Veterans and electromagnetic sensitivity

Posted on September 4, 2014 by admin

Note: Electromagnetic sensitivity (EMS) is the U.S. government recognized term for what is often commonly referred to as electrohypersensitivity (EHS)

Posted on Electric Forester
February 25, 2013

Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are returning home to discover that they have become Electro-HyperSensitive. When they went to war they had perhaps little or no idea that EHS would be a growing problem for those they were leaving behind. The stranglehold the powers that be have on the media and thus popular consciousness effectively stifles awareness of this growing issue and subjects those voicing safety concerns to derision.

When they left to go to war, our brave soldiers may not have had cordless phones, wireless Internet, mobile phones, microwave alarm systems and a plethora of other wireless gadgets. Never before have the like of which taken up residence in not only their homes but homes, offices and places of work, education, entertainment, recreation and transportation right across the developed world.

Soldier’s lifetime exposure to ElectroMagnetic Radiation – EMR might be ‘average’ before routine circumstances in the military dictate greater intimacy with communications and power equipment. But it is with the counter-measures to IEDs – Improvised Explosive Devices that we are primarily concerned here.

Hidden roadside bombs can be triggered by ringing a pager or a mobile phone that has been wired to a detonator. One way to overcome this lethal threat is to surround military vehicles with a cloud of electromagnetic radiation (microwaves). These effectively drown-out mobile signals in the immediate vicinity though such protection comes at a price. Electronic counter-measures are likely to expose the vehicle occupants to repeated, and by everyday standards, significantly raised levels of electromagnetic radiation – a known promoter of EHS.

Some people are made so sick by their life as a soldier that they become unfit for duty and have to be sent home. What proportion have become EHS we do not know. Doubtless a ‘matter of national security’. Nevertheless, they, like the rest us who have been made EHS by today’s permitted EMR levels, have to find ways of regaining our lives in the 21st Century. They, like us, need to find ways they can endure and provide for themselves, amongst what may be the wreckage of their lives.

Modern technology does some truly amazing things and is a testament to the incredible ingenuity of the human race. However, I lament the way in which the suffering of returning veterans and ordinary people who have become EHS is readily dismissed.

Are a shrug and ‘collateral damage’ adequate responses to reassure people who may soon be heading for a similar fate? Perhaps only when many more always-on wireless lives start to unravel will the average person respond with somewhat more understanding.

Will you ever be ready to wake up to the consequences of your permanently micro-waved reality, especially now there is vitually no escape?

http://electricforester.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/veterans-ehs.html

Information on EHS:

EHS – Electromagnetic HyperSensitivity

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Dr. Karl Maret MD: Commentary on CCST report on Smart Meters

Posted on September 1, 2014 by admin

Dr. Karl Maret
Dove Health Alliance, Aptos, CA
January 30, 2011

This is a commentary on the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST) report, “Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters” published January 2011. I submit that the CCST report, written in response to health concerns expressed by Assembly Members of the California Legislature, contains inaccuracies and minimizes the biological effects and health impacts of non-thermal radiofrequency radiation, such as those produced by wireless technologies including Smart Meters.

For the record, my qualifications to make this commentary are that I hold a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, a Master of Engineering degree in Biomedical Engineering, and a Medical Doctor degree and have additionally completed a four year post-doctoral fellowship in physiology. I have been interested in the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) for many years and given lectures about the potential health impacts of non-ionizing radiations, both in Europe and the United States. I am president of a non-profit foundation interested in energy medicine, a sub-specialty within the field of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) as defined by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), a center within the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).

My specific concerns with the report are as follows:

  1. The minimization of the problem of non-thermal microwave radiation;
  2. The minimization of the need for lower exposure standards;
  3. The increase in radiation levels at potential local hotspots through reflection;
  4. The lack of information about the impact of pulsed radiation from Smart Meters;
  5. The lack of information on the health impacts of night-time radiation from Smart Meters;
  6. The lack of modeling or actual measurements of the contribution from Smart Meters to the existing background microwave radiation;
  7. The lack of health and environmental consideration by the CPUC when the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) was approved.

Until these issues are more fully addressed it is recommended that the current Smart Meter deployment using radiofrequency radiation (RFR) be halted pending a more unbiased reassessment of the potential health issues associated with these meters, including a reassessment of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) program approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) without any environmental impact assessment. Further, that the California public be offered the option to opt out of this program, which at present is mandatory for every dwelling.

