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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 August 02, 2017 13 Comments
The Department of Homeland Security trumped the Environmental Protection Agency, waiving numerous rules that could have delayed the construction of the border wall between the United States and Mexico with lawsuits or studies.
Laws intended to protect endangered species and habitat at the border by requiring environmental impact reports can be circumvented by a wavier issued by the department, it said. The announcement was only tied to the San Diego area.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on August 02, 2017 46 Comments
The last time we checked on #CalExit, the California secession movement, supporters of the #CalExit ballot measure officially ended their efforts. However, a second #CalExit proposal is moving forward as the state attorney general's office released an official title and summary for the initiative ("California Autonomy From Federal Government" initiative) and is permitting backers to gather signatures.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on August 01, 2017 12 Comments
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld created a stir when he dividing the continent into what he called "old Europe" and "new Europe." In the summer of 2009, after the first Tea Party protests, SoCal Tax Revolt Coalition representatives were invited to to meet with young politicos from Europe by the U.S. State Department. This future leaders made the request to learn more about the nascent citizen activist organizations.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 19, 2017 9 Comments
As I noted in Morning Insurrection last week, I will be spending 18 days touring Central Europe and the Balkans. During our stop in Budapest, Hungary, motorcades are rolling down our street continuously and Israeli flags are flying high. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in town, and he is now making news with a rather stark assessment about his country's relationship with the European Union.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a blistering attack against the European Union during a closed-session meeting Wednesday morning in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, telling the premiers of Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia that the EU's behavior toward Israel is crazy.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 16, 2017 12 Comments
The American press obsession with Russia is leaving vital news on the cutting room floor. For example, Judicial Watch is reporting that the state auditor of Mississippi is demanding that Virginia Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe’s former company, GreenTech, repay millions in public money because the electric vehicle company shut down and failed to deliver on its promises to create new jobs.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 15, 2017 19 Comments
While the media is consumed with the alleged Trump-Russia connection, the press will always take a few moments to spotlight a news story promoting its treasured "Climate Change" narrative. This week's entry was the dramatic calving of an Antarctic ice sheet, so large it rivals the state of Delaware in size.
Sometime in the last few days, scientists say an iceberg weighing roughly a trillion metric tons separated from the Larsen C Ice Shelf and began its long, slow drift northward through the Weddell Sea.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 14, 2017 15 Comments
In June, as President Trump spoke about withdrawing the United States from the Paris Climate Accord, he indicated that he would be open to renegotiating the deal for terms more favorable to this country. Initially, it appeared that the other signatories of the international agreement would not agree to new negotiations. However, Trump's remarks in France on the heels of the G20 economic summit indicates the political climate may have changed.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 11, 2017 8 Comments
More than forty wildfires are raging across the western U.S., fueled by high temperatures and dry conditions.
The National Weather Service early on Monday issued red flag warnings, signaling critical conditions over the next 24 hours, for regions in at least six states. In some areas, firefighters have been battling fires for a week, trying to keep them from spreading across roads and churning through dry vegetation near populated areas.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 08, 2017 18 Comments
Local officials are saying that 28 people were hurt in a shooting early Saturday after a dispute at a downtown Little Rock nightclub.
The city's police chief said officers suspect multiple people fired weapons but that the incident was not terror-related. Little Rock Police said on Twitter that 25 people suffered gunshot wounds and three had unrelated injuries. Police said all were expected to survive. Clubgoers between the ages of 16 and 35 suffered gunshot wounds, and three others had unrelated injuries. Two people were in critical condition Saturday afternoon, police said.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 08, 2017 35 Comments
Last week, Scott Pruitt, EPA Administrator, stated he intended to form a ‘red team’ to debate climate science.
“U.S. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is leading a formal initiative to challenge mainstream climate science using a “back-and-forth critique” by government-recruited experts, according to a senior administration official. The program will use “red team, blue team” exercises to conduct an “at-length evaluation of U.S. climate science,” the official said, referring to a concept developed by the military to identify vulnerabilities in field operations.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 07, 2017 23 Comments
As President Donald Trump continues his second international trip this week, it appears G20 climate change proponents are faltering at their attempts to isolate him after the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord.
“Huge efforts are underway now to make sure as many countries as possible hold the line and compensate for America’s withdrawal by redoubling their efforts. How far this goes, I have my doubts,” said Dennis Snower, president of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy, a leading German think tank advising the European Commission ahead of the summit meeting.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 05, 2017 20 Comments
Solar energy has been touted as the "greenest" and "safest" renewable energy option that is currently available. However, after 8 long years of solar energy businesses being promoted by the U.S. government, hard numbers and real work experiences are causing people to reassess just how "green" solar energy is. To begin with, it appears that solar panels create 300 times more toxic waste per unit of electricity generated than nuclear power plants:

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 05, 2017 39 Comments
I have long joked about the negative feelings that Californians inspire among citizens in the remaining 49 states. However, new arrivals to Portland, Oregon were the victims of something more than a joke. Their home and auto were the target of a graffiti attack that told them to return to the Golden State.
A couple from California, who relocated to Portland 4 months ago, woke up Sunday to find their car and house vandalized.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 04, 2017 12 Comments
North Korea fired a ballistic missile that flew into waters east of the Korean Peninsula, according to South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"We confirm that North Korea has fired an unidentified ballistic missile off its eastern coast towards the East Sea from Banghyun area in Northern Pyong An Province at around 9:40 am (KST) Tuesday morning," a South Korean military official told NBC. "The launch was immediately reported to the President Moon Jae In." Moon ordered a National Security Council meeting after the launch, South Korean state news agency Yonhap reported, citing the Blue House — the South Korean equivalent of the White House.

Posted by Leslie Eastman on July 01, 2017 9 Comments
Late last year, we reported that there will be a total eclipse of the sun that will be visible throughout a good portion of the United States on August 21. As the date of that event draws near, transportation officials are gearing up for potential gridlock along the interstate that may occur because of skyward rubbernecking.
The eclipse will be visible in 14 states, and FHWA estimates that over 200,000,000 will be within a day's drive from traveling into the phenomenon's path.
Accessibility by WAH