October 20th Battle Creek City Commission Meeting

Once again, I spoke about smart meters at the City Commission meeting.  Public comments are limited to only three minutes, so I try to pack the most amount of information in, which is why I don't go into much detail, but have posted the links to the studies I mentioned.  The video of the meeting is here, and I start speaking at about 74:37.  While the buzzer is still buzzing, the Mayor addresses the audience, though I finish my speech before the buzzer ends.  Below is a script of what I said:

My comment is regarding the new utility meters the City of Battle Creek Water Department, Consumers Energy, and SEMCO Energy have been installing on our homes, which utilize radio frequencies. The following two studies are from PubMed.gov, a website of biomedical literature: 

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity - an increasing challenge to the medical profession: Some people exposed to electromagnetic radiation, including the frequencies utilized by the new water meters, develop Electromagnetic hypersensitivity. While some cannot discriminate between an active radio frequency signal and placebo, others showed observable changes following exposure; reactions in the pupil, changes in heart rhythm, damage to red blood cells, and disturbed glucose metabolism in the brain.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26372109

Self-reporting of symptom development from exposure to radiofrequency fields of wireless smart meters in Victoria, Australia: a case series: Shows the most frequently reported symptoms to be insomnia, headaches, tinnitus, fatigue, cognitive disturbances, abnormal sensations, and dizziness, and pointed to the possibility that smart meters may have unique characteristics that lower people's threshold for symptom development.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25478801

Comments on the Draft Report by the California Council on Science & Technology “Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters,” by Daniel Hirsh, Nuclear Expert & Lecturer, University of California, Santa Cruz: Showing that smart meters produce between 50 & 160 times more cumulative whole body exposure than the cell phone.  http://www.committeetobridgethegap.org/pdf/110212_RFrad_comments.pdf

The fact remains that the new radio frequency smart utility meters have not been proven safe, yet evidence they cause harm continues to grow.

The fact is that we have not gone one generation using the level of wireless devices we are today, so we humans are the guinea pigs in this very first long-term study, with many of us already suffering the consequences of unproven to be safe technology. 

The fact is that the Water Department has been working on an “opt-out” program for over three months now. I can understand how it may be difficult to word an opt-out program for something that many of us were forced into in the first place. But the bottom line is, we just want them removed. 

Thank you for listening. May you all be blessed.

* 

Battle Creek City Commission Meeting - October 6, 2015

The video where I start talking at about 38:00 is here, and the script is below:

The Radio Frequency Comparison chart you sent me from the Director of Public Works in Grand Haven, has been proven wrong by Daniel Hirsch, radiation expert, Senior Lecturer on Nuclear Policy at University of California Santa Cruz.  Hirsch states, “rather than a cell phone being 100 times more (radiation) exposure than a smart meter, the smart meter turns out to be roughly 100 times more cumulative exposure than the cell phone." 

Dominique Belpomme, MD, Master of Public Health, Professor of Oncology, Paris Descartes University, Executive Director of the European Cancer & Environment Research Institute states, “The harmful effects of electromagnetic fields, regardless of their frequencies, are now scientifically settled. Pregnant women (the fetus) and children and adolescents are particularly vulnerable.” 

Paul Pecorale, Vice President of the New York State United Teachers Union, states: “We have enough evidence to justify taking action and we are not willing to wait until our members, their children and the students suffer health consequences from not doing anything.” 

In Naperville Illinois, City Council members settled a federal lawsuit filed by an opponent of the city's smart meter installation program.  The 12-page agreement calls for paying over $117K to a Naperville resident whose lawsuit accused the city and four of its police officers of violating her constitutional rights when they forced a smart meter installation on her property. 

It is quite alarming that the City of Battle Creek Water Department has no actual documentation of proof of safety of the new utility meters being installed by them, and all of our utility companies.  

It is quite alarming that you, the City Commissioners, are relying exclusively on manufacturer propaganda and incorrect information to defend your stance that smart meters pose no health risk.  And it is quite alarming that you can hear many expert sources quoted that prove the new utility meters do indeed cause harm, yet continue to do nothing about it. 