Read his complete report with references:

Commentary on the California Council on Science and Technology Report — “Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters”

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Updates: N. Ireland parent attempting to protect his children from Wi-Fi forcibly given psychotic drugs — #freeStephenClarke

Posted on August 28, 2014 by admin

Breaking News, December 18, 2014:

Stephen Clarke has been released from Maghaberry prison WITHOUT CHARGE. No prison record. No psychiatric record. (And no car because it was clamped and he does not have the finances to get it released and repaired.)

He was held for three months in a psychiatric unit on false pretenses and then another four months in a prison. After 15 court appearances, most of them by video link, he is back home in the Republic of Ireland.

He was not allowed to address the court using the Common Law convention of “Motu Proprio” – to speak the truth.

Unfortunately he has not been able to gain access to his children, nor they to him.

This is an exceptional outcome – all because he insisted upon his belief in God and the rights He bestowed on all human beings.

From John Weigel

November 29 update

Hamburg schools vindicate Clarke; German schools pull the plug on Wi-Fi in the classroom

The decision to withdraw Wi-Fi in six schools in Germany on the basis of safety and legal concerns this week underscores the concerns that resulted in an Irishman being held for three months in a psychiatric unit and then for another three months in Maghaberry prison in Northern Ireland.

According to Stephen Clarke, Dr. Ian Bones, a psychiatrist and trustee of Maghaberry prison in Lisburn, Northern Ireland offed him a deal on Friday that if he would accept a £50 fine for failure to have car insurance he would be released.

Clarke had been placed in the Mater Infirmorum, a psychiatric hospital in Belfast after protesting the exposure of his his two sons to microwave radiation in the classroom from wi-fi and wireless devices such as iPads which are being used to replace books. His protest took the form of climbing a sculpture called Rising in Belfast and hanging a white flag. He climbed down after police arrived.

During Clarkeʼs time in the psychiatric unit during which he was force-medicated with thedrug, Abilify, Dr. Bone had been brought in as part of Clarkeʼs defense team during anabandoned psychiatric tribunal in Belfast.

“Iʼve made my commitment,” said Clarke, “They want me to compromise with them so they would compromise with me. I would would be morally sick, gutted, and let my God down and my kids down – all our kids and far, far more.”

Meanwhile EMF Refugee, a long-time EHS (electromagnetic hypersensitivity) sufferer and campaigner, was circulating news published Saturday that school boards in Hamburg have backtracked on wi-fi in school classrooms. The story is being reported by shz.de, a news portal for Schleswig-Holstein in Germany with the headline, “Hamburg stops Wi-Fi in schools – At six schools in Hamburg the digital age should find their way. City and school board now back row: The wireless network WLAN was too dangerous for the health of students.”

The Google Translate version of the accompanying photo caption states: “Learning with Tablet: It will not give in Hamburg so soon. Too big are the concerns about the health of students.” For the full article in German visit:http://www.shz.de/nachrichten/deutschlandwelt/netzwelt/hamburg-stoppt-wlan-an-schulen-id8321086.html

Clarke’s nightmare began with a marital breakdown which saw his wife return to Northern Ireland with their two sons while he stayed alone in the family home in Leixlip, Co. Kildare in the Republic. During a hearing before Judge Rosemary Watters in Belfast he demanded the right to be heard under the Common Law principle of “Motu Proprio”. The judge denied his request explaining that it only applied to criminal cases and he was subsequently denied access to the boys for two years.

The concept of the term “motu proprio” is derived from the Latin in which it is recognized that a pope or monarch has the right to speak on his own behalf. The right was enshrined in Common Law in the Magna Carta of 1215 and takes precedence over legislation in jurisdictions such as the U.K. and Ireland (and the United States) that adhere to Common Law which derives its authority from the historic practice and consent of the people. Under Common law both “motu proprio” – the right to speak the truth before a judge – and responsibility for children take precedence over statutory law.

The judgeʼs decision prompted Clarkeʼs protest in which the local newspaper, The BelfastDaily Mirror, inaccurately labelled Clarke a “peace protester”. Clarke told the arrestingofficers at the time of his arrest in early June that he wanted to speak before a judge which they agreed to. Instead, Clarke was placed in the psychiatric unit. There he argued his position against the diagnosis of Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr. Ann McDonnell, and was released three months later without reason and without speaking to a judge.

The release came following representations on his behalf by Common Law lawyer Patrick Cullinane and Tim Fleming of the Irish in Britain Representation Group and Sue Todd of the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, a group dealing with psychiatric abuse.

Ill-advisedly on release, Clarke got into his car and telephoned his sister-in-law to say he was going to see his sons in violation of the Judge Wattersʼ barring order. When he arrivedat the house where his estranged wife and the boys are staying, there was no one home.

