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Author: Leslie Eastman

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Leslie Eastman

I am an Environmental Health and Safety Professional, as well as a science/technical writer for a variety of news and professional publications. I have been a citizen activist since 2009, and am one of the co-founders of the San Diego-based group, Southern California Tax Revolt Coalition.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 06, 2017 3 Comments
As the weather gets warmer, public health officials are bracing for more outbreaks of Zika virus infections in this country. Cooler weather temporarily stemmed the spread of the virus, which hit over 5100 Americans in 2016. However, in the interim since my last report on this topic in November, researchers have made a troubling discovery. Based on reports from South America, the pathogen is believed to cause a wide array of neurological birth defects when women become infected when pregnant. Now, reports from women in this country who have given birth after infection confirm the potential health impact.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 06, 2017 9 Comments
While President Donald Trump was holding a joint news conference with Jordanian King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein describing his new approach to Syria and Syrian president Bashar al-Assad after suspected chemical attacks killed dozens of civilians, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley was at a Security Council meeting blasting Russia over its support of the regime. It was epic. The full video is a must-see:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 05, 2017 51 Comments
One of my favorite TV shows airing this season is "Feud", which depicts the legendary rivalry between Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during their collaboration on the psychological thriller, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? Another legendary feud is currently taking place between President Donald Trump and California's political leaders. The policy conflict has now substantially escalated after the state senate approved "Sanctuary State" legislation bill that bars local and state law enforcement from using their resources to help federal immigration authorities.
The 40-member body approved Senate Bill 54, introduced by Sen. President Pro Tem Kevin de León, on a 27-12, party-line vote. It now heads to the Assembly.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 03, 2017 3 Comments
Ayaan Hirsi Ali was slated to begin her tour of Australia on Monday with an ABC Australia's "Q and A" issues discussion program. The show's tweet indicated that plans had changed abruptly, and it seems the reason is based on security concerns.
Hirsi Ali’s Hero of Heresy tour was due to begin in Brisbane on Thursday, before taking her to Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 02, 2017 11 Comments
One of the industries that has been most impacted by the aftermath of the 2016 election has been the tattoo removal business. At the end of last year, Kemberlee Kaye noted that many millennials were consulting plastic surgeons to remove now unwanted body art. As we head toward President Trump's 100th day in office, and it is apparent he is continuing his policies of having Immigration and Customs Enforcement actually enforce federal law, tattoo removal experts are now seeing a different kind of client: Illegal aliens.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on April 01, 2017 20 Comments
The election of President Donald Trump continues to have a profound influence on this country in nearly every area of government. The upcoming census of the American people is a good example of a Trump-era change that is going mostly unnoticed. In 2012, Legal Insurrection reported that the Obama administration was proposing sexual orientation/gender identity questions for the 2020 census.  Such questions have never been included in any U. S. Census.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 31, 2017 16 Comments
I had to check the date of this Washington Times article by Ben Wolfgang, just to make sure it wasn't already April 1.
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday sent out a press release touting praise for President Trump’s rollback of Obama-era climate-change regulations this week — but the agency accidentally led the email with a blistering quote from a Democratic critic. The press release includes a quote from Sen. Tom Carper, Delaware Democrat and ranking member on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, wrongly attributed to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a West Virginia Republican.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 30, 2017 16 Comments
It probably comes as no surprise that California's politicians are doubling down against President Trump's immigration law enforcement policies.
State and local leaders in California struck a defiant tone Monday, saying they would continue to protect people in the country illegally despite an announcement by U.S. Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions that the U.S. Department of Justice would soon cut federal grants from so-called sanctuary cities. ...[I]n Sacramento the swiftest reaction came from state Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles), who is championing legislation that would effectively make California a sanctuary state by prohibiting state and local police from enforcing federal immigration laws. He called Sessions’ statements “nothing short of blackmail.”

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 28, 2017 17 Comments
The last time we checked in on the Environmental Protection Agency, a long-time staffer and social justice warrior had just tendered his resignation after recognizing the political climate had dramatically changed. Things are about to get a little hotter for this merry band of bureaucrats, as they are being sued by Judicial Watch.
The watchdog group is seeking copies of the EPA's proposals and awards for environmental justice grants delivered in 2014 and 2015, and said it hasn't been provided with any documents yet.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 27, 2017 9 Comments
When Californian's went to the polls this November to approve the legalization of marijuana for personal use, little did they realize it would morph into a battle between unions and business. The state is now slated to begin distributing licenses to marijuana businesses on Jan 1, 2018. Therefore, the Golden State's legislature is attempting to iron out discrepancies between the already existing medical marijuana rules and the approved ballot measure. The crux of the disagreement between the Teamsters union and business groups is deciding who is in charge of pot distribution.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on March 26, 2017 27 Comments
When I wrote that California's junior U.S. Senator was probably going to be worse than Barbara "Call me Senator" Boxer, little did I realize how quickly I would be proven right. She recently promoted an op-ed she prepared explaining why she wasn't going to vote to confirm Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court with the silliest tweet since Charlie Sheen's #Winning.
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