Author: Leslie Eastman

A fitting end to the rule of Bob "Filthy" Filner....

Last week, we noted that Japan and India were allying to protect themselves against China's regional ambitions. These developments finally seem to have made it to the "Resolute Desk", which has responded with another of its classic "strongly worded messages" in regards to China's intentions to expand its defense zone.

The Obama administration has significantly sharpened its rhetoric about China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea over the last week amid growing pressure from allies in the region for Washington to take a firmer line. In public statements in recent days, senior US officials placed the blame for tensions in the region solely on China and warned that the US could move more forces to the western Pacific if Beijing were to declare a new air defense zone in the South China Sea.

China's reaction was as expected by those who are versed in the Obama Administration's foreign policy approaches.

China has accused the United States of undermining peace and development in the Asia-Pacific after a senior U.S. official said concern was mounting over China's claims in the South China Sea.

I officially project Councilman Kevin Faulconer as the winner of Tuesday's San Diego mayoral race. Why? Democratic opponent David Alvarez just received the official endorsement of President Obama.

"As a native San Diegan, David Alvarez has been a fierce advocate for his city, and on the Council, has led efforts to build a strong middle class, put neighborhoods first and expand opportunities for kids in and out of school. Today, with the city's economy and neighborhoods poised to make progress there is no question that David is the right choice to be San Diego's next mayor and I am excited to support him," Obama said.

It is well known that such an endorsement has been the kiss-of-death for many campaigns. All joking aside, the race between the two men is extremely close. Both candidates are political wonks -- which is what we got in the last mayor (minus the troubling propensity for assaulting women).

We are approaching the 5th anniversary of the start of the Tea Party movement. So, for fun, I wanted to explore the devolution of insults about citizen activists like myself over the years. First, we were peppered with a wide barrage: “Astro-turf”, “members of a mob“, “clansmen“, “un-American”, “political terrorists“, “Nazis“, and “evil-mongers“. I must admit, being called "well-dressed" by Nancy Pelosi was hilarious. Then, they hit us with their biggest bombshell: "Racists". Because all of these have failed to silence us, they have one last card to play. Now, we are simply crazy.

A Psychologist Diagnoses the Tea Party-and other extremists threatening our world. In “The Polarized Mind: Why It’s Killing Us and What We Can Do about It,” Kirk J. Schneider Ph.D., calls for a new and deeper psychological understanding of our greatest political and social conflicts and those who drive them.

I was recently privileged to chat with American Conservative Warrior Princess, Teri O’Brien, on Canto Talk.  She is a dynamic and engaging BlogTalkRadio.com host herself, with a long history of conservative activism.  Her website is here. Teri has written a terrific synopsis of President Obama's personal, political and policy history: The ABC's of Barack Obama: Understanding God's Greatest Gift to America. With her tongue firmly planted in her cheek, O'Brien reviews the presidents many administration and policy failures. The saddest observation: There is enough material to cover all 26 letters of the alphabet! [caption id="attachment_76944" align="alignnone" width="337"] (Teri O'Brien)[/caption] The book is rich with Teri's biting wit and cutting analysis. At about 60 pages, it is a fast read -- but well worth the time, as she summarizes a maze of scandal, deceit, and incompetence that has gotten lost in the avalanche of current news items slamming the Obama administration. And, as a special bonus, Teri has this great deal:

HERE'S THE REALLY EXCITING NEWS! From Sunday, January 26, 2014 through Tuesday, January 28, 2014, this information-packed, well-researched book, loaded with supporting links and information is available exclusively on amazon.com ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Teri is an experienced attorney and talk-show host, who knows how to tie together detailed research, current events, and humor to cleverly highlight the many failures of Team Obama. She starts with "A" and ends with "Z", which condenses the many arguable anti-American, anti-Constitutional actions taken by Obama and his staff members and bureaucrats into a useful compendium. Not surprisingly, my favorite letters in her tome center on key aspects of "capitalism". For example, "J is for Jobs" is a walk down memory lane about the Keystone Pipeline being thwarted. The Canadians said over 7,000 jobs would be created if the unit went through as planned. The Obama Administration dismissed it, saying a mere 50 jobs might be generated -- and that wouldn't compare to all the "green jobs" the "Stimulus Plan" would create.

College Insurrection posts are often inspired by a pithy synopsis of campus news by Professor Glenn Reynolds (aka Instapundit). So, with great joy, I wanted to share items from a new book featuring his wit, wisdom, and expertise on the subject of higher education, K-12 schooling, and possible technology-based transformations of how students learn that we may be seeing in the near future. One word for his newest publication, The New School: How the Information Age Will Save American Education from Itself: Compelling. I am the mother of a 6th grader who is currently attending public school. While my son's school is a good one, I find myself supplementing his education with trips to Kahn Academy (his math "coach" describes the program in a great article). A core theme in The New School is that online courses are one of the many new tools that will allow parents to customize an educational approach that makes sense for their children. In fact, he is an "early adapter" himself.