As he got into his car to leave a police car turned the corner and Clarke was arrested again. This time he was take to Maghaberry prison, south of Belfast. There his case has consistently been deferred, both in a courtroom and by video link. Two weeks ago Judge Watters kicked the case back a week because she claimed she did not have Clarkeʼspsychiatric records. On Monday, Clarke was disappointed yet again, because his case was not called.

For her part, Judge Watters, was involved in another controversy when she was filmed playing the internet drinking game called “Neknomination” in February of this year. The purpose of the game is to consume a pint of alcohol and then nominate someone else to do the same, giving them a window of 24 hours to do it. The Facebook game originated in Australia and several young people died from alcohol consumption including two from the Republic. Judge Watters subsequently apologized and told the Belfast Telegraph that she would ‘discourage anyone else’ from participating.

Last week, a psychiatrist had been dispatched to transport Clarke from prison to a psychiatric facility but he refused on the basis that Clarke is not a threat to himself or others. Earlier this week, Clarke was again informed, this time by psychologist Dr. Sarah Heel that he did not require incarceration in a psychiatric institution.

Commenting on his meeting with Dr. Bone, Clarke said, “The main thing is I donʼt have togo a psychiatric facility. He said Iʼm no harm to myself or any other and that Iʼm a highlyintelligent man, able to speak for myself in court and he agreed that that right (to Motu Proprio) is there. His one worry was that I wouldnʼt pay insurance and could bring societyinto chaos when there are far easier and non-fraudulent ways of dealing with insurance. To side with something that is wrong or deceitful is something Iʼm not able to.”

Unaware that hundreds of miles away in Germany schools had agreed with his stand about microwaves in the classroom, Clarke remains adamant. “Six months of being in here and they want to give me a £50 fine for me to say I was wrong and to let them go on with their mischief is inconceivable for me at this point,” he said.

– John Weigel

November 16 update

I’ve just received a call from Stephen Clarke. His hearing is now scheduled for Monday (tomorrow) at 10.30 a.m. It has been cancelled twice.

On Thursday, he was placed in a cell for psychiatric patients while he awaited transfer to Mt. Bracken psychiatric facility. According to Stephen “It’s the worst.”

The psychiatrist sent to collect him, a Dr. Divine (how appropriate) noted that “This man isn’t a threat to himself or others” and refused to take him.

What this tells me is that there is a guiding hand behind all of this and there is much manoeuvering going on behind the scenes.

November 6 update

Stephen’s first trial date on the insurance charges was scheduled for 20 October. The case did not come before a judge and was rescheduled for 3 November. Again, the case was not heard.

It is now five months that Clarke has been in custody without being able to speak.

October 30 update

John spoke with Stephen Tuesday, October 28.

The latest information is he is scheduled for a hearing on Monday, 3 Nov between 10.30 and 11.30 by video link.

On Tuesday he said, “This is the 10th time they’ve avoided hearing me speak.” This means he will have been incarcerated without a proper court hearing for nearly five months beginning on June 8.

Is this justice and democracy?

October 21 update:

John Weigel spoke with Stephen yesterday (October 20).

Stephen is awaiting a hearing on the charge of having no auto insurance. A hearing was scheduled for October 20 via video link, but it didn’t happen. There was no notice or explanation. Stephen has no idea what is happening nor apparently does the judge assigned to his case.

Today, October 21, makes 135 days of improper incarceration. He is still in Maghaberry Prison.

October 10 update:

The case of Stephen Clarke, the father who objected to his children being exposed to wi-fi radiation in the classroom, and placed in a psychiatric unit in Belfast for 108 days, will be heard Oct. 20. Clarke was arrested for driving without insurance while attempting to see his children following his release. On the insurance charge he will appear before the same judge who issued the original “anti-molestation” order in family court as well as the insurance charge. He attempted to call on the principle of “motu proprio” of telling the truth to power which has been denied.

October 6 update:

Stephen Clarke has been scheduled for a court appearance by video link on 20 October. The Leixlip, Co. Kildare man was barred from seeing his children by a Belfast family court. He objected on the basis that they are being exposed to wi-fi in their classrooms and mounted a protest by climbing a sculpture in Belfast. He was labelled a “peace protester” by a Belfast newspaper and committed to a psychiatric unit for 108 days. A tribunal established to determine his mental state was cancelled at the last minute and he was subsequently released. Upon release, he was arrested as he attempted to see his children on the basis of not having automobile insurance. It is relevant that he was not charged with a violation of the original court order.

September 30 update:

British authorities refuse to release Mr. Clarke

In the latest bizarre twist to his ordeal at the hands of British authorities, Stephen Clarke was released from the psychiatric ward at Mater Hospital on Thursday, September 25. However, his car’s insurance had expired while he was incarcerated, and he was arrested and put in prison at Maghaberry Prison for the insurance lapse. Moreover, this is a high security prison.

