The Smart Grid Is the Control Grid

09-05-2012 • http://www.lewrockwell.com, by Roger Toutant

The legal principle that a man can enter upon another man's property only by invitation has been part of English common law for centuries. In 1628, Sir Edward Coke wrote, "For a man's house is his castle and each man's home is his safest refuge." That used to be the case before the state walked right through our front doors in the name of tax collection, environmental protection, building code and bylaw enforcement, etc. Now, thanks to the smart grid, our safest refuge is about to be invaded by the folks who supply our electrical energy. In fact, they're going to sit right next to us on our sofas and they're going to insist on taking over the remote control.

The propaganda about the smart grid leads us to believe that the grid must become smart otherwise we will be left in the dark and without power. By accepting the smart grid, smart meters and smart-grid compatible appliances, the big thinkers claim that we will be doing our part in ensuring a bright and happy future for us and our families. Plus, they promise that the smart grid will offer us cheaper rates during off-peak hours via the miracle of time-of-day billing. They make it sound like a positive step forward.

However, the reality is much more sinister. Beneath the propaganda is a technological monitoring and control system that will reach deep into our homes. It will not only monitor our energy consumption to the minutest detail, but it will offer the ability for central planners to remotely control our appliances and energy consuming devices by either turning them down or completely off.