturb ancient burial grounds of the Sioux Tribes. The argument has evolved now that this pipeline will jeopardize the water supply of the Missouri River (despite the fact that the pipeline will pass under other rivers including the Mississippi throughout its entire route). Also, the Cannonball River which runs throughout the Standing Rock Reservation is actually “upstream” from the pipeline crossing. This false narrative has understandably generated a great deal of sympathy and support from many quarters for the Standing Rock Sioux People. I quickly learned and saw for myself that this was untrue. The pipeline passes about two miles north of the reservation and that years of archeological study uncovered no significant native historical sites. It is difficult to believe that a single modern pipeline would be more environmentally risky than transporting crude oil by rail or truck through the same territory.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is 95% complete and the construction work near Standing Rock is the last phase which will tie the pipeline together. It is a 3.7 Billion Dollar Project.
This past Thursday, October 27th, steps were taken the morning before I arrived which evicted protestors from private property directly in the path of the pipeline. This "northern" camp was erected just days before and the occupants had been warned repeatedly for several days that their presence there was unlawful and that eviction was imminent. These warnings went unheeded. Despite the statements coming from the media and protesters that they were completely peaceful and prayerful, it has been a fact that more militant protestors (terrorists) have destroyed property and physically beaten employees of the company in recent weeks. I personally witnessed and photographed what I estimate to be at least a half of a million dollars in damage to bulldozers and excavators. I further learned that many protestors other than Native American groups have descended upon the area such as anarchists and eco-terrorists who are hell bent on committing violence and damage. The police presence in the area to protect farmers, ranchers and other private property interests have been costing the state of North Dakota millions of dollars.
The Sheriffs of several states have contributed manpower over the last several weeks to help preserve order and protect property. On October 27th, law enforcement evicted the trespassers form the north camp on private property about three miles north of the Cannonball River. While pleading with the trespassers for a peaceful move, law enforcement officers were met with Molotov cocktails and various missiles such as rocks and logs being thrown at them causing numerous injuries to the officers. The only discharge of a firearm occurred when a protestor fired at the line of officers. Miraculously, none were hit by the bullets. When the protestors were moved south of the bridge, two trucks used to blockade the roadway were set on fire by the protestors. This action now has very possibly jeopardized the integrity of that bridge. News accounts ironically then decried the use of defensive equipment such as “riot gear” and armored vehicles by law enforcement.
Many media sites reported only that "heavy handed" police tactics were used upon the protestors who were only praying and "peacefully" protesting. These same outlets failed to mention the shooting, Molotov cocktails, and extensive property and equipment damage produced by some of the protestors. The protestors even cut fences and attempted to induce a domesticated buffalo herd to stampede through the area. The owners of the herd, whom I spoke with personally indicated that at least of dozen of their buffalo were killed by protestors.
The next morning, I was present as law enforcement leaders including
Sheriff Paul Laney met with leaders of the tribe. The tribal representatives lamented the violent and destructive behavior of "outsiders" who had come in only to commit violence. They indicated that they would encourage these violent agitators to leave the camp and protest.
While the entire situation seemed to be de-escalating upon my departure on Sunday October 30th, it remains to be seen if the violence and illegal acts are truly over. I must commend the professionalism and patience of law enforcement officers under the leadership of sheriffs such as Cass County Sheriff and National Sheriffs' Association Board member Paul Laney, Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, and Burleigh County Sheriff Paul Heinert. The North Dakota State Police as well as several area Police Departments also played essential roles. The operation evicting trespassers, some of which became violent was carried out with professionalism and restraint despite liberal press stories to the contrary. I must also commend the numerous sheriffs’ office throughout the multi-state area including NSA Executive Committee Member Rich Stanek of Hennepin County, Minnesota who sent personnel to assist with protecting lives and property.
I certainly feel empathy for the Native American peoples of America and especially the Sioux due to the treatment they received at the hands of the U.S. Government in the latter part of the 19th Century. These Native American Cultures are and should be a proud people for whom we should all have concern. However, the law and facts simply do not weigh in their favor in this case from everything I seen. This project went through an extensive approval process over many years and court challenges in Federal Court have failed to be successful. We are a nation of laws. Emotion and empathy cannot carry the day. It just seems that opposition to this pipeline is not reasonably based upon legitimate environmental concerns. Energy independence has been one of the major goals of this country for decades. In my home state of Louisiana, we are surrounded by gas and oil pipelines and safely so. In another ironic twist, it is widely known that the Standing Rock Tribal Chairman owns a convenience store and gasoline station on the reservation.
It's time for everyone to move on in reference to The Dakota Access Pipeline and stop putting further strain on the citizens and law enforcement officers of North Dakota and surrounding states.
Greg Champagne, President
National Sheriffs’ Association

