OUR MISSION
The Cellular Phone Task Force is dedicated to halting the expansion of wireless technology because it cannot be made safe. We provide:
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education to the public concerning electromagnetic pollution (electrosmog)
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advocacy for an electromagnetically cleaner environment
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support for individuals disabled by radiation from wireless technology and other sources.
ORAL ARGUMENT SCHEDULED IN TENTH CIRCUIT APPEAL
On May 10, 2012 environmental attorney Lindsay Lovejoy will argue our case before a panel of three federal judges in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver.
This groundbreaking lawsuit, Firstenberg v. City of Santa Fe, was originally filed in state district court in New Mexico to assert the rights of people with disabilities whose lives are threatened by the proliferation of cell towers. If we prevail, we will set a critical precedent. No longer will the courts, the government and the industry be able to pretend that the growing numbers of people who are being cast aside by society in its embrace of these technologies do not exist. No longer will people who oppose Smart Meters, WiFi in schools, and other technologies be afraid to tell the courts that they are suffering.
It is up to a court’s discretion in any appeal whether to hear oral argument, or to decide the case entirely on the written briefs. A court will only hear oral argument if it thinks that important legal issues have been raised. This court has scheduled oral argument in spite of requests by the City of Santa Fe and AT&T that it not do so.
Our reply brief states as follows:
“The Telecommunications Act should not be interpreted to injure an identifiable segment of the population, exile them from their homes and their city, leave them no place where they can survive, and allow them no remedy under City, State or Federal laws or constitutions.”
We have asked that if the court so interprets the Telecommunications Act, then it must also find that it is unconstitutional. The Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee to all citizens the equal protection of the laws, and say that no citizen may be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.
Donations Needed before May 10
We need to raise additional money to pay Mr. Lovejoy for work already completed, and to send him to Denver on May 10 to argue this appeal. If you are a person who consistently contributes, your support has been vital in bringing us this far. If you are one of the majority who reads these newsletters and who has not yet contributed, we need your support at this critical time. Donations may be made on this web site.
Three other lawsuits are presently underway in federal courts: one in Naperville, Illinois, against Smart Meters; one in Maine, also against Smart Meters; and one in Portland, Oregon, against WiFi in public schools. The plaintiffs in those cases are alleging violation of privacy rights, property rights, and scientific evidence of harm from microwave radiation. The case in Maine, Friedman v. Maine Public Utiilties Commission, will be argued before the Maine Supreme Court the week of May 7.
In previous cases involving microwave radiation and health, judges have been unwilling to rule against the wireless industry on the basis of only theoretical harm. What our case in the Tenth Circuit brings to the table for the first time are allegations of actual injury caused to people with a documented disability that requires them to avoid exposure to microwave radiation for medical reasons.
Please tell others about our work, send them to our website, and urge them to contribute to this lawsuit. Every $50—or whatever you can afford—will help send Lindsay to Denver to argue this appeal. Our goal is to raise $16,000 before May 10. We are a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and all donations are fully tax deductible. Please become a member, if you are not one already, in order to ensure that you continue to receive updated information about this case and other important news.
RECENT NEWS:
Council of Europe Adopts Resolution Warning about Dangers of Electromagnetic Fields
New Russian Recommendations Against Cell Phone Use By Children