Don't, through Silence, Consent to Energy Use Surveillance!

From the Dagger and Del. Glen Glass:

Dear Neighbor:

It has been an honor of mine to serve as a Delegate of the State of Maryland thus far. Your continued support and feedback have been critical and are important to me. I think it is important to offer you some feedback of my own. With that said, I want to take this opportunity to provide you with an update on the topic of smart meters.

2014 Session Legislation

This session, I have introduced two bills related to smart meters. House Bill (HB) 331 seeks to prohibit utility companies from disclosing consumers’ usage data to third parties. HB 332 looks out for utility consumers by allowing them to opt-out of a smart meter installation at no cost. There has been some attention given by the Senate on these two bills. The Senate’s version of HB 331 and HB 332 is SB 280 and SB 880, respectively. It is a victory that two Senators have introduced those bills in the Senate. Because of that, it is possible that the smart meter legislations will have a better chance of passing and being implemented into law by the end of this year’s session.

HB 331 and HB 332 will be heard on March 6, 2014 at 1:00pm in the House Economic Matters Committee. SB 280 and SB 880 will both be heard on March 4, 2014 at 1:00pm in the Senate Finance Committee. Please do not hesitate to contact my office if you are interested in testifying for any of these bills.

How to Defer the Installation of a Smart Meter

Until the Maryland Public Service Commission makes it decision on opting-out, you can send a letter to your utility company requesting a smart meter to not be installed. Please find attached a document ready to be printed and filled out. The document provides detailed information on how to defer the installation of a smart meter. In short, the necessary information you need when notifying your utility company is your name, address, account number, and signature.

OptOut

“As Big Brother As It Gets”

The issue of privacy is huge when it comes to smart meters. Smart meters essentially enable utility companies to have access to detailed, personal information of the usage of electronics in your home. This YouTube video describes the extent to which smart meters enable utility companies to have access to various forms of information based on one’s usage data. The information provided in the video is worth some consideration.

More Information

More information on smart meters and how to opt-out can be found at www.marylandsmartmeterawareness.org.

Thank You!

Once again, thank you for your continued support. I appreciate your taking the time to read this email. Please do not hesitate to contact my office should you have any comments, questions, or concerns. Also, I encourage you to contact your other Delegates and Senators to express your thoughts on the proposed bills.

Your Delegate and Servant,

Delegate Glen Glass
District 34A

Patriot Social

From the Harford County Dagger and Harford Campaign for Liberty:

February 25, 2014
7 pm – 9 pm

Knights of Columbus Hall
23 Newport Drive
Forest Hill, MD. 21050
Topics for February include:

• Factors driving the militarization of local police
• Immigration reform. What is the GOP leadership considering?
• Annapolis Update. Bills of special interest to the liberty minded patriot.

Free Admission
Cash Bar

Citizens of Maryland vs. the NSA

from the Baltimore Sun

Legislation introduced in the Maryland General Assembly would require state and local officials to refuse to cooperate with the National Security Agency in a wide variety of ways if it continues to collect bulk electronic data without specific warrants.

Eight Republicans in the House of Delegates are backing what they call the Fourth Amendment Protection Act, which would punish officials who violate its provisions by removing them from their positions and excluding them from office permanently.

The eight co-sponsors are among the most libertarian-oriented members of the Republican Party and do not wield a great deal of influence in the Democratic-led House.

Del. Michael D. Smigiel Sr. of Cecil County, the lead sponsor of the bill, said the legislation is intended to protect the Constitution from encroachment by the NSA, one of the state's largest employers

"The NSA is nothing but a tool and we need to make sure the tool is sharpened and pointed in the right direction," he said. "It's easy to protect the Constitution when it's not under attack."

Among other things, the bill could require Howard County, which recently reached an agreement to supply the NSA with water to cool its supercomputers, to cut off the agency. If the county refused to break the agreement, the legislation would cut off state grant funds. The measure would also preclude state agencies from using information uncovered through such data collection practices in criminal investigations.

The bill is a reaction to revelations by former NSA contract worker Edward Snowden about the agency's collection of bulk electronic records known as "metadata" as part of its global effort to counter terrorism.

U.S. Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Maryland Democrat who serves as ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released a statement calling the bill "unnecessarily punitive and ill-informed."

Ruppersberger said the program Smigiel is targeting has been approved by Congress and upheld by federal courts.

"It is bad enough that Edward Snowden has demonized the NSA, but for Maryland lawmakers to degrade their own constituents and threaten so many Maryland jobs is unconscionable," Ruppersberger said.

The legislation is based on model language drafted by the Tenth Amendment Center, an organization dedicated to curbing federal power. According the the center, lawmakers in 12 other states are considering similar legislation.