Please contact the British authorities or the British embassy in your country about this horrible abuse by the so-called justice system. If this has happened to Mr. Clarke, how many other prisoners in psychiatric wards or prisons are similarly innocent, and similarly having their civil rights trampled upon?

The address to write Stephen Clarke –

Maghaberry Prison
17 Old Road
Ballinderry Upper
County Antrim BT28 2PT
Northern Ireland
Great Britain

http://www.insidetime.org/info-regimes2.asp?nameofprison=HMP_MAGHABERRY

The details on his situation are below from John Weigel.

For information about a citizens’ common law court addressing abuses by the British government and information on creating common law courts in your area, www.itccs.org

Father from Leixlip:Wi-Fi protester released from psych unit, ends up in prison over lapsed car insurance

Stephen Clarke, the Leixlip, Co. Kildare father who was incarcerated in a Northern Ireland psychiatric unit following a protest against denial of access to his children and their exposure to wi-fi in the classroom, has been imprisoned in the Maghaberry Prison.

The prison is a modern high security prison housing adult male long term sentenced and remand prisoners, in both separated and integrated conditions, located in Ballinderry Upper, Lisburn.

At his original arrest for climbing a sculpture in Belfast and planting a flag, Clarke was identified by the Belfast Daily Mirror as a “peace protester” and taken to a psychiatric unit where he stayed for more than three months.

Emma Milligan of the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders (NIACRO) made contact Tuesday afternoon following an induction at the prison. NIACRO offers advice and support to people in prison, their families, people who have been released from prison and adults in the community who have offended. The publicly funded organisation provides information, advice and representation on subjects like benefits, housing and debt.

Ms. Milligan was unable to give any of the details regarding Clarke’s arrest and subsequent imprisonment, explaining innocently, “Obviously, he must have done something wrong.”

NIACRO’s current newsletter is entitled “Stop The Silent Sentence”.

According to Tim Fleming of the Irish in Britain Representation Group (IBRC) Clarke was released from the Mater Hospital psychiatric unit on the Crumlin Road, Belfast on Thursday, 25 Sept. 2014. While in the psychiatric unit Clark expressed relief that his car was safely off the road in a public car park. “Stephen Clarke was let out with no money after being locked up for 108 days,” explained Fleming. “He got into his car to drive himself home and the insurance had expired. He was arrested by the NI police.”

It is not known when Clarke’s auto insurance lapsed except that it happened during his stay in the psychiatric unit.

Mistakenly, Fleming was under the impression that Clarke would be free until he faced a judge on the insurance charge. “Apparently he is out now but will be facing charges,” said Fleming. “Some justice, eh?” he added.

Milligan referred enquiries regarding Clarke to Brian Jennings of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice’s office within the prison which deals with prisoner communication, including visitations. “I’m family support,” explained Jennings, “I run different family things in the prison. I’m here to basically run support. We go down the prison to help the patients and we do the same for people outside.”

For further information on the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders contact:

Mairaid McMahon, Manager,
Public Affairs and Communications
mairaid@niacro.co.uk
call 028 9032 0157

Of particular relevance to Clarke’s protest is the just-released presentation by Dr. Madga Havas, of Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada called, “Wi-Fi in schools is safe. True or false”. (See link below.)

Claims Havas,”Wi-fi in schools is not safe. It promotes tumours in rats. It affects sperm motility and viability. It causes DNA damage. It causes rouleaux formation of the blood.  It contributes to headaches, dizziness, nausea, weakness and concentration problems. It causes arrhythmia and tachycardia. It damages the heart. It may cause heart irregularities in as many as 1 in 700 students. If half an hour a day exposure to cell phones contributes to brain tumours, can we be so sure that six hours of exposure to wi-fi in schools is safe?”

Havas reasons, ”In the end can we afford to make mistakes…If you care about the health of students and teachers, share the video. And, if you have wi-fi at home, consider replacing it with a wired connection.

John Weigel
Ireland

Updated September 22, 2014

International experts are increasingly warning about the impacts of wireless radiation exposure to all of us, especially children.

Stephen Clarke protested Wi-Fi in his children’s school in Northern Ireland. It was a peaceful protest to raise awareness to this issue.

For doing that, he was incarcerated at a psychiatric hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and is being forcibly medicated with anti-psychotic drugs. He has been held there for approx. 15 weeks.

This is in complete violation of his civil rights and is a frightening suppression of peaceful protest and free speech by British authorities.

He has a mental health tribunal Friday, September 26, at the Carlisle Center (Oval Room). More information will be posted shortly.

