Your source at the town and state level for action and thoughtful legislation to protect environmental health, justice, and civil rights.
Upcoming Events
10 October 2020, Saturday ~ Surveillance in Schools
Academic presentation on surveillance in schools - details on guest speaker and presentation to be provided at a later date.
Action Updates
- Amendment to H. 383. We propose the following amendment to H. 383, which is a bill that promotes 5G and has moved forward - for a commission that we believe would be less politicized. Ask your legislator to put it forward!
- Ballot Measure Poll. Please take and share our poll with Massachusetts residents.
- Sponsors & volunteers! Contact us! We especially need volunteers to request meetings with legislators to sponsor our bills on schools and wireless!
- Massachusetts legislation. Senator Moore's amendment #43 to halt smart meters did not go through. The state legislature is nearly done for major bills this year, but we hope S.1988, to stop smart meters, is passed.
- Donations. We need donations. Kirstin, co-chair, has put in years of time and her bank account is always about empty. Every year, continuing and maintaining a presence online is dicey. Being online is costly. Please donate.
- Wireless ordinance. We've taken months to work on a cellular ordinance just for Massachusetts, that incorporates the best of every idea we can find in ordinances from Massachusetts and other states. To contact Last Tree Laws for a copy, see footer below.
- Resources. We've a new organized page of resources on all topics and re-posted a page on why 4G and 5G wireless is a problem. We'll see if we can post a recording of our 1 August event.
- Differences of opinion. Please contact your legislator to stop S. 129, H. 383, and support S. 1988. We're for S. 1988, to halt wireless smart meters, and against both S. 129 and H. 383: S. 129 would likely be an industry-led wireless commission and H. 383 would be. Another group is supporting S. 129. To explain, our main concern is that Governor Baker, who controls appointees, has historically appointed industry representatives and favored business interests (a few examples: Board of Education, cable monopoly, DPU). If Governor Baker follows his record in favor of big business, then the fight over the report findings would divert from other more useful activities.
- Mailing List Issues. We keep having issues with our mailing list and email. We will post updates here when possible. Please consider sharing your phone number and emailing us and adding our email to your address bokk to help establish email contact. If you can't get through to us by email, please consider commenting on the website. We don't know if certain email services automatically block certain other email service providers to advance monopoly, but in some cases our email never arrives at all. We don't know how to fix this issue, and have tried different email providers and IP addresses. If we get an email from you then we usually find that we can successfully reply.
- Know what you are supporting & question what you are told.
- Problem guidance. When signing onto shared testimony or using templates, be careful as some have failed to be critical of legislation that was directly connected to industry groups. Avoid signing on in favor of "great" bills that can be changed later anyway, behind closed doors, and stick instead to signing on in support of concrete ideas. See our blog post on bad bills for more.
- Email waste. Signing onto shared testimony and speaking privately one-to-one with your personal legislators appears more helpful to being heard - we know first-hand some legislators do not read emails due to the number incoming!
- Email or testimony distribution & privacy. Please only share what you can afford to be public when sending testimony, and stick to sending testimony to legislators because:
- The wrong people, such as connected to industry, may get and forward sensitive information about your situation, including email address, name, disability, bank or legal problems, unpublished research, or other private information.
- Strangers are strangers. Even legislators may side with industry against your interests.
- Dismissal of good legislation. Dr. Tim Schoechle, a telecommunications policy expert, has commended our legislative proposals. We've gotten sponsorship of some good bills. Yet, another group's spokesperson has prefaced introductions of our legislation with negativity, and denied sponsorship of our bills exists.
- Co-opting voices and advocacy. If a spokesperson speaks on behalf of the group behind closed doors, what is being said? Does the spokesperson represent you or him/herself, i.e. using the group to advance sales, donations, different aims, control, etc.?
- Collaboration failure. We have shared events of other groups and stopped for now due to lack of (a) time, and (b) for some, lack of fair, sincere quid pro quo and support. We believe in team work, but not at our expense or that of others. Many people work on this issue for free and work hard - failure to provide generous recognition and support increases the pain of doing so and pushes away volunteers.
Other Relevant News
- Boston opposes FCC. The City of Boston has submitted to the FCC a call to "refresh" its outdated exposure guidelines and discusses small wireless facilities (SWFs) as being health concerns. Boston adds that it believes the concerns of the public are real.
- Kennedy v. Markey Senate Race. Despite Markey's support for privacy rights, a terrible sign is Markey's continued support for the devastating Telecommunications Act of 1996, which consolidated media nationally and established the FCC as all powerful with respect to wireless safety. Check Markey's official page and see how he continues to promote his authorship of this act and advancement of the "free market." Read our blog post for more details on the candidates.
- Congress divided on 5G Upgrade Order. The extraordinary 5G Upgrade Order, an illogical argument to preempt local permitting authority, received a letter of opposition and a letter of support from members of Congress. Rep. Joe Kennedy signed onto the letter of opposition to the order. See our politician scorecard for more on where politicians stand - Representatives Neal and McGovern have also indicated opposition to the FCC.