PLEASE investigate this further.  For it is never too late to change your mind about this unproven to be safe technology. 

I conclude with Pope Francis’s words:  “We must move forward together, as one, in a renewed spirit of fraternity and solidarity, cooperating generously for the common good.” 

Thank you for listening.  May you all be blessed!

*

The City of Battle Creek's Response To My Questions

Because the City Commissioners are the "gatekeepers" of the city, at the last Battle Creek City Commission meeting I submitted two questions in regards to my concerns of the safety of the new utility meters the City Commissioners are welcoming into the city:

What evidence do you have of the safety of the new utility meters, all of them, water, gas and electric, other than what comes from the manufacturer?

And do you have any independent third-party testing showing, or proving that the new utility meters are indeed perfectly safe?

Though I did not submit a Freedom of Information Request, the Clerk's office submitted one on my behalf, and was then kind enough to waive the fee, "this one time."

The City Clerk, Victoria Houser, wrote in her letter dated Monday, September 21, 2015:

"The Water Department has indicated they have no documents from independent parties related to the meters."

She also sent a "DENIAL OF REQUEST FOR PUBLIC RECORD," which stated:

Your request is being denied in part for the following reason(s):

Is not in the possession of the City.  No independent 3rd party testing.  No information on gas and electric meters.

They admitted outright that they have no proof that the new utility meters are safe.  They admitted outright that they have not seen documentation of safety from independent third parties, and they have no information about the safety of the new gas and electric meters they are allowing to be installed also.  

Ms. Houser also provided a memorandum that the Water Department received from the City of Grand Haven, Department of Public Works.  The memorandum was written by William Hunter, Director of Public Works, explaining his understanding of RF and Smart Meters.  The memorandum came with two Radio Frequency comparison charts and a propaganda sheet from a "Utility Cooperative" in Hawaii.

Perhaps they don't know that 

the RF comparison charts 

have been proven wrong...

"The problem is, they've compared apples and oranges.  They looked at whole-body exposure from a Smart Meter, and compared it to the dose to the ear from a cell phone, instead of looking at the whole-body dose from the cell phone and comparing it to the whole-body dose from the smart meter." 

"Secondly, they assumed 100% duty cycle for the smart meter, and a 1% duty cycle for the cell phone; you're only using the cell phone probably an hour a day on average.  But they didn't correct for that.  So they didn't look at the cumulative exposure.  Ninety-nine percent of the time the cell phone wasn't producing radiation, but they assumed that 100% of the time the smart meter would.  In the smart meter figure they'd exaggerated a little bit, 50% would probably be a reasonable number.  But in any case, when you correct for these two factors, the whole-body and the cumulative part of it, rather than a cell phone being 100 times more exposure than a smart meter, the smart meter turns out to be roughly 100 times more cumulative exposure than the cell phone."

"...the cumulative whole body exposure from a Smart Meter at 3 feet appears to be approximately two orders of magnitude higher than that of a cell phone, rather than two orders of magnitude lower."

Quotes from Daniel Hirsch, Senior Lecturer on Nuclear Policy at UCSC.  YouTube video link here, another article with the video here, and his Draft Report, "Health Impacts of Radio Frequency from Smart Meters," here.  

In my humble opinion, the information about radiation exposure from Daniel Hirsch, Senior Lecturer on Nuclear Policy at the University of California Santa Cruz, holds more weight than the information from William Hunter, Director of Public Works in Grand Haven, Michigan.  

Is this not serious carelessness on the part of the City Commissioners, allowing these unproven to be safe devices to be installed all throughout the city, exposing the citizens to questionable amounts of radiation?

Bless Us All!

For more information:

• EMFScientists.org
• The BioInitiative Report
• Take Back Your Power
• Smart Grid Awareness
• Smart Meter Education Network in Michigan, USA

If You Live In Michigan...

If you live in Michigan, the time to do something 

about your freedom of choice is now!

