Florida Court Ruling Off Grid Survival Illegal
#SpecialMagistrate Harold S. Eskin ruled that Robin Speronis is not allowed to live on her own private property without being hooked up to the city’s water system.
He admitted that she had the right to live without utility power, but said that her alternative power sources must always first be approved by the city.
Speronis has been taking a stand for years not against the city of Cape Coral. Back in November of 2013 a code enforcement officer attempted to evict her for “living without utilities.” The city’s argument is that the International Property Maintenance Code was “violated” by her reliance on rain water rather than paying the city for water. The #IPMC also would make it a crime for her to use solar panels instead of being tied into the electric grid. “It was a mental fistfight,” Todd Allen, Speronis’ attorney said regarding Eskin’s review of the case. “There’s an inherent conflict in the code.”
Freedom Act makes snooping worse – Rand Paul
Joined by a handful of Senators and House members, Rand Paul led the push to block the extension of controversial #PatriotAct provisions, and delayed the adoption of the USA Freedom Act, which re-authorizes #NSAsurveillance on #Americans under slightly different conditions.
The Freedom Act, adopted by the Senate on Tuesday and quickly signed by President Obama, actually makes the situation worse, Paul argued. A federal court ruled that Section 215 of the Patriot Act did not authorize bulk data collection, whereas the Freedom Act contains provisions to actually give the government that authority. “That’s why a lot of people are voting for the reform act,” Paul said. “But actually it’s making things worse. Because the first thing is, it’s making government a partner with #BigBusiness, so #Verizon and AT&T are doing the government’s work. I don’t like that, I don’t like the mixture.” Paul explained that his son called for fighting terrorism while honoring the Constitution and staying true to American values.