- Western MA wireless rollout. Senator Hinds and Comerford recently inserted an amendment for a few million to support wireless in rural western Massachusetts. This will likely mean the arrival of more 5G small cells, instead of supporting copper or fiber wired services. This came about because areas like Monterey complained Verizon service is terrible.
We are working on legislation to systematically improve environmental health and human rights. We see that systematic changes are needed because politics as usual is failing. Please take our poll to check popular support for various proposed solutions. You can see from our other legislation (MA legislation) that we are serious, but our ballot measure work is still being analyzed and edited and reconsidered. We need to clarify that as a ballot measure group concerned about environmental health and justice, we are also working on and crafting legislation around electromagnetic pollution such as wireless. We are uncertain whether public sentiment supports electromagnetic regulation so far as to make a ballot measure feasible, but are considering legislation development in this area and promotion of public understanding on this topic for future measures or in case public support exists. Please consider donating in support! Our fight for technology regulations isn't just about the environment or technology, but social justice. A lot of legislation out there provides special favors and business opportunities for a few - instead, we favor legislation that helps everyone and avoids promotion of products, individuals, or businesses. Addressing environmental problems should not be an exclusive business opportunity or require payment for safety. Locally, technology needs to be regulated in areas such as: Although we haven't yet crossed the finish line, we've been first to draft some legislative solutions, including but not limited to: Additional work includes: Before continuing, would you please consider chipping in to help continue our legislative work and keep our online presence. We need funds! Yes, random exposure is dangerous. Yes, wireless is everywhere. Often the best you can do is try to reduce power density, and this is not easy nor a complete solution. Scientists have NEVER found a safe level of exposure. If exposure is greater, effects often increase - but serious effects can occur at lower power density. The International EMF Appeal, submitted in 2015 and presently signed by 250 scientists, states: Effects include increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful free radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans. Damage goes well beyond the human race, as there is growing evidence of harmful effects to both plant and animal life. This was written in 2015 - evidence has just continued to accrue showing danger: antibiotic resistance, reduced immunity, altered gene expression, mitochondria damage, etc. Still, scientists and politicians seem confused by old dogma or ignorance, perhaps since education for scientists and doctors often ignores electromagnetic radiation and fails to include a full range of relevant studies: physics, chemistry, biology, ecology, and electrical engineering. Spokespersons for the National Toxicological Program (NTP) dismissed the findings of "clear evidence of cancer" to the press by saying the exposures were abnormal. In fact, in the NTP study exposures were not only legal, but far from abnormal. The truth is, our legal, ordinary exposures are in the NTP danger zone and beyond. Our cellphones, as shown by the Chicago Tribune and by others, even emit at levels beyond the weak but legal FCC guidelines. More information on the NTP study may be found on Dr. Joel Moskowitz's site SaferEMR dot com as well as other sites listed as research sources. Confusion is also generated by "experts" and media affiliated with industry. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) identified wireless as a potential carcinogen (2B) in 2011. Since then, many of the original members of the IARC committee have called for a stronger classification due to existing research and growing understanding. IARC is part of the World Health Organization (WHO). Yet, a few "experts" with industry affiliations maintain the EMF Project inside another arm of the WHO. The EMF Project, headed by an electrical engineer, sends out fact sheets devoid of authors which claim the WHO denies any threats from wireless exposures. The industry recycles a few experts to deny risks, and sponsors media and legislators heavily. At MintPress dot com, Derrick Broze recently summed up lobbying and 5G news deals between Big Telecom, the New York Times and Washington Post in his 11 May 2020 article "How Big Wireless Lobbied Governments to Build 5G For Citizen Data Collection and Surveillance." There isn't any wireless virus research. However, there is research showing wireless harms immunity. Covid 19 likely has other origins, but wireless should be as much or more of a concern than uncovered coughing - wireless likely increases susceptibility and effect. Immune research is underfunded, but troubling. Research by Kolomytseva et al (2002) found 50% suppression of immune function in mice for 2-3 hours following a single 20-minute millimeter wave exposure at 45 GHz. Also see the KompetenzInitiative dot com/brochures for an excellent summary of wireless long-term effects on health. Immune research lists are also available at SaferEMR dot com and Bioinitiative dot org (scroll down main page). A great body of research shows that wireless inflames responses and opens the cell membranes, allowing entry of toxins such as viruses. Covid19 is known to involve a strong inflammatory response - inflammation caused by wireless can only make this worse. There may also be overlap or aggravation of other symptoms associated with wireless exposures, including, oddly enough, loss of smell and burning or tingly skin. 5G would be expected to have greater effect on health just from greater intensity, but also because of factors such as resonance or near resonance with oxygen molecules, especially at 60 GHz