Tesla made more money last quarter than the entire US oil industry made last year

Tesla made more money last quarter than the entire US oil industry made last year

Tesla made more money last quarter than the entire US oil industry made last year

While there are nuances to the claim made in this headline, it is technically true since Tesla announced that it turned a profit of $22 million last quarter while the US oil industry managed to lose $67 billion last year due to its inability to stomach lower gas prices, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
I think it’s something to consider in this new political climate following the election of Donald Trump.
Notwithstanding any potential ulterior motives to favor fossil fuels or the fact that Trump doesn’t believe in man-made climate change, it’s important for the upcoming new Trump administration and GOP-controlled Washington to start looking at Tesla and other upcoming cleantech ventures as important middle-class American job creators and sustainable businesses.
One of Trump’s main actions to create American jobs is to “lift the restrictions on the production of $50 trillion dollars’ worth of job-producing American energy reserves, including shale, oil, natural gas and clean coal,” according to his own “contract with American voters” and as part of his plan for his first 100 days in office.
Again, we are not going into the impact it will have on the climate in part because of how scary it is. Try to get the amount of CO2 that those fossil-fuel reserves will release in the atmosphere out of your head (if you can) and focus on the jobs. That’s supposedly how he won the election in the rust belt and coal country after all.
While Trump’s deregulation of the oil and gas industry could certainly recreate jobs, we have to keep in mind that more investments don’t represent a guarantee that the companies will be able to handle price slumps like the one we saw last year and continues now without more government subsidies.
Coal and Natural Gas are rapidly becoming less cost competitive to Wind and Solar power.
But deregulation is not all Trump plans to do for the oil and gas industry – again with the goal of creating jobs. He also plans to slow down the competition from renewable energy by slashing federal research and development, subsidies for solar and wind, and any other climate programs. He also plans to gut the EPA and head it with a climate science denier.
When the US oil industry lost $67 billion in 2015, it also slashed close to 100,000 jobs during the same period. All the while, more Americans now work in the solar industry than the extraction of oil, gas, or coal.
One of the main examples Trump has been using is Ford moving jobs from Michigan to Mexico in order to be more competitive. Since his election, GM also announced job cuts.
On the other hand, Tesla has been adding jobs with now over 18,000 employees worldwide and the majority are in the US. At the Fremont factory alone, Tesla employs over 6,000 people and it plans to bring that number up to 9,000 to support its latest expansion plans.
The electric automaker is also investing in the Gigafactory in Nevada, where it plans to employ over 6,000 workers.
If job creation (and not just rewarding fossil fuel political donors) is really the true goal of the new US political leadership, maybe they should think twice about introducing new policies that could slow the momentum of clean technologies in favor of fossil fuels. Instead, they should focus on introducing a level playing field.
We could argue about the best way to do that (and please let’s do it in the comment section below), but in my opinion, the most simple one is to put an end to all subsidies, including the trillions of dollars worth of subsidies going to the fossil fuel industry.

Monday, November 28, 2016

STEVEN KEST

STEVEN KEST

  • Longtime executive director of the (now defunct) community organization ACORN
  • Helped establish the pro-socialist New Party in the early 1990s
  • Former board member of the Progressive States Network.
  • Former senior fellow at the Center for American Progress


See also:  ACORN   New Party   Progressive States Network   Center for American Progress


A graduate of Harvard University, Steven Kest began working as an organizer for the now-defunct community group ACORN in 1975. He later served as ACORN's national campaign director before ultimately becoming executive director, a post he held from 1990 through 2009.

In the very early 1990s, Kest was present at the initial strategic meetings—held in Joel Rogers's Wisconsin home—where the founding agendas of the pro-socialist New Party were first spelled out. To view a list of others who were also present at that meeting, and a list of additional key founders of the New Party, click here.

