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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 October 23, 2018 24 Comments
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that drug overdose deaths surpassed 72,000 in 2017, representing an increase of more than 6,000 deaths over the estimate projected from the data for the previous 12-month period. Fentanyl overdoses contributed significantly to this grim, new statistic.
That staggering sum works out to about 200 drug overdose deaths every single day, or one every eight minutes.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 20, 2018 10 Comments
Legal Insurrection readers may recall that my son is participating in the Serra High Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC), and many kindly contributed to the annual fundraiser. The unit is now in the midst of the 2018 fundraiser, and I would like to ask for your support again. If you wish to contribute, please click HERE, and you will find the Vertical Rise site from which to make your much appreciated contribution.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 20, 2018 21 Comments
The news that a group of feminist witches are planning to curse newly confirmed U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh are inspiring Catholics across the nation to spiritually support their fellow Catholic. During the vicious confirmation process (trial?), I added Kavanaugh and his family to my daily prayers. Today I sent out a Hallmark card saying "Congratulations" to the justice, mailing it to his Supreme Court office.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 17, 2018 23 Comments
President Donald Trump has signed into law an eco-friendly bill that may have been the most bipartisan measure created on Capitol Hill since 2016.
The Ketchikan Daily News reports the Save our Seas Act, which Trump signed Thursday, reauthorizes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Debris Program through 2022. The program works to reduce debris through research, prevention and reduction. The Save our Seas legislation keeps the program going by continuing to authorize $10 million per year for the next five years.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 16, 2018 7 Comments
We recently noted that witches were planning to hex US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. I would argue that the 2018 campaign cycle has been magical, indeed....for Republicans. It is now being reported by Washington Examiner contributor Philip Wegmann that Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate from Arizona, summoned witches to help her rally against the Iraq War when Sinema.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 14, 2018 12 Comments
I have a confession to make before reviewing the latest book by conservative icon and author Michael Savage: I am not a big fan.  There is no denying that Savage is exceptionally smart and deeply passionate about this country, the U.S. Constitution, and conservative principles. On his radio show, his vitriolic and pessimistic take on subjects differs from my normally optimistic, humor-oriented view of politics and current events. I normally don't stay tuned in for very long when I alight upon his radio show, as Savage's tone can be a bit too bitter for my personal taste. However, his latest book, Stop Mass Hysteria: America's Insanity from the Salem Witch Trials to the Trump Witch Hunt, is a smart, engaging, and timely look at angry mobs and their historic consequences.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 12, 2018 12 Comments
We covered a bit of the meeting between President Donald Trump and rapper Kanye West at the Oval Office, as they were surrounded by press. Our initial report focused on West's experience with the MAGA hat. But the meeting contained so much more that could be consequential. West used the highly public venue to preach the value of Trump's "Make America Great Again" approach, excoriate the Democrats, and persuade the president to reconsider implementing "stop and frisk" in Chicago.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 10, 2018 35 Comments
The California Motor Voter program was promoted as a way to make registering to vote at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) more convenient. Eligible applicants would completing a driver license, identification (ID) card or change of address transaction with the DMV, and then would be automatically registered to vote by the California Secretary of State (unless they choose to opt out), The new rule is as successful as I anticipated. The only law that really works in California is the one involving unintended consequences.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 10, 2018 28 Comments
Justice Brett Kavanaugh is already demonstrating why he is my favorite Supreme Court justice. Kavanaugh survived a confirmation "trial" that rivaled nearly anything seen on the TV series Game of Thrones. Then, on his first day on the job, the court refused to hear an appeal of a D.C. Circuit ruling that limited what the Environmental Protection Agency can do. As an extra bonus, Kavanaugh wrote the original ruling that was to be considered.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to take up a lawsuit challenging a lower court ruling written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he was a judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 09, 2018 2 Comments
When reporting on the landmines removal from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, I noted Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was on his way for a meeting with North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un to discuss denuclearization of the peninsula. It appears the meeting was a success.
The U.S. and North Korea agreed Sunday to hold a second summit between leaders Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un "as soon as possible," according to a statement by South Korea's presidential office, with the American side saying that Kim had also invited inspectors to a key nuclear facility.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on October 08, 2018 10 Comments
First Lady Melania Trump has spent the last week in Africa, touring during Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt. The trip was designed to enhance the First Lady's public profile, generate goodwill, and strengthen the connections between the Trump administration and the leaders of these nations. The normally-reserved Mrs. Trump used a photo-op at the Giza complex, set in front of the Great Pyramid and the Sphinx, to comment on her husband's tweets and the Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Reporters traveling with her as she traversed Africa this past week asked her about the news back home of the confirmation of the president’s Supreme Court nominee, Brett M. Kavanaugh, and the allegations by Christine Blasey Ford that he sexually assaulted her.
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