My daughter did most of her high school online, after spending one day in ninth grade keeping track of how the public high school she attended spent her time. At the end of eight hours in school, she concluded, she had spent about 2½ hours on actual learning. Switching to online school let her make sure that every hour counted. The flexibility also allowed her to work three days a week for a local TV-production company, where she got experience researching and writing for programs shown on the Biography Channel, A&E, etc., something she couldn’t have done had she been nailed down in a traditional school. And she still managed to graduate a year early, at age 16, to head off to a “public Ivy” to study engineering.

My boy will be doing an online course on robotics, which is a developing interest of his. He just informed me he wants to invent the "warp drive." This Halloween-time picture of us may explain why: In fact, this burgeoning industry in educational customization is counter to the 19th century approach that was the basis for today's American educational system, which was Prussian-inspired standardization during the Industrial Revolution.

It is so bad that even New York is now trying to poach businesses from the Golden State. ...

As Americans are recovering from their New Year's celebrations, it may be time to sober up with a look at some new laws that took effect January 1st. From the Washington Post, some of the more fascinating state rules now in place.

...2. Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana use -- perhaps the most talked-about new law of 2014 -- starting on Jan. 1. While Colorado stores have already begun selling marijuana, it isn't the only state with new drug laws. Washington has also legalized recreational marijuana use, and Illinois has legalized medical marijuana. 3. Illinois passed a law that prohibits drone-use that interferes with hunters or fisherman. This law was passed after PETA called for the use of "Air Angel" drones to monitor "hunters engaging in illegal activity." Another new law in the state prohibits state law enforcement from using drones to gather information without a warrant. 4. There's now a bigger fine for planning violent flash mobs on social media in Illinois. 5. In Oregon, it's now legal for mothers to take their placentas home from the hospital after childbirth. 6. It's now illegal to sell, distribute or possess shark fins in Delaware.

Colorado's rule change has already had some unintended consequences: Colorado 2-Year-Old Tests Positive For Pot (via Tammy Bruce).

At the start of the New Year, Legal Insurrection reader Nicholas wrote to ask Professor Jacobson the following question: Could 2014 be the year of the Tea Party Democrats? The political climate certainly seems appropriate. As Legal Insurrection's designated "Tea Party Democrat," I would like to answer this: Yes and No. Yes: Democrats are becoming as frustrated with their establishment leaders and failed policies as "Tea Party Republicans" have been with theirs. Exhibit 1: A townhall meeting in Chicago a hosted by Al Sharpton transformed into a "tea party" against “Chicago Machine” politics, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and the aldermen in City Hall.

“This was a historic event,” Paul McKinley of V.O.T.E. (Voices of the Ex-Offender) and former 2nd Congressional District GOP nominee to replace Jesse Jackson, Jr. told Breitbart News..... McKinley told the room, “Stop blaming just anybody for the violence in the city of Chicago. Blame the right people, not just white people, but the right people. Because it’s not just white folks a part of this, but it is on the fifth floor. The fifth floor took your schools, the fifth floor just took your jobs that he said that he gave to the ex-offender… and every single alderman was a part of this criminal process.”

The video will delight fans of schadenfreude:

Price to Americans for helping other countries deal with "climate change":  $7.45 Billion. Price of an international air-sea rescue of 52 passengers (including 4 journalists and 26 paying tourists, and various academic advocates of "global warming"): Millions of dollars, to be paid by the shipping companies and their insurers. Price of the enjoyment brought to millions of "global warming deniers" when reading about the expedition of warmists on a Russian ship trapped in ice: Priceless. A CBS report (video):

As a Tea Party activist, one of my earliest assignments was trying to determine where we might be helpful in an ongoing battle between seal-loving eco-activist extremists versus the citizens who wanted to enjoy the La Jolla cove area and the businesses dependent on them doing so. In 2009, I wrote:

Over the years, my thoughts on the seals’ presence at the Children’s Pool has mirrored my growing anger at the “do-gooder”, anti-humanity, liberty-crushing environmental activists who have used a combination of emotionalism, poor science, and political gamesmanship to redesign regulations and control businesses to meet their distorted worldviews. An action item for the grassroots “Tea Party” movement is to address the disparity in activism, so that the needs of all citizens can be addressed in a manner that is friendly to businesses, the people that depend upon these businesses for their livelihoods, and the environment.

Nothing has changed. However, the stench has become so bad that several of the area businesses have filed a lawsuit...including George's-at-the-Cove, where my husband proposed to me in October 1998.

A lawsuit has been filed demanding the city eradicate the "foul, noxious and sickening odors" left by birds and sea lions defecating on the rocks next to La Jolla Cove.