Monday, January 28, 2013

Most people have never heard of Naperville, IL. A small community just outside of Chicago, less than 39 square miles, with a little under 143,000 residents. [1]

"Money Magazine has ranked Naperville in the top 5 best places to live in America three out of the past six years." [2]

This appeared to be an ideal community until January 23, 2013, when the demons of radical government control, seemingly invaded the City Council members, forcing the constitutional and civil rights of some residents to be violated.

Upon information and belief the City Council met behind closed doors and decided to strong arm residents who refused to accept their smart meters or their mandated alternative meter.

Four phone calls were made to Doug A. Krieger, the City Manager, along with calls to Naperville's Public Affairs office, with assurances of a return call, for their side of this action, Krieger refused to return the call. Apparently, he wants to be the 'man behind the curtain' and hiding from his actions. All fluff until it was time to come forward and defend and/or explain the actions of his City Council.

There is an open case in federal court against the City regarding smart meters, filed by Naperville Smart Meter Awareness Group. Most 'civilized' communities while there is pending litigation would have the issue/s in question on hold. Not the egomaniacal council and city manager, they decided that the residents were so 'threatening' that they engaged the police to oversee the forcible installation of smart meters on residents property.

One installer hopped the fence, another with malice and concerted disregard for a resident's property, cut the lock off the gate, rather than hopping the fence, to do the forced installation of the smart meters.

"Two mothers- both community leaders working with Naperville Smart Meter Awareness (NSMA)- Kim Bendis and Jennifer Stahl- were arrested simply for standing peacefully by Jennifer's home in front of advancing officers and installers, telling them they did not have permission to install a smart meter on her property. Kim was arrested for trying to document this abuse of police force, an abuse further evidenced by the Naperville Police Department seizing her camera and SD chip….Kim was charged with resisting arrest and "attempted eavesdropping" on officers. Both charges are ludicrous, and the eavesdropping charge is particularly ironic and twisted as that is precisely what the smart meter is intended to do to individual households' privacy.

The bully blaming the victim.

Jennifer was charged with interfering with an officer and violating Naperville city ordinance 8-1C-3:7 by blocking the meter. The two were released from police custody a couple of hours later. They both came home to find that smart meters had been installed on their homes." [3]

Smart meters have been a major source of contention throughout the US and Canada. Opponents claim there are health, privacy, constitutional issues and that the meters will only benefit the utility companies, by decreased overhead operating costs.

Those who endorse the meters have fallen hook, line and sinker into the propaganda/rhetoric that this will be necessary for energy efficiency. When in fact, this is nothing short of a 'canard'.

A report released on November 26, 2012, by the Washington, DC-based National Institute for Science, Law & Public Policy stated: "Dr. Schoechle, who has been engaged in development of electric utility meters, home automation systems, gateways, and energy management systems for over 25 years, and who sits on several international standards setting committees related to the smart grid, calls the smart meter being rolled out across the U.S. "a canard—a story or hoax based on specious claims about energy benefits…" [4]

From the full report: "In reality, these meters and their dedicated networks are primarily for the benefit of utilities, reducing their operating costs and increasing profits by firing meter readers—ironically with federal stimulus funds—while doing essentially nothing to advance what should be the real goal of the smart grid: balancing supply and demand and integrating more renewable sources.

Instead, the meter networks squander vast sums of money, create enormous risks to privacy and security, introduce known and still unknown possible risks to public health, and sour the public on the true promise of the smart grid." [5]

The option that they offered instead of smart meters was nothing short of a 'red herring' that with a slip of a 'personality card', this non-transmitting meter will become a smart meter.

The digital meter option produces their own unique problems because of the 'dirty electricity' associated with them, which is why these activists were standing strong to retain their analog meters.

"In order for the residents to opt out their 'alternative' is to pay $68.35 initial fee for the alternative meter plus a $24.75 monthly meter reader fee." [6] It usually takes 4 minutes to read a meter, how can they justify a monthly fee this excessive? Not even mob protection runs this high.

The City Council is a public entity, coercion and economic duress could possibly fit this 'fee'. According to Black's Law Dictionary: Coercion: "Conduct that constitutes the improper use of economic power to compel another to submit to the wishes of another who wields it." Economic duress: "An unlawful coercion to perform by threatening financial at a time when one cannot exercise free will."

If these smart meters are so beneficial to ratepayers, let them keep their mechanical analog meters and they will not be able to partake of the 'benefits', rather than this Gestapo like action on the part of the City Council.

The action of the City Council is a result of having money hungry elected officials, seeing a chance of 'free' money and a quick fix to decrease overhead, by reduction of workers, under the guise of energy efficiency.

When the residents who have been conned by this Council, over the supposed financial benefits of the smart meters, discover that the only 'winners' in this was the utility, there should be charges filed for malfeasance against the entire City Council and associated department heads.

Jennifer and Kim's fight is far from over. "Stop Smart Meters!: We spoke with Jennifer and Kim yesterday, and they tell SSM! that the fight is not over. Instead of drawing the controversy to a close- as the CON might have hoped, the forced installations have just renewed NSMA's commitment to secure a no-fee analog opt out. Their team of attorneys is working on this case from a number of angles and the Illinois ACLU is monitoring developments. Widespread condemnation has rained down upon Naperville in the last few days, and the incident has amplified opposition to "smart" meters internationally." [3]

Maybe on their Welcome to Naperville sign, it should read "There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt or vile men."-Ludwig von Mises

                                                                                          References

1. http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/17/1751622.html

2. http://www.naperville.il.us/demographics.aspx

3. http://stopsmartmeters.org/2013/01/27/naperville-police-force-smart-meters-arrest-two-mothers-community-reels-and-reacts/

4. http://www.gettingsmarteraboutthesmartgrid.org/press_release.html

5. http://www.pucwatchdogs.com/SmartGrid_Report_PDF-2012-11-26-Final.pdf

6. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/01/26/Chicago-Suburban-Moms-Arrested-For-Refusing-Smart-Meters