In a 2003 City Journal article, Manhattan Institute senior fellow Sol Stern quoted Kest as having said, vis a vis welfare-reform initiatives designed to move people off the welfare rolls and into paying jobs:
"There’s an emerging consensus that for those who can work, it should be encouraged. [But work] should come with adequate supports, such as day care and transportation, to get people out of poverty.... We also still believe that, for a lot of people, it’s not right to force them to work. There should be some type of income support for those who still won’t be able to join the work force." 
"In other words," Stern summarized, Kest's prescription was for "perpetual dependency."

Under Kest’s guidance, ACORN was a resolute advocate of raising the minimum wage. In 2012, Kest lauded ACORN's "minimum-wage campaign" as an initiative that had "increase[d] the living standards of people who are poor by putting more money in their pockets," while simultaneously "tak[ing] money out of other people's pockets"—namely, those of "stock shareholders" and "people who run corporations." "We picked some very powerful pockets," Kest boasted.

When ACORN dissolved amid massive scandal in early 2010, Kest became a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP). He shared this honor with self-described “communist” and 9/11 truther Van Jones, also a senior fellow at CAP.

That same year, Kest sat on the board of directors of the Progressive States Network. Other board members at the time included Wes Boyd, David Brock, Robert McChesney, and John Podesta.

In November 2010, Kest spoke at a CAP-sponsored event on “the history and the future of community organizing” with John Atlas, president of the National Housing Institute. Soon after that event, Kest’s name disappeared from the list of “experts” on the CAP website.

In October 2012, Kest participated in a National Radio Project program, sponsored by Demos, on “The Life, Death and Rebirth of ACORN.” During the program, he stated that ACORN’s “major accomplishment” had been “to organize poor people so that they would have more power in America, in the economy and in the electoral system.” Kest noted, for instance, that in 2008 ACORN had “registered over a million new low-income voters, almost all of them of color.” It was ACORN's effectiveness, said Kest, that ultimately caused “those who had the power” to become “pissed off enough to go after us.”

For additional information on Steven Kest, click here.

Justice Dept. sues NJ township for rejecting mosque


Justice Dept. sues NJ township for rejecting mosque

Justice Dept. sues NJ township for rejecting mosque

The Justice Department announced on Tuesday it is suing Bernards Township, N.J., because it denied zoning approval for the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge to build a mosque on land it owns.
The township in December unanimously voted down the Islamic Society's application to build a mosque, which the Justice Department says violates the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.
In the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, the department said the denial was discriminatory based on the Islamic Society's members' religion. The denial imposed a substantial burden on the Islamic Society's religious exercise, according to the complaint, it said.
The complaint also alleged that the township violated the law "by amending its zoning ordinance in a manner that imposes unreasonable limitations on all religious assemblies."
According to Justice Department officials, the land where the Islamic Society wanted to build the mosque is located in a zone that permitted construction of places of worship as a matter of right at the time of the zoning request.
"As alleged in the complaint, Bernards Township has treated the Islamic Society of Basking Ridge differently than other houses of worship," said U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman in a statement. "RLUIPA ensures that municipalities must treat religious land use applications like any other land use application. But here, township officials kept moving the goalposts by using ever-changing local requirements to effectively deny this religious community the same access as other faiths."
Bernards Township is a township of roughly 25,000 people located in less than 40 miles southwest of New York City.

Cardinal Raymond Burke: Muslims and Christians Don’t Worship ‘the Same God’

Cardinal Raymond Burke: Muslims and Christians Don’t Worship ‘the Same God’

Cardinal Raymond Burke: Muslims and Christians Don’t Worship ‘the Same God’


According to the former head of the Vatican’s highest court, Cardinal Raymond Burke (pictured), Muslims and Christians do not worship the same God, since Allah is a “governor,” whereas Christianity was “founded on love.”

