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Stop Smart Meters! Bulletin
Vol. 18 January 2014
https://stopsmartmeters.org
PO Box 682 Portola, CA 96122
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QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Remarkably virtually everyone in developed countries desperately tries to believe that they are immune to indoctrination. They think for themselves and readily know the difference between truth and falsity, fantasy and reality, superstition and science, fact and fiction.
Technologically sophisticated cultures are conditioned to accept belief systems, behaviors, and values that would have been rejected out of hand by their stone-age predecessors. “Primitives” would instantly sense the obvious threats to survival and adjustment, or simple nonsense, inherent in many of the treasured beliefs of modern society.”
-Wilson Bryan Key Ph.D. (1925 – 2008), Author (Subliminal Seduction, 1974, et al), Researcher (Courtesy of the Cecils)
CONTENTS
1. TOM WHEELER- NEW FCC CHAIR GREETED WITH PROTESTS DURING VISIT TO BAY AREA
2. HIGH PROFILE SMART GRID CRITIC TIM SCHOECHLE IN SF FOR EVENT NEXT WEEK
3. APRIL 22ND: ‘INTERNATIONAL SMART METER REMOVAL DAY’ — GET THEM OFF TOGETHER
4. GOOGLE’S ‘HOME OF THE FUTURE’ – COMIC INSPIRED BY “NEST” PURCHASE
5. CPUC’S FERRON HAS CANCER: “UTILITIES WOULD STRANGLE SOLAR IF THEY COULD”
6. SUPPORT STOP SMART METERS! MAKE A DONATION TODAY
1. TOM WHEELER- NEW FCC CHAIR GREETED WITH PROTESTS DURING VISIT TO BAY AREA Tom Wheeler, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, and former head of the industry Wireless Association for 12 years, got an earful from protesters on Jan. 9 during his visit to the Bay Area. Organized by Stop Smart Meters! and the California Brain Tumor Association, protesters gathered and expressed their anger at the industry/ government collusion that is failing to warn people about- or even acknowledge- the hazards of wireless technology. Wheeler’s first speech in Silicon Valley was interrupted on five separate occasions by people pointing out the risks of inadequate RF human exposure guidelines. Dozens protested outside his speaking event in Oakland that evening, and we raised awareness inside a San Francisco Verizon store that afternoon by placing health warning labels on cell phones on display. (video to come). We have dubbed 2014 “Year of Action Against the Wireless Industry.” Our actions are creating a buzz. There have been nearly 5000 views of our video on youtube over the weekend and media coverage was generated. Spread the word to your friends and family using the links below.
Full Coverage of the Day’s Events: https://stopsmartmeters.org/2014/01/10/wheeler-hounded-by-wireless-health-activists-all-day-during-his-visit-to-sf-bay-area-thursday/
Video of disruptions inside Wheeler’s FCC speech: https://stopsmartmeters.org/2014/01/15/tom/
SSM! Director Josh Hart Addresses Oakland Event: https://stopsmartmeters.org/2014/01/14/josh-hart-speaks-on-wireless-safety-at-oakland-event/
San Jose Mercury News: Anti-wireless hecklers interrupt FCC chairman’s speech at computer history museum: http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_24885303/mountain-view-anti-wireless-hecklers-interrupt-fcc-chairmans
Video of disruptions on Alex Jones’ ‘Infowars’ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bu7EfNderPg
2. LET’S GET SMARTER ABOUT THE SMART GRID- IMPORTANT EVENT IN SAN FRANCISCO A multi-disciplinary expert panel on electricity and the economy of energy led by the National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy (NISLAPP) will present at the Commonwealth Club of CA in San Francisco Tuesday, January 28th from 12-3 p.m. The program includes Timothy Schoechle, PhD, Senior Research Fellow at NISLAPP and author of the landmark white paper, Getting Smarter About the Smart Grid(gettingsmarteraboutthesmartgrid.org). There is a complimentary light lunch at 11:30 a.m. Tickets: $32 non-members, $20 members, $10 students (with valid ID). The panel (commonwealthclub.org/node/67617) will address misconceptions about the present approach to electricity generation and distribution in the U.S., including the value of ‘smart meters’, and the pressing need for the U.S. to proactively tap into infinite renewable energy abundance.
The audience will learn:
How federal, state and local governments, and environmental organizations, have been misled about the purported benefits of “smart” meters.
How “smart” meter investments, using billions in stimulus funding, do not benefit ratepayers or support economic growth, but financially prop up unsustainable Investor-Owned-Utilities (IOUs), while postponing investment in wise, genuinely ‘smart’ technical solutions and the inevitable transition to a decentralized and democratized electricity system.
How conflicts of interests in the IOU monopoly utility business model are preventing us from moving to a renewable energy economy.
Why the utility industry is so desperately pushing back against rooftop solar and net metering.
Why the right to “opt out” of “smart” meters will not solve the pressing underlying risks and economic problems, nor will exploiting more fossil fuels, and why opt-outs may make the situation worse.
How “smart meters” may be a surveillance “drone” in your home.
Why U.S. policymakers evidence a lack of a basic understanding of the problems associated with the future of energy and electricity.
How can we create a truly “WISE” decentralized electricity grid without the privacy, security, reliability, public health and economic risks of the present approach?
