Just Say No to Big Brother’s Smart Meters by Orlean Koehle
delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively ad to the people.” I have read the U.S. Constitution many times and nowhere does it mention that the federal
government has the right to dictate to the states what kind of meters they are to have on their houses. Of course, back in 1787 when the Constitution was ratified we did not yet have electricity, but still I do not believe our Founding Fathers would have ever thought any modern convenience should be mandated and thrust upon their citizens. They would have left such decisions to the people themselves and to the individual states to regulate its use, if such were necessary.
There are two other parts of the U.S. Constitution that I believe are being violated by the SmartMeter Program – The Fourth Amendment and the Fourteenth Amendment:
The Fourth Amendment States: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated…” When you have a SmartMeter constantly snooping into your home 24 hours a day, keeping data on what you are doing, what part of the house you are in, where the electricity is being used, what appliances you are using and when, that is an invasion of privacy. You are no longer secure in your own home.
The 14th Amendment States: … “No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the USA, nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property without the due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Forcing citizens to pay to opt out of the SmartMeter program is “abridging privileges” and not granting “equal protection” under the law. Those people who allow the installation of the smart meter (mainly because they do not know that it was installed or are totally uninformed of its harmful effects) will be treated as the privileged ones and will not have to pay any additional charges. We, who refuse it, will be forced to pay the additional charges to opt out. That is a clear violation of not being treated equally.
The California Constitution: And what does the California Constitution say about protecting its citizens’ rights and freedoms? The following is taken from a letter that I wrote to the CPUC, April 25, 2011, in response to a proposal by PG&E that they would allow an opt out but the people would have to pay for it. The letter tells of what the California Constitution says about our rights: Article One – Declaration of Rights - of the California Constitution states: “All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights. Among these are “enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy.” The forced Smart Meter Program on every Californian is a violation of our basic rights of: 1) “enjoying and defending life and liberty:” The SmartMeter, with its RF pulsed radiation
coming constantly into your home 24 hours a day is hazardous to one’s life and health. The forced SmartMeter is depriving one of his liberty. 2) “enjoying possessing and protecting our own property:” PG&E’s proposal to allow an opt out but with pay is a violation of our rights to enjoy, possess, and protect our own property (and keep our old analog meters) without having to pay for it. 3) “pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy:” PG&E’s SmartMeter is in violation of allowing us to pursue our own safety (Many SmartMeters have caused fires and again are a danger to one’s health.) If we are no longer safe in our own homes, our happiness is also affected. If we have to pay more not to have the meter, our happiness is affected. The Smart Meter is like a spy, constantly snooping into our homes, checking on what time of day we are using our appliances and other forms of electricity, etc. That is a violation of our privacy.
9
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165