Stop Smart Meters Australia launches Intimidation (Smart Meter Plan) song as another means to inform the masses about the dangers of smart meters.
The song is sung and written by Sharka, and Shane Griffo. Lyrics co-written by Brian Clarke. Film clip co-produced by David Thomas. Animation by John Goodwin and background art by Kari Kroll. Many thanks to these talented Victorian artists.
Stop Smart Meters Australia dedicates Intimidation (Smart Meter Plan) to:
-The ‘do nothing’ Baillieu Government which is ignoring the will of its constituents and denies ANY health impacts from the radiation emitted from smart meters;
-The money hungry foreign owned power distributors who are bullying and threatening people to accept smart meters against their will;
-The Department of Primary Industry, that responds to smart meter questions with "we’ll get back to you" but never do;
-and especially YOU, fellow Victorians, who are fighting for your civil and human rights to refuse smart meters on you properties.
MYSTERY surrounds the continued failure of smart meters across Moreland.
Electricity providers confirmed they have now replaced 38 vandalised meters – all but five in Moreland – that forensic tests found were sprayed with household chemicals.
Police began investigating in February, but have yet to establish who is launching the attacks and why.
Power distributor Jemena has ruled out suspending the program until the matter is resolved, but managing director Paul Adams warned vandalism of the electrical equipment could endanger lives.
Fawkner detective Sen-Constable Anna McIlroy said police identified 20 possible motives and had several leads.
But “until we can more closely identify the group we can’t say why or what motive,” Sen-Constable McIlroy said.
Lobby groups opposed to the meters claim they could breach privacy and associated electromagnetic frequencies could harm human health.
This year, new claims emerged the meters were exploding after black soot was found behind failed meters in Moreland.
Energy Safe Victoria energy safety director Paul Fearon said the meters were “designed to fail safely” and any associated flash, noise or smoke was not an explosion.
But Broadmeadows Progress Association spokeswoman Sonja Rutherford said she would not be convinced vandalism was behind the failures until Jemena released the forensic evidence.
“I find it extraordinary that a waterproof device can be damaged by liquid as is apparently claimed,” Ms Rutherford said.
As it is now being reported that many people are being threatened and intimidated by smart meter installers and by representatives of power companies on the phone and in person, it is time to share information from others dealing with what many are calling threats and bullying. What is extremely interesting is that comments are being made verbally to citizens not consenting to smart meters being installed at their home, but these same comments are not being put in writing. What actions are you prepared to take when standing up for your rights?
Best to deal with power distributors and their agents, only via (registered) mail where possible. If you do communicate over the phone or face-to-face tell them you are recording the conversation for evidence. dictaphones can be bought for under $100 at places like Officeworks and many mobile phones have audio and video recording capabilities these days. If anybody makes a threat of any kind you want the evidence captured (and witnesses), so photograph/record what occurs if installers arrive at your home. Alternatively, insist that they put their statements in writing.
Don’t be intimidated. They will try to intimidate people into submission and use fear to manipulate people. Perhaps it’s time to return the favour! Some of the statements being made to citizens are “we own the meter and we will install a smart meter whether you like it or not” , “if you don’t have it installed now, you will have to pay a lot to have it installed later”, “it will be installed whether you like it or not, even if it is on your private property”, “we will cut your power off if you don’t have it installed”, “we will come back and bust your lock and install it anyway”, “we will take legal action against you”. All these statements, yet power companies, the Department of Primary Industries and the Government will not put anything in writing about the so-called “set procedure prior to disconnection”. If you are replying to any of the above statements, some are replying with the following questions: “Are you speaking on behalf of (insert name of your power distributor) or on behalf of yourself? If you speak on behalf of (insert name of your power distributor), are you authorised to do so?” (so that you can determine if the power company is liable for the threat or the person making the threat) and/or “Do you wish to retract that threat or be charged under Section 247L of the Crimes Act 1958 of Victoria? Such an offence carries a penalty of up to 15 years imprisonment.”
3. “No trespass” signs are an absolute must, as is informing in writing to the power company (CEO) you do not consent to the installation of a smart meter (many are using the signs and letters of no consent available on this site). Always keep copies of letters and take photos of signs in place – date and sign them. Some people are having them stamped and witnessed at the local police station.
4. Always try to respond to letters you receive from the power company, never ignore them. If you find you are just repeating yourself you may just choose to send something simple like “I still do not consent to the installation of a smart meter at ……. .(insert your address and NMI code) and keep a copy.