which is used for wireless back-haul and other uses. Resonance would interfere with or alter normal chemical reactions. In addition, research exists showing alteration of bacteria populations and increase of antibiotic resistance. While viruses are not bacteria, these changes suggest wireless may change the ecology in the micro-biome. There is one research paper on viruses and electromagnetic exposure - the exposure being to 50 hertz or fields from electricity. Researchers found that when exposed, the EBV virus switched on or was expressed. The virus existed in the sample cells, but was essentially asleep until exposure to the fields. Aside from effects on wildlife, agriculture, ecology, & pollinators, 5G depletes resources and maximizes climate change. Author Katie Singer (dot com) has documented a long list of mineral extraction pollution and energy drain resulting from our wireless dependence - see her fantastic brochures online. Each generation of wireless has required more energy, and 5G is said to steal 60 times the amount of hard-wired connections. 5G supports exponential new uses for technology, from the Internet of Things to AI - which means exponential draw on energy. According to Dr. Livio Guiliani, PhD, Director of Research for the Italian Health National Service and spokesperson for ICEMS (dot edu), we forget that wireless, like the sun, is non-ionizing radiation capable of warming. Dr. Guiliani is concerned the FCC's authorization to cover the world with satellites will mean heating of the air equivalent to the sun: If they will succeed in covering more than 95% of lands, and if they will exceed only 30% more than IEEE and ICNIRP reference levels for microwaves with regards to ordinary people, we'll have a cover of almost all lands at 13 W/kg. Indeed reference level of IEEE and ICNIRP for people and microwaves is 10 W/Kg. But 13 W/kg is 1% of the solar constant (1,3 kW/sqm). Half of the solar constant is reflected, a quarter supply the cycle of water. The residual energy is absorbed by deserts and earth surface. Only 1% is exploited by biosphere. They (FCC, Ellon Musk and Co.) want to pour on the earth the same quantity of energy that the sun releases to our biosphere. While ONU debates around the greenhouse effect (which will keep a part of the released energy from satellites upon lands)... We need interim exposure limits based on PP - 0,1 W/sqm as in some Countries of Europe and in Russia, or less - and interim quality standards based on ALARA - 1 mW/sqm, as in the Resolution of Salzburg (2000), or less- and interim limits for occasional exposures (not valid for earth cover from sky) deduced from the thermal threshold, having applied a safety factor equal to 100 (as in IRPA Guidelines 1989, instead 50 as in IEEE, 1992, or ICNIRP, 1998, standards), recognizing the thermal threshold at 2 W/Kg. Thus we could have occasional exposure limits like global exposure limits in China (or less, if we consider the thermal threshold for drugs-dependent people at 1 W/Kg as early Jones suggested; on the contrary today some researcher is encouraged to propose new higher thermal threshold in order to increase current limits: F Adibzadeh, M M Paulides, G C van Rhoon. SAR thresholds for electromagnetic exposure using functional thermal dose limits. Int J Hyperth 34 (8), 1248-1254, 2018). Otherwise electrosmog will be not only a health hazard but also an environmental and climate hazard! 5G increases the ability of dictators to conduct surveillance and minute controls. This can be seen in China, which has a surveillance system united with social credit points - perceived enemies of the state and their families are denied access to good schools, fun, travel, etc., via lockstep tracking. 5G also increases ability of stalkers, domestic abusers, and criminals to track or hack, the latter through a larger 5G attack surface and from increasing use for systems such as driverless cars. The ability to conduct covert surveillance is possible just from use of WiFi. MocoSafeG recently shared a guide discussing how from a distance or outside a home researchers could identify keystrokes, location, words (lipreading), and number of persons. The technology for this is improving and can be expected to soon be accessible to many criminals. 5G, be emitting a strong signal, will make this type of covert surveillance easy. Doctors Robert Becker, who experienced political fallout for his work, has described the political problems of acquiring environmental health research funding in his cult classic The Body Electric. Yet, research is what forces our society to admit and understand health problems. And of course, also the work against the grain by academics and advocates. Many scientists seek research funds, such as Dr. Olle Johannsson who completed some early research regarding screen dermatitis effects and, of course, had to deal with the unpopularity of his findings. Similarly, academics and reporters face consequences for rocking the boat. At the last minute, what stopped the publishing of investigative reporter Katie Singer's book, Our Web of Inconvenient Truths: The Internet, Energy Use, Toxic Waste and Climate Change? Thirdly, many advocates struggle to get funding even if the a force for change. Last Tree Laws is one organization struggling to pay bills. If you cannot provide financial support to us or any other, time and moral support is also very welcome. Please see our "Local" page for helpful research and materials. Please let us know if you have any trouble downloading any materials. Please support our work by helping with the passage of legislation - please join us! We welcome collaboration and support. Donations are of course welcome and needed, too. Stay in touch by regularly visiting the website for updates.
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Is 5G dangerous? Does it impact Covid19? Climate Change? Lead to a despotic, tyrannical state?
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Could 5G cause climate change or deplete resources?
Will 5G increase tyranny of the state?
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