Please contact authorities at the addresses below and demand his release. Please post this to websites and distribute to your contacts, particularly regarding this denial of basic civil rights.

Stephen is being held at

Mater Hospital
45-54 Crumlin Road
Belfast BT14 6AB
Great Britain

Send cards and letters to him there, as well as letters of protest regarding his incarceration and forced medication.

Stephen also has citizenship in Canada.

The Human Rights Commission can be contacted here:

Rhyannon Blythe BL
Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Temple Court 39 North Street
Belfast BT1 1NA
Tel: (028) 90243987
Fax: (028) 90247844
Email: rhyannon.blythe@nihrc.org

A Twitter campaign #FreeStephenClarke has been proposed.

Please do everything you can to help Stephen. More information is below.

Websites with information on Wi-Fi in schools and why Stephen is protesting:

http://www.wifiinschools.org.uk
http://www.wifiinschools.com
http://www.safeschool.ca
http://www.escuelasinwifi.org — Spanish
http://www.c4st.org
http://www.radiationeducation.com
http://www.citizensforsafetechnology.org
http://www.electricalpollution.com/documents/WiFiAThalidomideInTheMakingWhoCares.pdf

For more information and a timeline of events: Continue reading →

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Lakeland Electric to Replace 10,657 Residential Smart Meters in Florida

Posted on August 28, 2014 by admin

The Ledger News reported August 26 that Lakeland Electric in Florida will be replacing Smart Meters. These are also Sensus, and have the remote connect/disconnect switch.

Smart Grid Awareness writes about the domino effect and the fire issue in its article August 27.

It is almost impossible to keep track of all of the smart meter fires and related issues. We jump from country to country, from state to state. The latest issue is in Florida where Lakeland Electric soon will begin replacing 10,657 residential smart meters over concerns they might overheat, General Manager Joel Ivy said Tuesday, August 26th.

“Domino Effect of More Smart Meters Being Replaced Due to Fires”
http://smartgridawareness.org/2014/08/27/domino-effect-of-more-smart-meters-being-replaced-due-to-fires/

Those meters cost ratepayers about $2 million, and now their replacements will cost $1.3 million, plus labor costs to install, making this a very expensive proposition.

NVE in Nevada and Alabama Power are just two energy companies using Sensus that are not doing any replacement. Yet.

What about the GE fires, the Landis & Gyr fires, the Itron fires?

And what happens with other fire and electrical hazard issues not related to the remote connect/disconnect switch, such as tripping arc fault circuit interrupters, burning up electrical outlets and appliances, and causing electronics to mysteriously fail?

What happens a year from now when a surge hits and meters explode off walls and start fires? Will the utility companies come up with a new excuse for why there are problems?

When Sensus says these issues are systemic in the industry, just what is it referring to? The excuses about the fires — so-called “external” problems — or the fact that there are fires and electrical problems everywhere Smart Meters are installed?

 

Source:

http://www.theledger.com/article/20140826/NEWS/140829388/1410?Title=Overheating-Concerns-Lakeland-Electric-to-Replace-10-657-Residential-Smart-Meters-
Overheating Concerns: Lakeland Electric to Replace 10,657 Residential Smart Meters

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PG&E’s nuclear reactors should be shut down, says US Nuclear Regulatory Commission expert

Posted on August 27, 2014 by admin

Diablo Canyon NPP, near San Luis Obispo, California, should be shut down pending a safety review, says NRC senior federal nuclear expert Michael Peck in an internal report that was finally made public by Friends of the Earth August 25 .

The NRC  has allowed PG&E to continue operating the plant despite known safety questions.

At issue is the recently discovered Shoreline Fault. However, the other three faults, especially the Hosgri Fault, reportedly responsible for a devastating earthquake in Santa Barbara in the 1900’s, are also issues.

This is in addition to “normal” radioactive emissions from Diablo Canyon and other nuclear reactors that are a biological hazard to all life.

Here is a petition by Friends of the Earth to shut down Diablo Canyon:
http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16332

Last year, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report on Diablo Canyon. They found the NRC was not holding Diablo Canyon to the same earthquake safety standards as other nuclear power plants.

“This is a dangerous double standard,” said David Lochbaum, director of UCS’s Nuclear Safety Project and author of the report. “At other facilities, the NRC enforced its safety regulations and protected Americans from earthquake threats. Today, in the case of Diablo Canyon, the NRC is ignoring its regulations, unfairly exposing millions of Americans to undue risk.”