5. Never make threats, particularly threats of violence or criminal damage (many people are getting really angry and frustrated, but threatening others is not the answer). Always stress that you want a peaceful resolution but WILL ASSERT YOUR RIGHTS.
My smart meter was installed just prior to Easter, and blew up my oven. Contrary to the polite assurances of the installation inspector, Citipower are maintaining a stance of minimum cooperation. It is now my responsibility to have the oven inspected and quoted for their consideration, with only the prospect of current market value compensation. Of course market value of a two-year old oven will not reinstate me to my previous capability which is what appropriate compensation should deliver. I did not want to ‘trade in’ my oven! As a single person working full-time, I must find time to remain home to get appraisals and quotes, which impacts my earnings. I have been without an oven now for nearly four weeks. They must have indemnity for this type of outcome, yet the responsibility is left to the consumer. I would change suppliers away from Citipower, but of course I in no way expect decent treatment from any of these ‘money collectors’.
“100% certainty of catastrophic failure of energy grid within 3 years”
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Apr 12, 2012 (BUSINESS WIRE) — The vulnerability of the energy industry’s new wireless smart grid will inevitably lead to lights out for everyone, according to leading cyber expert David Chalk. In an online interview for an upcoming documentary film entitled ‘Take Back Your Power’ ( www.ThePowerFilm.org ), Chalk says the entire power grid will be at risk to being taken down by cyber attack, and if installations continue it’s only a matter of time.
“We’re in a state of crisis,” said Chalk. “The front door is open and there is no lock to be had. There is not a power meter or device on the grid that is protected from hacking – if not already infected – with some sort of trojan horse that can cause the grid to be shut down or completely annihilated.”
“One of the most amazing things that has happened to mankind in the last 100 years is the Internet. It’s given us possibility beyond our wildest imagination. But we also know the vulnerabilities that exist inside of it. And then we have the backbone, the power grid that powers our nations. Those two are coming together. And it’s the smart meter on your home or business that’s now allowing that connectivity.”
Chalk also issued a challenge to governments, media and technology producers to show him one piece of digital technology that is hack-proof.
“The computer companies that are involved, the manufacturers that are involved, bring forward a technology and I will show you that it’s penetrable,” said Chalk. “I’ll do it on national TV, I’ll do it anywhere. But I can guarantee you 100% that there is nothing out there today — nothing — that can’t be penetrated.”
Chalk’s strong words come amidst increasing reports of the smart grid’s fatal insecurities, even from the governments and energy companies who are forcing their hand with the smart program. “Every endpoint [meter] is a new potential threat vector,” according to Doug Powell, manager, SMI Security, Privacy & Safety, for Canadian utility BC Hydro.
And in an interview with EnergyNow.com, former CIA Director James Woolsey was also highly critical of energy policy makers, whose plans received multi-billion dollar funding as part of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008. “The so-called ‘smart grid’ that is as vulnerable as what we’ve got now is not smart at all,” said Woolsey. “It’s a really, really stupid grid.”
But there’s more. In an audit released in January, the US Inspector General Gregory Friedman was also highly critical. “Without a formal risk assessment and associated mitigation strategy, threats and weaknesses may go unidentified and expose the … systems to an unacceptable level of risk,” Friedman wrote.
Energy officials knew of these weaknesses but approved plans for the projects anyway, auditors said. “The initial weaknesses had not always been fully addressed, and did not include a number of security practices commonly recommended for federal government and industry systems.”
And security is not the only technologically based obstacle faced by smart grid proponents. In March, alarm bells were rung following current CIA Director David Patraeus’ confirmation that governments will use wireless smart appliances to spy on citizens. “Items of interest will be located, identified, monitored, and remotely controlled through technologies such as radio-frequency identification, sensor networks, tiny embedded servers, and energy harvesters,” Patraeus said at a meeting of In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm. He added that this will prompt a rethink of “our notions of identity and secrecy.”
With strong criticism to the smart grid now coming from many directions, energy corporations and governments now have the challenge to explain to an increasingly unapproving public why they continue to fast-track smart grid installations.
Citizen groups and organizations throughout the US, Canada and Europe have launched legal actions to stop the installation of smart meters. They cite issues such as cost increases, health risks, privacy concerns, grid vulnerability and the lack of democratic process. In Chalk’s home province of British Columbia, Citizens for Safe Technology ( www.citizensforsafetechnology.org ) and the BC Coalition to Stop Smart Meters are leading a growing challenge.