The modern belief that Islam and Christianity are fundamentally the same “is very much influenced by a relativism of a religious order,” the Cardinal said at a recent press conference.
“I hear people saying to me, well, we’re all worshipping the same God. We all believe in love. But I say stop a minute, and let’s examine carefully what Islam is, and what our Christian faith teaches us.”
“I don’t believe it’s true that we’re all worshipping the same God, because the God of Islam is a governor,” Burke said. “Sharia is their law, and that law, which comes from Allah, must dominate every man eventually.”
The Cardinal said that unlike Christianity, sharia is “not a law that’s founded on love. To say that we all believe in love is simply not correct.”
Not only do Christianity and Islam differ in the nature of their laws, Burke proposed, but also in their approach to proselytism and winning over converts.
In the end, he said, we have to understand that “what they believe most deeply, that to which they ascribe in their hearts, demands that they govern the world.”
The Cardinal’s words echoed recent remarks by a senior Catholic prelate in Hungary, who warned that the enormous waves of migrants rolling into Europe are due in no small part to a Muslim “will to conquer.”
“Jihad is a principle for Muslims that means they must expand,” said Archbishop Gyula Marfi in an August interview. “The earth must become dar al-Islam, that is, Islamic territory, by introducing Sharia—Islamic law.”
Both prelates’ words, in fact, find confirmation in recent assertions by the Islamic State itself in the latest issue of its propaganda magazine, Dabiq.
“Indeed, waging jihad – spreading the rule of Allah by the sword – is an obligation found in the Quran, the word of our Lord,” the text reads.
The Islamic State was specifically reacting to Pope Francis’ claims that the war being waged by Islamic terrorists is not religious in nature, assuring the pontiff that their sole motivation is religious and sanctioned by Allah in the Qur’an.
“This is a divinely-warranted war between the Muslim nation and the nations of disbelief,” the authors state in an article titled “By the Sword.”
ISIS attacked Francis for his claim that “authentic Islam and the proper reading of the Quran are opposed to every form of violence.”
Pope Francis “has struggled against reality” in his efforts to portray Islam as a religion of peace, the article insists, before going on to urge all Muslims to take up the sword of jihad, the “greatest obligation” of a true Muslim.
In a July press conference, Pope Francis told journalists that the world is at war, but that is not a religious war.
“Every religion wants peace,” he said.
In his press conference, Cardinal Burke insisted that “what’s most important for us today is to understand Islam from its own documents and not to presume that we know already what we’re talking about.”

The Historical FACTS About Illegal Aliens And Voting

The Historical FACTS About Illegal Aliens And Voting


The Historic FACTS About Illegal Alien Voting EXPOSED

illegalimmigration-1024x775-1

The Left has been quick to ridicule Donald Trump for a tweet he made Sunday, claiming he might have won the popular vote if it weren’t for illegal voters.
“Trump could be referencing a series of fake stories on conspiracy websites that said he actually beat Clinton in the popular vote count,” CNN dismissed. “Trump’s transition team did not return requests for comment Sunday afternoon.”
But rather than dismiss the claim outright, let’s look at this claim.
Over at The Conservative Treehouse, they cite a paper in the scholarly journal “Electoral Studies” that suggests as many as 2.8 million illegal immigrants may have voted in the 2008 election.
Here’s some of what the paper states:
“How many non-citizen votes were likely cast in 2008? Taking the most conservative estimate (those who both said they voted and cast a verified vote) yields a confidence interval based on sampling error between 0.2% and 2.8% for the portion of non-citizens participating in elections.
Taking the least conservative measure e at least one indicator showed that the respondent voted yields an estimate that between 7.9% and 14.7% percent of non-citizens voted in 2008.
Since the adult noncitizen population of the United States was roughly 19.4 million (CPS, 2011), the number of non-citizen voters (including both uncertainty based on normally distributed sampling error, and the various combinations of verified and reported voting) could range from just over 38,000 at the very minimum to nearly 2.8 million at the maximum”…
So while the press can deride Trump for his claim, it’s almost certain that there were illegal immigrants who voted in the election and I’m willing to bet you they didn’t vote for Donald Trump.
Was it more than 2 million? Who knows? Would it have tipped the election? Again, that’s an unknown, but for the press to dismiss Trump’s claim outright is intellectually dishonest at best.