When similar concerns surfaced at nuclear facilities in California, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the NRC did not allow the plants to continue to operate until the agency determined they met safety regulations…In contrast, the NRC has allowed PG&E to continue to operate Diablo Canyon’s reactors despite this known threat.
http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/diablo-canyon-report-0381.html
NRC Fails to Apply Standard Earthquake Protection Protocols to Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant, Report Finds, November 13, 2013

Peck first raised his concerns in September 2010 when he filed non-concurrence papers and later elevated them to differing professional opinion, the highest level of official dissent within the agency. His report said that pipes and other important plant equipment at the plant may not be able to withstand the maximum shaking that could be generated by the Shoreline fault, which runs 2,000 feet offshore of the plant.

“We find it completely disgraceful that the NRC hid these concerns for all these years,” said Jane Swanson, spokeswoman for the antinuclear group San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace.

Peck recommended that Diablo Canyon be shut down until it can be proved that the plant could withstand a quake along the Shoreline fault, a process that could require an amendment to the plant’s current operating license.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/08/25/3211883_report-diablo-canyon-closure-nrc.html?rh=1
Report calling for Diablo Canyon’s closure raises concerns locally, August 25, 2014

According to Peck’s filing, PG&E research in 2011 determined that any of three nearby faults – the Shoreline, Los Osos and San Luis Bay – is capable of producing significantly more ground motion during an earthquake than was accounted for in the design of important plant equipment. In the case of San Luis Bay, it is as much as 75 percent more.
http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/ap-exclusive-expert-calls-diablo-canyon-shutdown/ng8Tj/
AP Exclusive: Expert calls for Diablo Canyon shutdown, Aug. 25, 2014

On August 26, Friends of the Earth filed a formal petition with the NRC:

Friends of the Earth — an advocacy group critical of the nuclear power industry — filed a petition with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission asking for a hearing and charging the Diablo Canyon plant is violating its operating license.

… The group argues the reactors located between Los Angeles and San Francisco should remain closed until a rigorous safety review is completed and PG&E amends its federal license.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/08/26/3213001/group-files-petition-to-idle-california.html#storylink=relast
Group files petition to idle Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, August 26,, 2014

To make a comment to the NRC, here is an editable letter you can send, courtesy of Friends of the Earth. My comment was to shut down Diablo Canyon permanently:

http://action.foe.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=16332

 

Sources:

http://www.ktvu.com/news/news/ap-exclusive-expert-calls-diablo-canyon-shutdown/ng8Tj/
AP Exclusive: Expert calls for Diablo Canyon shutdown, Aug. 25, 2014

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/08/25/3211883_report-diablo-canyon-closure-nrc.html?rh=1
Report calling for Diablo Canyon’s closure raises concerns locally, August 25, 2014

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/08/26/3213001/group-files-petition-to-idle-california.html#storylink=relast
Group files petition to idle Diablo Canyon nuclear plant, August 26,, 2014

http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/diablo-canyon-report-0381.html
NRC Fails to Apply Standard Earthquake Protection Protocols to Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant, Report Finds, November 13, 2013

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Florida power company threatens disabled World War II veteran with electricity shutoff

Posted on August 27, 2014 by admin

Below is the story of what Florida Power and Light is doing to Irving Friedman.

You can protest this action by FPL and file a complaint with the Florida Public Service Commission at

800-342-3552

The docket number is

#130223

You can also file a civil rights complaint against the Florida Public Service Commission and Florida Power & Light Company with the Florida State Attorney General here:

http://tinyurl.com/plz64vy

Be sure to check the spots for “over 60” and “veteran.”
Include this in the body of the message:

Florida Public Service Commission Docket #130223

Or

you can call the Attorney General at 850-414-3300 (this is a toll call, not toll-free) and ask to file a civil rights complaint.

************************

Irving Friedman is a nearly 89-year-old disabled WWII veteran(service-connected disability). He has three joint replacements – right and left hips and right shoulder. He is a past stroke survivor. He just recently came home from two months in the hospital/rehab after a heart attack, cardiac catheterization, 4-vessel coronary artery by-pass surgery, and having a pacemaker implanted. His wife is both a cancer and a stroke survivor. Obviously, a Smart Meter would be really bad for them. Mr. Friedman requested and was granted an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act [ADA, Title III, Sec. 36.302(a)] of keeping his analog meter on May 18, 2011. Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) *NEVER* denied having granted an accommodation until three years later, now, when it benefits them. Now their story is: “We never granted any accommodation to anyone.”

Mr. Friedman has been a customer for 33 years and has paid for every single kilowatt of electricity he has ever used. He has only refused to pay the illegal fees for accommodation as stated in the ADA [Title III, Sec. 36.301(c)]. The Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC) told FPL it was okay to violate the civil rights of the disabled and charge the “opt-out” fees, and that if they’re not paid, to cut off a person’s power. In so doing, they themselves have violated the ADA [Title II, Sec. 35.130 and Sec. 35.134].

