An interesting possibility which may become reality if the
comatose American public ever wakes up to that point . . .

From: Feline <tomcat@verdeonline.com>
So, you want to make a protest?  What is your topic?  Stop Personal Income
Taxes?  Sixteenth Amendment wasn't properly adopted by the states?  Stop
murdering millions of unborn children through Abortions?  Reform Government?
Reduce Government spending?  Stop excessive Child Support and reform the
laws?  Overturn Roe v. Wade?   Whatever?

Being a power engineer, I have a suggestion, but first a little background:

Electrical Power is based upon customer "demand."  By demand, I mean that if
a consumer turns on a 100 watt bulb at 5:00 p.m. a big power generator
connected to the system must increase its power output by 100 watts, and
speeds up a very slight amount.  If one million consumers turn on a 100 watt
bulb at exactly 5:00 p.m., 100 mega watts must be brought on line to provide
the power "demand" in one area, that is a bunch of speedup and takes time.
The frequency sags below 60 Hertz.   

If one million consumers first goes around their houses at exactly 4:45 p.m.
and turns on all of his appliances, lights, air-conditioning, oven, range top
burners, televisions, power tools, welders, dryers, washing machines, mixers,
(you get the idea) and waits at the main power switch with his watch set for
exact time of 4:55 p.m. and throws the main switch to shut OFF his entire
home -- then waits exactly 5 minutes and turns on the main switch bringing
all of his appliances into a "demand," there will be a "demand" for power
that you cannot believe AT EXACTLY 5:00 P.M.

If this group of consumers continued to cycle the main circuit breaker in 10
minute intervals for the next 2 hours until 7:00 p.m. there would be a
scramble that you could not believe at the power plants and in the utility
companies that would make southern California "Brownouts" look like a walk in
the park.   

You see:  The power companies know there will be an increase in the "demand"
during the peak hours between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. in the summer of the year
2001 from 4 to 6 percent higher than last year, when the RECORD PEAK was
measured at 5,000 mega watts on the System in our area.  [This means they
expect the peak to be exceeded by -- from 200 mega watts to 300 mega watts as
a natural growth].

A protest movement by a large segment of the population could gain strength
and recognition of their issues by shutting down large areas by flipping
their main power switches in unison for two hours during peak usage.   

Power companies utilize what is known as "spinning reserve" to meet the
"demand" for power, "spinning reserve" generators take up the slack -- so to
speak -- for any unusual "demand" cycles.  Since some customers are turning
their lights on, while others are turning their washing machines off, (for
example), the diversity cancels each other and the spinning reserve
generators do not have to react.

It is the timing of "demand" that produces the effect needed.

The generators used for "spinning reserve" have as their main function to
keep the frequency at 60 cycles per second, (now known as 60 Hertz).  When
the demand slacks off, the generators overspeed and a regulator causes the
generators to slow down to maintain the 60 cycles.  When the generators are
slowed down and the demand is turned on, the generators are called upon to
increase their speed, (very difficult to instantly move a very heavy object
faster), and the frequency of the power decreases to below 59.5 Hertz.  At 57
Hertz, all hell breaks loose and an automatic "Brown Out" occurs to stop the
"Demand" and restore the frequency.  Such is the life of our electrical
Systems, and the problem in Southern California.

Southern California failed to build generators, (politically incorrect,
greentree huggers, and social reform groups got their way).  The increase for
the demand for power did not stop, and it finally surpassed the "spinning
reserve" causing automatic Brownouts all over California during the high peak
demands of winter.  The same will occur this summer, as a natural course of
events.  New generation cannot be built over night.  It takes years of
planning, and construction over at least a three year time period.  The
California Brownouts are a direct result of Clinton economics for the 8 years
he was in office, and the deregulation of power companies at the state level.
No one in the adjoining states planned their construction of generation to
provide additional power for California.  There is no extra generation
available for sale to California at any price.  The adjoining states have
their own problems.  The news media is not explaining the entire problem to
the public.

Anyone with a little imagination could capitalize on this simple two hour
switch sequence ... get the demand as high as possible going on at 4:45 for a
few minutes, as people turn on their appliances for a power off at exactly
4:55.  Down go the generators.  At exactly 5:00 p.m. a million ( or a 100
million ) homes turn on their entire houses and the generators cannot keep up
and trip off, blacking out large areas.  Every 10 minutes the cycle repeats
itself for the entire peak demand as the automatic brownouts continue across
the land.  Now is the time.

30 days?  90 days?  all year?  [Recommend that all perishables be protected
with spare generators or empty your refrigerators].  It is going to be a long
hot summer.
Change the laws, eliminate personal income taxes.  Reduce the size of
government.
Eliminate child support.  Stop abortions.  Prevent drugs from entering this
country.

Whatever trips your trigger, trips the generators.