Head Of Italian Interior Ministry Declares To Citizens: ‘You Will Surrender Your Homes To The Muslims Or You Will Be Prosecuted And Sent To Jail’

Head Of Italian Interior Ministry Declares To Citizens: ‘You Will Surrender Your Homes To The Muslims Or You Will Be Prosecuted And Sent To Jail’ 

Head Of Italian Interior Ministry Declares To Citizens: ‘You Will Surrender Your Homes To The Muslims Or You Will Be Prosecuted And Sent To Jail’

angelino_alfano_2015-jpeg
Angelino Alfano. He plans to take your house and give it to Muslims and arrest you if you say no.
We covered a few days ago how the Italian government seized a hotel from its elderly owner to house Muslims, but thanks to the assistance of the local Carabinieri and Catholic League helped him get the order revoked. Now the Head of the Italian Interior Ministry, Angelino Alfano has released they will be confiscating real estate from ordinary Italians by eminent domain and creating enforcement agents to seize the property, arrest, prosecute, and jail anybody who opposes it:
According to sources in the Interior Ministry, the Viminale Plan foresees (enforcement) agents and detention measures for those who resist requisition of their premises for migrants.
The Interior Ministry in the figure of Angelino Alfano, is preparing to requisition the real estate of Italians to place migrants.
It will be done, explains Il Giornale beginning only December 4, or after a consultation referendum in order to avoid protests by citizens that could influence the outcome of the vote.
Because it is indeed the protests that worry Alfano. The barricades of Goro and Gorino against the requisition of a hotel in order to place 15 refugees for days has occupied the front pages of newspapers and embarrassed the government. The secret services have already made a filing of the cities where it is possible for the citizens to organize in committees to resist the refugees.
The requisitions in fact, will go forward and according to l’Opinione, which cites sources in the Interior Ministry, the executive would be ready to take drastic measures against those citizens who would resist the consignment of private real estate to the migrants.
Jail for Those who oppose Migrants
“The secret services”, writes the daily (news), seem to have already alerted the government about eventual violent protests on the part of Italians not disposed to have their property requisitioned. What does it mean? According to l’Opinione, the plan “given the exceptionality of the issue and the reluctance of the Italians to collaborate in the reception” would be to send at least 2,000 policemen, carabinieri, Guardia di Finanza and soldiers. Not just that: The Justice Ministry would be prepared to outright guarantee rapid trials and detention space for those who resist the Viminale Plan. In substance-jail for those who don’t agree.
It appears the requisitions would not be compensated.
This is because the Interior Ministry doesn’t have the funds to pay the owners of the homes, given that the money is already committed for the reception of the migrants in the centers operated by Coop and Onlus. In addition, the owner would have to continue to pay IMU and Tasi. In theory they could resort to the courts to obtain compensation/damages, but in this case, the course of justice would be long and with undiscounted outcome. Also according to the source cited from the Interior Ministry, Alfano’s measure would be “temporary”, but could lead to expropriation, if the property owner took measures in “damage to the State”. Indeed, whoever resists risks losing their house forever.
According to indiscretions on the part of Viminale employees, the requisition plan would begin at Pescara, a city that would be a sort of test case for the rest of Italy. The objective is to reduce the use of the COOP reception centers because they are more costly and less transparent in respect to the system than (those of) Sprar. To be affected, second homes would have to be vacant. (source)
These government ministers are traitors. They are destroying Italy and Europe, and in the words of another famous Italian,
A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.” -Marcus Tullius Cicero

Andrew Breitbart knew about the pedophilia and sex slaves

Andrew Breitbart knew about the pedophilia and sex slaves

Andrew Breitbart knew about the pedophilia and sex slaves

Nov, 27 2016 @ 05:16 PM
Below is a twitter post that Breitbart made to Podesta in 2011 filled with vile regarding this. If you look down further on the link you will see another post to Podesta referencing Acorn with from 2010

Breitbart twitter post 2011

It is hard to tell if he is accusing Podesta of the acts or accusing him for helping someone in acorn who was. Maybe both

If you recall Acorn came down in 2009 when leaders were charged with Fraud. Podesta later appointed Steve Kest to some position at Center for American Progress. Kest helped cover up the Fraud. Add this because I don't know exactly who Breitbart was targeting at Acorn.

link

Needless to say, he knew a lot more than he was telling


edit on 27-11-2016 by liveandlearn because: (no reason given)


+6 more
posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 05:29 PM
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a reply to: liveandlearn

It seems like it was an open scret among the ruling elite for many years, just like Epsein's lolita express/island.