FPL claims that “cost-causers” must pay for “non-standard” service. However, they provide *FREE* “non-standard” service to Hispanic people in the form of a duplicate Spanish language FPL Web site, Spanish-speaking customer service people, and all letters, flyers, brochures, etc. in Spanish, even though it is not a disability under federal law to not speak English, and the Florida Constitution states that English is the official language (unlike Canada where everything *HAS* to be bilingual under law). They also provide “non-standard” service *FREE OF CHARGE* in the form of TDDY to deaf customers (an accommodation under the ADA), yet they discriminate against all other disabled customers who *CANNOT* be exposed to RF radiation emitted by Smart Meters because it poisons them, severely exacerbates their pre-existing disability, or interferes with implanted medical devices.

That is *BLATANT* and *ILLEGAL* discrimination!

FPL has now sent threatening letters (another violation of the ADA Title III, Sec. 36.206) to Mr. Friedman, telling him that if he doesn’t pay the “opt-out” fees by September 3rd, they will turn off his power. Both Mr. Friedman and his wife use CPAP for sleep apnea when they sleep. The machines require electricity. Without power to run the machines, they could suffer grave medical consequences or die.

So, the FPSC and FPL have no compunction against threatening, coercing and intimidating the disabled or killing someone. This is how they treat elderly, disabled people. Shame on them!

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Massachusetts: Consumer advocates call for audit of National Grid Smart Meter Pilot Program

Posted on August 26, 2014 by admin

Editorial in the newspaper Leominster Champion, 8-22-14:

WORCESTER –The Worcester Zoning Board of Appeals approval for National Grid to erect sound barriers on the north and south walls of the Cook’s Pond substation has intensified demands by consumer advocates for increased oversight and auditing of the controversial smart meter pilot program.

Wireless smart utility meters enable two-way communication between home appliances and the utility company, and have come under fire nationwide for security, safety, privacy, exorbitant cost, greenwashing, and health issues.

The Department of Public Utilities, chaired by Ann Berwick, wife of Gubernatorial candidate Don Berwick, mandated smart meter installation by investor-owned utilities in Massachusetts, despite the fact that the $48M pilot program has not yet begun.  The DPU and the pilot have been criticized for behind-closed-door dealings, lack of environmental and health monitoring, and deleterious impacts on property values also plaguing the New England governor’s plans for the Kinder-Morgan gas pipeline and Northern Pass.

Advocates question whether escalating costs for the pilot will be borne by ratepayers, taxpayers, or investors.  According to documents obtained through a FOIA request, the program’s official start was delayed from January to October 2014.  Cost overruns in other states including Maine have resulted in rate hikes.

Due to sound ordinance violations, a chained-link fence surrounding the Cooks Pond neighborhood substation will be replaced by an industrial 12-inch wide 24-foot high sound wall on the north side, and a 20-foot wall on the south side, each extending over 160-feet to mitigate noise from transformers and HVAC equipment.

Residents question whether the substation in the heart of a residential district should have been targeted for significant expansion in the first place, why it was not engineered properly for compliance with sound ordinances, and why the utility was not fined for the nuisance violation. In response to opposition to a 90-foot microwave tower at the substation, Worcester’s Assessor issued a report stating that due to tree cover, the impact would be minimal on property values, yet removal of significant foliage contributed to the sound ordinance violation, and no longer shields the neighborhood’s view of the substation.

Charges that the program is being implemented to justify rather than to scrutinize smart meters in a demonstration of “decision-based evidence making” by the DPU and National Grid have intensified over time, starting with the choreographed Green2Growth symposium.  Activists have been unable to obtain data concerning the expense associated with auto-enrollment and subsequent de-installation despite filing a FOIA request, and the DPU has mandated auto-enroll state-wide, with opt-out fees planned, even though National Grid promotes the pilot’s free opt out as indicative of its commitment to customer choice. The pilot footprint has extended beyond its approved map, and the program is 5 times larger the Green Communities Act mandate.

Unbudgeted testimony for National Grid by career tobacco scientist-for-hire Peter Valberg did not convince informed environmentalists that the technology protects the health of citizens or the environment, particularly because area residents have reported injury and illness. CEIVA, a firm with Disneyland roots known for “telling stories” has been employed to help launch the home energy management segment of the pilot.

HaltMAsmartmeters and StopSmartMeter MA activists note that the Worcester pilot program reflects the level of integrity for MA residents of the DPU’s mandate to insure safe and reliable delivery of electricity, noting  “Its not looking good for ratepayer’s rights or for the environment, and what happens in Worcester won’t stay in Worcester.”

