Peggy & Sam vs. Goliath
A special needs family in eastern Idaho is making a heroic stand against toxic "smart" meters and could use our help
I. A special needs family, just doing their own thing, is suddenly in the crosshairs of a predatory multibillion dollar power company
Peggy and Sam Edwards live in eastern Idaho with their three children. Their eldest daughter, Esra, has spina bifida and autism. Sam is a veteran — serving honorably in the U.S. Coast Guard for twenty years. Upon retiring from the Coast Guard the family moved to Idaho and cashed out their retirement savings to buy a home that could be outfitted to serve Esra’s needs — including specially modified bathrooms, sinks, and a $15,000 track in the ceiling to help with lifting her out of bed and into her wheelchair.
Owning a home is a big part of the American dream. It’s a sanctuary and refuge, particularly for special needs families. But recently Rocky Mountain Power decided to violate the personal sovereignty of every family in the area when it announced that it was going to install so-called “smart” meters to every home. Unlike other power providers in Idaho, Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) has no “opt out” for those who do not want a “smart” meter. RMP has informed Peggy and Sam Edwards that they must accept a “smart” meter or else RMP will shut off the electricity to their house.
For a century, public utilities have delivered power as regulated monopolies and then they read the analog meter outside one’s home periodically to see how much electricity one uses. The system worked just fine, there was no need to “fix” it.
But power companies, that are already obscenely profitable, came up with a way to make even more money. They want to replace analog meters with “smart” meters that communicate electronically, wirelessly, and continuously with the power company.
Think about this for a moment — the data, about how much electricity a house uses, takes about 1 second to record (that’s what meter readers have always done). But “smart” meters are recording and transmitting data 24/7/365. Why does the power company want that much information about every household? The answer is that this data is sold to advertisers who want to know everything about us. It’s a new revenue stream, “data is the new oil.”
“Smart” meters also give the electric utility the ability to cut off power to a house at anytime — it does not take a lot of imagination to picture this being misused to limit dissent. Making matters worse, “smart” meters communicate with headquarters via electro-magnetic frequencies that emit radio frequency radiation (EMF/RFR) that are harmful to human health.
Rocky Mountain Power wants to put the toxic “smart” meter right outside Esra’s bedroom which would have devastating effects upon her health.
Children’s Health Defense recently featured the Edwards’ story on The People’s Testament with Stephanie Locricchio.
This is also a story of regulatory capture. Like the FDA and CDC, the Idaho Public Utilities Commission is supposed to represent the public interest. Instead, they end up working on behalf of industry and against the well-being of the public.
II. EMF/RFR interfere with the brain and body in much the same way that pesticides do
During my doctoral studies I read every scientific study I could find in connection with every toxicant that has been studied as a possible cause of autism.
The toxicants that I knew the least about were electromagnetic frequencies (cells phones, cell phone towers) and radio frequency radiation (EMF/RFR).
I quickly discovered two extraordinary studies by Dr. Martha Herbert at Harvard Medical School and her co-author Cindy Sage on the association between EMF/RFR and autism.
They show that EMF/RFR disrupt cells, organs, and bodies in much the same way that pesticides do — and can contribute to many of the symptoms associated with autism.
I wrote:
Herbert and Sage (2013a) show that there are “a series of parallels between the pathophysiological and genotoxic impacts of EMF/RFR and the pathophysiological underpinnings of” autism spectrum disorders including “DNA damage; immune and blood-brain barrier disruption; cellular and oxidative stress; [altered] calcium channel [signaling]; disturbed circadian rhythms; hormone dysregulation; and degraded cognition, sleep, autonomic regulation and brainwave activity” (p. 200). They argue that increased EMF/RFR exposure contributes to total “allostatic load — the sum total of stressors and burdens on the body” and that even small increases in allostatic load can produce significant impacts on health (Herbert & Sage, 2013a). Further, they cite Juutilainen, Kumlin, and Naarala [2006] who show that EMF/RFR can increase the harms caused by other toxicants “when both exposures occur together” (Herbert & Sage, 2013a, p. 193).
I also learned that, like vaccines, the official government safety testing to measure the dangers from EMF/RFR are preposterous. Quite literally they put a cell phone up against the head of a plastic dummy and if the water inside the dummy’s head does not increase by more than two degrees they call it “safe”.
Also like vaccine manufacturers, mobile phone carriers enjoy liability protection in connection with the placement of cell phone towers (huge emitters of EMF/RFR).
The Nation, before it went evil, published the definitive article on the political economy of EMF/RFR, “How Big Wireless Made Us Think That Cell Phones Are Safe: A Special Investigation: The disinformation campaign—and massive radiation increase—behind the 5G rollout.”
Children’s Health Defense has done heroic work to warn people about the dangers of EMF/RFR. This article is a great recent update on their efforts. The Amicus brief that CHD filed in connection with a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission is one of the best things that’s ever been written on harms from wireless radiation.