Why local communities need to take control of their energy future, as is happening now in Boulder, CO.
The panelists will lay out the next steps the U.S. must take to achieve clean energy abundance—for the sake of our pocketbooks, sustainable energy independence, global economic competitiveness, preservation of natural resources, enhanced national security and to forestall the looming threat to life on Earth from man-made global warming.
The program and dialogue with the audience afterwards will explore the pivotal roles communities and citizens can play, through political will, and including transpartisan collaborations, in driving the pressing need for transformation in this sector.
Dr. Timothy Schoechle has been engaged in development of electric utility meters, home automation systems, gateways, and energy management systems for over 25 years and sits on several international standards setting committees related to the smart grid and to home and building automation systems.
Schoechle, in Getting Smarter About the Smart Grid, has called the smart meters being rolled out across the U.S. “a canard—a story or hoax based on specious claims about energy benefits…”
More information about the event is here: http://electromagnetichealth.org/electromagnetic-health-blog/media-advisory-commonwealth-club-the-high-road-to-a-true-smart-grid-tuesday-january-28th-12-3-p-m/
3. APRIL 22ND: ‘INTERNATIONAL SMART METER REMOVAL DAY’ — GET THEM OFF TOGETHER If ‘smart’ meters are such a great idea, why do they have to be forced on people? Why are customers being strong armed and threatened? Why has there been so much misinformation on safety, transmission frequency, and data recording?
Do you feel alone, like you don’t have the ability to get rid of the meter that is making you ill? Well- you are not alone. Do you wish more people would act together to just get rid of these things? That’s what International Smart Meter Removal Day is all about.
Stop Smart Meters! has teamed up with ElectraHealth.com to plan this international day of direct action and civil disobedience- we will not be silent any longer. The day is coming when we will exercise our constitutional rights- together. It is not too early to start preparing for April 22nd:
– Talk to your neighbors, give them information, copies of Take Back Your Power- get them on board
– Plan the actual swap (analog meters available at electrahealth.com)- local electricians or handymen can swap them out- hire them for the day and swap out all the meters in your community (note that electricity meters and sockets can be deadly lethal- know what you are doing and stay safe).
– Have a plan to deal with potential utility retaliation- together as a community we are stronger.
– Take pictures, video, and send them in to us so we can post them.
More details- including sample letters to your utility and an info flyer will be forthcoming at StopSmartMeters.Org- stay tuned!
4. GOOGLE’S ‘HOME OF THE FUTURE’ – COMIC INSPIRED BY “NEST” PURCHASE NY Times’ Brian McFadden has tapped into a growing discomfort with the way Google is taking over, invading our privacy and controlling our lives. With last week’s purchase of Nest, a “smart” thermostat and wireless company, Google is on their way to extending their reach into our homes. But- it’s the same with ‘smart’ meters- it only works if we let them in. Comic here: http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/07/08/opinion/sunday/the-strip.html?_r=0#1
5. CPUC’S FERRON HAS CANCER: “UTILITIES WOULD STRANGLE SOLAR IF THEY COULD” Following his resignation from the CPUC because of prostate cancer, Mark Ferron of the California Public Utilities Commission has warned of intense pressure by utilities to protect against the incursion of rooftop solar energy.
Commissioner Mark Ferron announced Wednesday that he could no longer perform his duties as commissioner after two years of treatment for prostate cancer. In a jocular parting report, he praised California for its leading role on energy and climate policy, while warning that its utilities “would still dearly like to strangle rooftop solar if they could.” More: http://climatecrocks.com/2014/01/20/california-utility-commissioner-utilities-would-strangle-solar-if-they-could/
6. SUPPORT SSM! PLEASE GIVE US MONEY TO WIDEN THE CAMPAIGN We have achieved a tremendous amount last year- publishing an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal in April, speaking at events in Ireland and the UK in June, raising $11,000 to distribute the Take Back Your Power film to communities across the US, and responding to hundreds of media inquiries. We also have provided technical assistance and strategic planning to dozens of anti-smart meter groups around the world. We have been able to work full time on this issue since mid- 2010, thanks to your generous donations. If you support what we do, please donate to Stop Smart Meters! today. If you don’t have money to give, we need your volunteer talents! See: https://stopsmartmeters.org/donate or make checks payable to: Stop Smart Meters! and send to: PO Box 682 Portola, CA 96122
BUY STUFF AT OUR ONLINE STORE: You can also support SSM! through your shopping and raise awareness at the same time. We have DVD copies of the documentary Take Back Your Power- with bulk discount rates if you want to buy some for friends and family also. We have new smart meter warning and ‘wireless kills’ stickers. We’re also going to be carrying the Cornet ED78s RF analyzer very shortly. Plus, a new version of our brochure, bumper stickers, and a new wireless warning card are on the way. Free shipping within the United States on all orders. See: https://stopsmartmeters.org/stop-smart-meters-online-store/
STOP SMART METERS! ON TWITTER! NOT FACEBOOK For the latest campaign updates and links to breaking news stories, follow us on Twitter! We are “stopsmeters” Please retweet and encourage your friends to follow us!! Our latest tweets also appear on the upper right hand side of our website. We are not on Facebook. See: https://twitter.com/stopsmeters
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