[Updated October 31, 2019: If you live in Michigan, please see THIS post.  Thank you!  As of today, we are working on getting new legislation for analog utility meter choice re-introduced.]

Utility companies in Michigan are installing wireless "Smart Meters" all across our state, sometimes without our knowledge and/or consent.  This is a violation of our fundamental property rights, yet they are getting away with it!

[Update: Some companies are saying that they do not utilize "smart meter" technology in their gas meters.  However, I have personally found that what they are are calling AMR - ERT (automatic read - encoder receiver transmitter) natural gas meters, extremely harmful to my health, eliciting many adverse symptoms.  When asked for proof that their devices are safe, they sent me propaganda from the manufacturer, those who stand to profit from the AMR - ERT devices.] 

Because I am sensitive to radio frequencies (found out in 2013 with a cell phone), this is very disturbing.  Not everyone is electrosensitive, but about 10% of the population have more adverse effects, while 35% have less adverse effects and may not even know they are being affected by radio frequencies.

There are lots of propaganda charts circulating that state smart meters emit only a fraction of the radiation of a cell phone. That statement is not proven and is being challenged by professionals.

The radiation from Smart Meters 

may be about 100 times that of cell phones...

This video of Daniel Hirsch, California radiation expert, and UCSD instructor, and this video of Professor Glenn Chase, faculty alum at USC, California State, Monterey Institute of International Studies and Naval Post-Graduate School, explains why the radiation from a Smart Meters is about 100 times that of a cell phone.

It's no wonder my "phone ear" started hurting again after SEMCO Energy lied to us three times in order to install two of their AMR meters here, meters that pulse over 10 times per minute, over 600 times per hour.

There are no studies proving the safety of smart meters, 

while evidence continues to surface 

saying they are not so safe.

When asked about the safety of smart meters, utility companies, including the City of Battle Creek Water Department and SEMCO Energy, send out propaganda from the manufacturer of the smart meters.  And now the City of Battle Creek Water Department admits that they are not in possession of any studies proving the safety of their new wireless water meters.

There are several other issues with Smart Meters.  Many are concerned about their safety because Smart Meters have been known to catch fire and/or explode.  

There was a house fire in Portage, MI, on Bellaire, where witnesses and the owner of the home explained that the new smart meter, installed only a few days prior, was the first thing they saw on fire.  However, the Fire Marshal ruled the smart meter out as the cause of the fire (which has been a common scenario when a fire starts after smart meter installation).

Smart metering is a hackable system and will put our privacy at risk.  (Analog meters are not hackable.)  Here's an article about how the FBI found "smart meter hacking surprisingly easy." 

Even if you're already called your representative in the past regarding electronic utility meters, they haven't heard from enough of us yet!  

We've had the old 100% analog meters for over 50 years with none of these concerns.  Why "fix" something that's not broken, with something that is unproven to be safe on many levels?

It's not too late to let your representative know how you feel, even if you already have an electronic and/or smart meter!

It took me about two minutes to call my Michigan State Representatives - Please do the same!

Find your Michigan State Representative here by using your address and zip code.  Call anytime, evenings or weekends if you just want to leave a message, yet still, have your voice heard.

Phone calls carry more weight than emails. If you want to write, call first, then follow-up in writing.

Our representatives are here to represent us, 

it's their job!

Always be respectful. Here's what you can say:

• Hello, my name is ___________, and I'm one of your constituents / I live in (city / county). 
• I'm calling about the no-fee Analog Utility Meter Choice Bill now in the Energy Policy Committee. 
• I want you to support this legislation that will protect my property rights and give me a safe and reliable analog meter choice. 
• Also, please speak to your colleagues in the Energy Policy Committee and encourage them to support this Bill, because it's for The People. 
• Thank you! 

It's very simple to do, and our State Representatives need to hear from us in order to know how we feel.

Please let me know if you have any questions or need help finding your state representative, I'd be happy to help you!

Time is of the essence! Please make that call now!

Thank you and bless you!