Bottom line: EMF/RFR are bad news. One should stay as far away from these things as possible. Turn off your home’s router at night. Always use a wired headset when talking on a cell phone (and keep the phone as far away from your body as possible). If you are having trouble sleeping or feeling anxious/irritable, you may want to check out the EMF/RFR levels in your home. And never allow the power company to install a “smart” meter — always opt out.
III. Peggy and Sam Edwards take on Big Power
Peggy and Sam have done everything right to try to protect their family from these electromagnetic harms. They have spoken with their elected representatives, dealt directly with Rocky Mountain Power, and filed a formal complaint with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. At every stage they have been told that they must comply with the dictates of this ruthless monopoly or else their electricity will be turned off.
There is no reason for this tyranny to continue. “Smart” meters, 15 minute cities, and Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDC) are all the same tyranny — massive corporations that want to control all aspects of our lives through 24/7/365 surveillance and control. This absolutely has to stop. So let’s use “people power” to keep the electricity on at Peggy and Sam’s house.
There are seven people who can put a stop to this madness:
Gary Hoogeveen
CEO at Rocky Mountain Power
gary.hoogeveen@rockymountainpower.net
Stefan Bird
President and CEO of PacifiCorp (that owns Rocky Mountain Power).
stefan.bird@pacificorp.com
William J. Fehrman
President & CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Energy (that owns PacifiCorp).
Bill.Fehrman@brkenergy.com
Eric Anderson
President, Idaho Public Utilities Commission
eric.anderson@puc.idaho.gov
John Hammond
Commissioner, Idaho Public Utilities Commission
john.hammond@puc.idaho.gov
Edward Lodge
Commissioner, Idaho Public Utilities Commission
edward.lodge@puc.idaho.gov
Raúl Labrador
Attorney General
aglabrador@ag.idaho.gov
He’s also on Twitter: Raul_Labrador
I am asking you to email all 7 of these men with the following message (feel free to modify if you wish — especially the subject line, in order to avoid spam filters):
Subject line: Why is Rocky Mountain Power trying to force toxic EMF/RFR on a special needs family?
Body of the email:
I am writing on behalf of the Edwards family (parents Peggy and Sam, and their three children) in Rexburg, Idaho. Sam is a veteran — serving honorably in the U.S. Coast Guard for twenty years. Their daughter Esra has spina bifida and autism. They moved to Idaho as a place of refuge and cashed out their retirement savings to buy and remodel a house to meet Esra’s needs.
I understand that Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) is trying to force the Edwards to install a “smart” meter even though the electromagnetic frequencies / radio frequency radiation (EMF/RFR) emitted from the device would harm Esra’s health.
Both Idaho Falls Power and Fall River Electric Cooperative have “smart” meter opt outs, so why doesn’t Rocky Mountain Power?
The best scientific literature makes clear that EMF/RFR can cause harm, particularly to those who are electro-sensitive, such as Esra. This coercion by Rocky Mountain Power and the Idaho Public Utilities Commission must stop immediately.
I urge you to find a way to allow this wonderful family to opt out of the “smart” meter that they do not want or need.
Many thanks.
I wrote to all seven of these men yesterday and none of the emails bounced back so I know that the emails are good. Please just spend 10 minutes writing to all of these people (I included mailto links to make it faster and easier) and please report back if you get any reply.
Your emails get results. A year ago we sent one million emails to Rochelle Walensky and now she’s gone and Covid vaccine clinics are a ghost town. We can and must find a way to keep the electricity flowing to the Edwards family.
Democracy is a contact sport. Let’s go!!!!!!
Blessings to the warriors. 🙌
Prayers for everyone fighting to stop the iatrogenocide. 🙏
Huzzah to everyone building the parallel society our hearts know is possible. ✊
Thank you to everyone who takes action to support the Edwards family. 🙏
In the comments, please let me know what’s on your mind.
As always, I welcome any corrections.
Oh, Toby, I have grateful and humbled tears flowing down my cheeks. It is surreal to see our story relayed here on Substack in such a succinct, pithy and powerful way. Thank you for sharing your gifts and helping us guard and champion Esra.
I too am 'currently' (badda baing bidda boom) involved in a certified letter party with my electric company, have sent a half dozen letters to Mr. Bird you reference up there. VERY IMPORTANT SEE emfhelpcenter.com - it has been a great resource, form letters for sending, and much about measuring emf levels and other things you can do to reduce your exposures. Also, we need to make complaints to the FCC against your utility for illegal broadcasting from your residence. Both parties will deny it but they need to get flooded with complaints. One of the financial issues is they went and bought millions of these meters and no one wants them. They know they have us over a barrel and they are shoving this down our throats, but 'resistance' (badda baing again) is growing!!! emfhelpcenter.com
It is also good to tell other meter providers (gas, water) that you WILL REFUSE any digital smart meters for those if you still are lucky enough have the old style meters. Watch for them trying to slip them in illegally or with little notice and lack of full disclosure about the dangers. These meters explode easily.
Here is a great 16 min vid from the site mentioned to continue the conversation https://youtu.be/GULigoPZq24