+3 more
posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 05:30 PM
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Something helped convert Breitbart from a leftist.

+13 more
posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 05:31 PM
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And thats why he dead


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 05:48 PM
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originally posted by: ketsuko
Something helped convert Breitbart from a leftist.


When was that? I never knew he was left.

+20 more
posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 05:50 PM
link   
Good find.

WARNING: Crude Language
I'm only posting these links for others to verify the information they contain. This is about the ACORN scandal and whether or not the hidden camera tapes and the interactions filmed, indicate that there is something going on behind the scenes. Immigrants were being flown in, many underage and ACORN was cool knowing that they were being used for prostitution.


The Tides Foundation, George Soros, American Center for Progress are all Open Borders pushers. Do they really care so much for the poor and angry immigrants they import—my answer is NO! Immigrants are pawns.

Those ACORN tapes and the attitude of ACORN workers toward the idea of bringing young girls across the border illegally tells us that. It’s all about their political agenda and about winning. With perfect timing I just got an e-mail from reader B.L. with this quote from Clinton about a Vast Right-wing conspiracy.

Yesterday, Clinton was asked on ‘Meet the Press’ (Limbaugh calls it ‘Meet the Depressed’) if he feared a Republican takeover of Congress in 2010 and he confidently said no:

“There’s no way” that could happen, Clinton said, adding that “the country is more diverse….”

Get it! Immigrants=diversity=Democratic voters.

Back to Breitbart who is morally outraged, as most of us are, at the idea of ACORN workers not batting an eyelash at the part of the scam involving underaged girls from El Salvador illegally entering the US. Here he suggests Mr. Fix-it Podesta may have a harder time with this scandal.

Plus, unlike Mr. Clinton’s war-room blame-the-messenger excuse – “it’s just about the sex” – this year’s ACORN scandal won’t be pushed aside, because this time it includes 13-year-old sex slaves from El Salvador.

I hope he is right, but I wouldn’t be so sure. Thirteen-year-old girls from El Salvador are a twofer for some Democrats. Think about it! Useful now, but in 5 years they could be counted on as reliable Democratic party voters.

Link

Here is some more information, reader discretion advised. Wikipedia can produce a lot of dead ends. Do your research.

ACORN 2009 undercover videos controversy


In July and August 2009, Giles and O'Keefe visited ACORN offices in Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Brooklyn, San Bernardino, San Diego, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Miami. Giles dressed as a prostitute, while O'Keefe wore white khakis with a blue dress shirt and/or tie and claimed to be her boyfriend. Giles and O'Keefe recorded the encounters using hidden cameras and pretended to be seeking advice on how to run an illegal business that included the use of underage girls in the sex trade.

The outcome of their little experiment caused quite the stir...


The edited videos were released on Fox News and the website BigGovernment.com from September into November 2009, generating extensive, negative publicity for ACORN, and leading to the U.S. Census Bureau and the IRS ending their contracts with ACORN, the U.S. Congress suspending its funding - and ACORN losing most of its private funding, despite several independent investigations that by December 2009 began to reveal no criminal activity by ACORN staff had taken place.

ACORN filed for Chapter 7 liquidation on November 2, 2010, effectively closing the organization.

The connection? Podesta may have intentionally covered it all up.


The next day, Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta, the Democratic Party’s top fix-it guy with control over much of the left’s well-funded vast attack machinery (think George Soros, the Tides Foundation, et al.), was among a small advisory group placed in charge of investigating the matter.

With the mainstream media continuing to ignore the evidence on the tapes, Mr. Podesta is now clearly in charge of feeding them information about his well-structured investigation into the investigators. The ACORN internal probe is a “war room” aimed at destroying the messengers and is not meant to clean up major corruption.

Since Mr. Podesta was appointed to investigate ACORN, the only thing investigated has been the investigators, Mr. O’Keefe, Ms. Giles and the publisher of the journalism behind it, yours truly.

Link


What a coincidence! Breitbart's coroner dead from arsenic poisoning?


Michael Cormier, 61, passed away on April 20, the Los Angeles Times reports this week. Although Cormier’s death is only being publicized now, the timing of actual passing actually came within hours of the release of the preliminary autopsy report of Breitbart.

No wonder the elites are afraid of Breitbart News. There seems to be some loose ends that need tying up.