Source:
http://www.leominsterchamp.com/news/2014-08-22/Opinions_%28and%29_Editorial/Consumer_Advocates_call_for_audit_of_National_Grid.html

Used under Fair Use Rules.

 

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Union cries “Don’t blame us” while ignoring Smart Meter safety issues

Posted on August 26, 2014 by admin

Despite outreach and expert information from community advocates, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers – IBEW – ignored all safety issues related to Smart Meters except for one local in Tennessee.

This is in stark contrast to the Electrical Trades Union in Australia which was vehement in their objections, calling for the program to be halted and telling the new media that Smart Meters are a fire hazard, and that they feared people would have to die before federal officials took action.[i]

Local 1288 in Tennessee spoke out at public meetings against the meters and the fire risk. They even went so far as to plan billboards to warn the public.[ii]

The industry association Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers – IEEE — was alarmed over the fires in 2012.[iii] So, what’s wrong with the union?

Now, IBEW is crying that Smart Meter problems are not the installers’ fault. [iv]“Don’t blame the union” doesn’t carry any weight coming from a union almost entirely lacking in any safety concern over Smart Meters and which has generally treated communities so poorly.

Union contractors have bullied and harassed the public, lied about Smart Meters and their utility companies, even physically pushed people around. They installed meters by stealth and trespass, used dangerous techniques such as pulling them off under load, and have not notified residents that power would be disconnected despite the threat of physical harm to residents, including power disconnection to essential medical devices or power tools. They have even vandalized property to do their installation.

These incidents have happened repeatedly.

IBEW in general has been unconcerned about the safety issues to their communities, even sending representatives repeatedly to government meetings, such as the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors in California, to support Smart Meters. And they have opposed ordinances which would halt Smart Meter installation.

IBEW ignores worker safety. Despite the danger of electrocution from pulling of meters “under load”, that is, with the electricity on, their workers, who are not electricians but just temps with minimal training, have done just that.

And IBEW defends the safety of Smart Meters despite the close range that these contractors work all day long in front of individual Smart Meters and banks of Smart Meters. What non-disclosure clause have workers signed? Have workers received any information on the health consequences for this long-term, high intensity exposure? What medical care is available to them long-term? What health problems are already manifesting?

How many millions of dollars did IBEW receive in union dues for these temporary workers to ignore these issues and act as neighborhood bullies?

IBEW and utility companies work hand in glove to force Smart Meter installation on communities everywhere. Look through campaign contributions to officials, and also discover the large contributions IBEW makes to keep officials compliant.

This is a win-win-win for them, and a triple loss for us.

This triune cooperation dooms public safety, as they sell out for money and power.

—————————————————————————

[i] http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/more-news/smart-meter-death-fears/story-fn7x8me2-1226285463342

 

[ii] http://www.wmctv.com/story/22229806/unions-oppose-mlgws-smart-meter-expansion

http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2013/jul/10/ibew-plans-smart-meter-billboard-protest/

 

[iii] http://spectrum.ieee.org/energywise/energy/the-smarter-grid/smart-meter-fire-reports

 

[iv] http://www.leaderpost.com/health/Smart+meter+installers+problem+Union/10141322/story.html

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Petition to Massachusetts Attorney General for moratorium and investigation into Smart Meter pilot program

Posted on August 20, 2014 by admin

Please sign this petition on behalf of Worcester residents to Attorney General Martha Coakley.

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/investigate-worcester?source=c.em.mt&r_by=8061333

The Worcester National Grid Smart Meter Pilot program exposes the community to unprecedented risks in violation of local democracy.

This citizen petition calls for an immediate moratorium on the installation and promotion of smart meters by public and private agencies until smart meters are proven safe for public health and the nature environment, the economy, and the security of the community. We, the undersigned, respectfully request that the Office of the Attorney General, as the ratepayer’s advocate, investigate the Worcester National Grid Smart Meter Pilot Program.

http://www.haltmasmartmeters.org

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Take Back Your Power — upcoming screenings

Posted on August 20, 2014 by admin

Upcoming screenings

22 August       7 pm              Park Forest, IL, USA

22 August       7:15                Lyons, CO, USA

23 August       7 pm              Seattle, WA, USA

30 August      8:10 pm         Saugerties, New York, USA

6 September   7 pm              Seattle, Washington, USA

13 September   2 pm            Broadway, Marton, Rangtikei, New Zealand

14 September    7 pm           Vero Beach, FL, USA

More information at
http://www.takebackyourpower.net/screenings/

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