Options for opting out of the smart metering program have been announced in markets including California, Maine, Vermont, Louisiana, Michigan, Connecticut, Quebec, the UK and the Netherlands. In the US, several regions including the counties of Santa Cruz and Marin are enforcing outright moratoriums.
“Unless we wake up and realize what we’re doing, there is 100% certainty of total catastrophic failure of the entire power infrastructure within 3 years,” said Chalk. “This could actually be worse than a nuclear war, because it would happen everywhere. How governments and utilities are blindly merging the power grid with the Internet, and effectively without any protection, is insanity at its finest.”
The full video interview with David Chalk can be seen on www.thepowerfilm.org . The feature film documentary ‘Take Back Your Power’, which critically examines the smart grid program, will be released online this spring.
FOR most visitors, the Campervan and Motorhome Club of Australia’s 26th Anniversary Rally which has descended on Sale the past week has been a chance to relax, socialize and take in some local sights.
But for a Mt Eliza couple, it has been a chance to escape what they say has become a nightmare.
Vic and Rosemary Trudeau say they were forced out of their house six months ago because of health problems which they blame on a smart meter.
After they had solar panels fitted, a smart meter was installed, and they say that’s when their problems began.
Within days Rosemary said she began feeling irritable and had a “ringing” sensation in her head.
When she left the home, the symptoms disappeared, re-appearing when she returned.“I’d never had any problems before, and I’d lived in the house 22 years,” she said.
Between them they have reported symptoms such as the high-pitched ringing in their heads, nausea, headaches, cognitive difficulties including difficulties concentrating, heart palpitations and insomnia.“Vic goes deaf when we go home; it takes him about three days to get his hearing back after we leave,” Rosemary said.
Rosemary has a doctor’s certificate stating she is sensitive to electromagnetic radiation and had been suffering severe health problems since the smart meter’s installation.
The doctor requested that the smart meter be immediately removed to “minimise any permanent impairment this may cause to her health”.The couple asked the power company which installed the device to remove it, but they said it’s all operating to Australian standards, and there’s nothing they can do.
The Trudeaus have also contacted the Victorian Energy Ombudsman to try and resolve the issue.“We wasted five months of our time,” Rosemary said.
Testing was carried out, but she said the ombudsman had declined to say what tests were carried out or divulge the results.
They were given three options: To have the main fuse pulled to the house, to have the smart meter removed at their expense they would no longer be connected to the grid or to sell the house and move interstate.
In addition, the couple said since the smart meter had been installed, appliances had been failing, including their refrigerator, computer monitor and telephone.“About eight have died and others are mucking up,” Rosemary said.
The Trudeaus say the compulsory installation of smart meters is not fair because there are no options for those who are sensitive.
The State Government plans to have them installed in every home and business by the end of next year.
The report on electromagnetic fields takes a strong stand that society must acknowledge the biological effects of electromagnetic fields, educate the population about the risks from wireless technologies, and develop safer technologies. The group, AAEM, is an international association of physicians and professionals that has been dedicated to expanding the knowledge of human health in relationship to the environment since 1965, They have been first to recognize many conditions, including Gulf War Syndrome, chemical sensitivity and the role of mold in the development of systemic illness.
Loved and loathed … The Victorian smart meter scheme has been
controversial. Miscreants are reprogramming meters to report less power
usage, for a fee.
A series of hacks perpetrated against so-called “smart meter” installations
over the past several years may have cost a single electric company
hundreds of millions of dollars annually, the FBI said in a cyber
intelligence bulletin obtained by KrebsOnSecurity.
The US law enforcement agency said this was the first known report of
criminals compromising the hi-tech meters, and that it expected this type
of fraud to spread across the country as more utilities deploy smart grid
technology.
Smart meters are intended to improve efficiency, reliability, and allow the
electric utility to charge different rates for electricity at different
times of day. Smart grid technology also holds the promise of improving a
utility’s ability to remotely read meters to determine electric usage.
But it appears that some of these meters are smarter than others in their
ability to deter hackers and block unauthorised modifications. The FBI
warns that insiders and individuals with only a moderate level of computer
knowledge are likely able to compromise meters with low-cost tools and
software readily available on the internet.
Hi please help me….I want my smart meter removed…I have been geting electric currents thru my body feeling dizzy,nausea, and cannot sleep @ night…My dog is also not well she too keeps moving around all night restless from room to room….i’m feeling so lethargic as many others are….How can I get my meter removed, as I also suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and am not being able to sleep….please help me I feel like killing myself the constant buzzing in my head at night is driving me crazy….and its all since my meter has been installed….Judy
Stop Smart Meters Australia 