Josie Renforth DN! Thirsty for democracy

Josie Renforth

Thirsty for Democracy: The Poisoning of an American City   02/17/16

http://www.democracynow.org/2016/2/17/michigans_water_wars_nestle_pumps_millions

Amy Goodman does a story about water rights and access to clean water for the citizens in Michigan.  The citizens of Flint Michigan, whose water was poisoned and the local governmental eaders hid it, lied about it, and then were forced to admit it, but attempted to play down the severity of it, are having to pay some of the highest water rates in the state $140.00 per month.

The National Guard is handing out cases of 16 oz bottles of water, bottled by Nestle.  The residents have to drink, cook, and bathe in the bottled water.  There is NO FEMA presence and although there are cases of larger water bottled and provided by FEMA, however the National guard is handing out the Nestle water.

Amy Goodman speaks mostly to three women of "Michigan Citizens for Water Conservation"  an activist group that was involved in a decade long lawsuit costing them $1 million dollars over protecting Michigans water from Nestle. They won-by sorts, the successfully limited Nestle from pumping 400 gallons of water per minute to 200 gallons per minute. Nestle doesn't pay for the water, but they sell it. Last year they earned 14 billion dollars. 

Nestle and the Federal Bureau of Investigations retailiated against some of the three. One members son was sued by Nestle in a  SLAPP (Stratigic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) and another of the ladies had an Uncle who the FBI went to arrest for a bomb and found him at home in his wheelchair.  So it was eluded being a double amputee without prosthetics would eliminated him as a suspect.

 

The women of the Michigan's Citizens for Water Conservation make some very keen observation's, not only is the Nestle water being donated to the Flint residents, but Detriot, who have clean water cut off.  It is pointed out that this action is Environmental Racism as both Flint and Detriot is being managed by Emergency City Managers and both cities are predominately poor black residents. 

 

The diagnosis is that Nestle a corporation (This is a good example that Corporations are NOT people) from their profit on the free water, the SLAPP Lawsuit, the duration of the lawsuit, nestle was trying to bankrupt the cause, the involvement of the FBI going after the family of the one of the activist.