...or a body bag.

edit on 27-11-2016 by eisegesis because: (no reason given)


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 05:57 PM
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a reply to: eisegesis

Thank you for the addition. I recall the video's but I didn't recall underage girls.

So is that the reason the gov has left the border gates open? Is that why the US lets Central America know they can come seeking asylum?

I have no reason that this doesn't reach higher levels.

+14 more
posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 05:57 PM
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originally posted by: dashen
And thats why he dead


Aaand that's why his coroner is dead too..


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:02 PM
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originally posted by: dashen
And thats why he dead


I rhought he died because he uncovered obama wasemt american, its hard to follow who killed who these days.

+12 more
posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:05 PM
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originally posted by: PlasticWizard


Aaand that's why his coroner is dead too..

Arsenic poisoning....Happens all the time.


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:05 PM
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a reply to: dukeofjive696969

Perhaps Obama, Hillary and podesta split the bill on the hit.


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:06 PM
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Here are the tweets, they are amazing and shed new light on pizzagte:










edit on 27-11-2016 by pianopraze because: adjusting images to fit page


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:06 PM
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a reply to: IAMTAT

Every day... Without suspicion.

+5 more
posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:10 PM
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originally posted by: liveandlearn
a reply to: eisegesis

Thank you for the addition. I recall the video's but I didn't recall underage girls.

So is that the reason the gov has left the border gates open? Is that why the US lets Central America know they can come seeking asylum?

I have no reason that this doesn't reach higher levels.


Oh, yes, I don't forget things easily, and that was one of the first things that came to mind with Pizzagate was the sting on ACORN. It didn't take much digging to turn up that Podesta was the one who did their internal investigation, too.

Then I remembered that flood of unaccompanied illegal minors.

Where did they all go one wonders?


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:15 PM
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a reply to: liveandlearn

This is about Epstein

www.forbes.com...

He was all over the news, check the date.

+1 more
posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:20 PM
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originally posted by: Chadwickus
a reply to: liveandlearn

This is about Epstein

www.forbes.com...

He was all over the news, check the date.


This was right before he was killed... er... had a heart attack and died a couple years ago.




It shows Podesta is hip deep in the pedo-ring and is aiding and abetting to say the least.

Hmm... wonder if this is why Trump is supposedly backing off prosecuting over server... Bannon has known about this for years.


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:25 PM
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a reply to: pianopraze

Thank you. I didn't read them earlier. From the tweets he knew of others involved. Maybe something that will take us somewhere...esp any organizations they may have been involved in.

We have always been told to 'follow the money' and CF, yet we are following Pizza places.


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:30 PM
link   

originally posted by: liveandlearn
a reply to: pianopraze

Thank you. I didn't read them earlier. From the tweets he knew of others involved. Maybe something that will take us somewhere...esp any organizations they may have been involved in.

We have always been told to 'follow the money' and CF, yet we are following Pizza places.


Your welcome.

This keeps getting better... (or worse)...

The coroner was poisoned... er... died with poison in his system that might or might not have killed him THE DAY HE RELEASED the autopsy of Breitbart.

Given Bretibart was going after Podesta and indirectly Hilary and Bill....




After Breitbart died suddenly of heart failure on March 1, it didn’t take long for Internet conspiracy theorists to accuse President Barack Obama of murdering him.

Now, the recent Los Angeles Times report that Michael Cormier, an LA County forensic technician, may have died due to arsenic poisoning has reignited conspiratorial fire, given that Cormier died on April 20, the same day as the release of Breibart’s autopsy.

Law enforcement sources told the Times that the presence of poison in Cormier does not necessarily point to a homicide as the substance may have entered his system by accident. However, the police haven’t ruled out foul play, and Cormier’s cause of death has been deferred pending further tests.


link


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 06:59 PM
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originally posted by: dukeofjive696969


I rhought he died because he uncovered obama wasemt american, its hard to follow who killed who these days.


Don't know exactly what it was but it was apparently about Obama. Some videos I have read. None the less, there were certainly many reasons of off him.


posted on Nov, 27 2016 @ 07:43 PM
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originally posted by: dukeofjive696969


I rhought he died because he uncovered obama wasemt american, its hard to follow who killed who these days.

Source of your suspicion ?