While Flint Was Being Poisoned, State Workers "Quietly" Provided Water Coolers

[Octafish]

Geez.

Following release of new document and emails, Gov. Snyder told he must 'explain to the people of Flint why his administration trucked water into a state building while allowing residents to drink unsafe water'

-- Common Dreams staff

SOURCE: http://commondreams.org/news/2016/01/28/while-flint-was-being-poisoned-state-workers-quietly-provided-water-coolers

These really are NAZI Times.

[SummerSnow]

1. I saw that on Maddow.Amazing

[Octafish]

3. Members of Michigan government knew the water was poison.

They thought no one would ever know they knew.

Maybe they're all poisoned? They certainly act like it.

Maybe WE're all poisoned? They certainly don't care.

[SummerSnow]

5. They should all be locked up.Where's the justice.

I know Michael Moore is going to make a documentary about this.

[JimDandy]

2. That is approaching depravity. Get the lead out of getting Snyder removed from office.

[Octafish]

4. It is depraved.

Call us bleeding heart liberals, but the Democrats I know feel sorry for people who are suffering.

Remember George H W Bush, during the Rodney King riots in 1992, blamed the "failed Great Society" programs for the lawlessness.

These GOP types think nothing at all about others' suffering.

Who's really nuts?

[yellowcanine]

6. Yes I saw this. Could be the "smoking gun" which brings down Rick Snyder.

Who in the state government ordered this? Was anyone in the Governor's office involved? What did Rick Snyder know and when did he know it? Let the email games begin!

[Octafish]

9. They've tried to maneuver the DEM State Treasurer into harm's way.

After failing to win the Democratic nomination to oppose Snyder in the gubernatorial campaign of 2010, Andy Dillon was invited to serve as State Treasurer.

The memos Snyder released say Dillon was the official who made the call to OK the switch to Flint River water.

Dillon said he thought Flint wouldn't be using the water to drink. Honest.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/01/former_michigan_state_treasure.html

Thing is, Dillon is one of the "centrist" Democrats who seems to reach across the aisle when the subject is money. So, it may be another case of following the green trail.

[yellowcanine]

7. The document at issue—dated January 7, 2015—is an administrative order

showing the state had decided to provide bottled-water coolers "positioned near water fountains" in state offices so that workers could "choose which water to drink."

And I have to wonder - were any signs placed on the water fountains suggesting the water might not be safe to drink? This is what is generally done in these situations. A bottled-water cooler generally doesn't just show up with no explanation. Besides the signs, there would be emails sent out to occupants of the building explaining the presence of the coolers. And the signs are there as a reminder and for anyone who missed or is not on the email list. "Choosing which water to drink" is pure bullshit.

[Octafish]

10. Snyder's claiming executive privilege when it comes to the memo trail.

Snyder doesn’t have to release Flint emails under FOIA

The memos should all be available to the public, seeing how Snyder's doing the People's business on the People's dime.

What doesn't show up are the people above Snyder -- the ultrarich GOP folks from the DeVos and Koch clans -- who backed the Detroit bankruptcy, part of which would lead to privatization of the regional water system.

Money.

[yellowcanine]

15. If Snyder hides behind EP his goose is cooked for sure.

Not as if this is a national security issue or anything. This is about public drinking water standards. There should be complete transparency so that the problem can be resolved and not repeated in the future.

[nilesobek]

22. Snyder is completing the coverup.

The only reason to use executive privilege in this situation.

IMO this is attempted genocide on the people of Flint Michigan. The poor and minorities were considered expendable. Snyder should grab his shovel, his boots and gloves, run to the nearest contaminated street and start replacing pipes one by one all the while apologizing.

China knows how to deal with this kind of corruption that harms society. It brings to mind that factory owner in China who killed all those dogs in America with his poison dog food. He just didn't care and wanted that money.

[Calista241]

8. Aren't water coolers rather common?

Every office I've ever worked in had a water cooler. And buying those bottles for the water coolers is a part of a contract signed with the provider. And NONE of those bottles are just filled up from tap water.

I'm not saying Flint wasn't shafted, but the conspiracy would have to be pretty deep for each state office to know enough about the issue to get water coolers for their employees.

[Octafish]

11. Water coolers next to drinking fountains spewing brown sludge may be a sign.

We're learning that Michigan's government acts Nixonian: When the State does it, it's not illegal:

Snyder admin trucked clean water into Flint state buildings in Jan 2015

Posted By Allie Gross
MetroTimes on Thu, Jan 28, 2016 at 3:22 pm

We don't think anything could surprise us at this point.

New emails from the Department of Technology, Management and Budget (DTMB) show that the Snyder administration secretly trucked clean water to Flint's state house in January 2015, nearly nine months before Gov. Snyder publicly acknowledged the elevated lead levels in Flint's drinking water, and nearly a year to the day before Snyder declared Genesee County, home to Flint, a state of emergency.

The docs, obtained by Progress Michigan, show the January 7, 2015 announcement that water coolers would be delivered to each floor of Flint's state house. The facility notification explains that the water coolers would be placed next to water fountains so that government employees "can choose which water to drink."

Okay. So let's get this straight: state employees are given clean water and Flint citizens are told to "relax." Lovely.

SOURCE: http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2016/01/28/snyder-admin-trucked-clean-water-into-flint-state-buildings-in-jan-2015

The thing is, like all in politics these days, those who actually pay for politicians such as Rick Snyer -- the politically active DeVos and Koch families and the richierich outta the Mackinac Policy Conference -- play giant and unacknowledged roles in driving decisions, like emergency managers for Flint and Detroit, and the resulting rush to privatize services, such as water.

I'd call that a conspiracy, seeing how what they do is subvert democracy, as well as hurt human life.

[yellowcanine]

13. Not usually installed next to an existing water fountain and accompanied by a water advisory.

The point is this makes it clear that the state government knew there was a problem yet the Flint public was apparently not made aware of this. I don't know whether that makes it a "deep conspiracy" or not but clearly information which should have been given to the people in Flint was not - at least not with any urgency.

[Calista241]

17. Well, i'd say that looks pretty damning.

Poor Snyder. He's definitely going to have to resign and live off his millions. As long as he's not affecting other people with his horrible decisions.

[WhaTHellsgoingonhere]

12. Doesn't the DOJ need to investigate?

[Blue_Tires]

14. So can the MI governor get fucking recalled or what?

[Holly_Hobby]

16. It's not just Flint

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027571486

( )

[KamaAina]

18. More here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10027569547

[Duppers]

19. Dismissed & ridiculed, Va Tech researchers fought to prove Flint's water was unsafe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/112796248

From DUer mahatmakanejeeves' post:

After a falsified city government report, included below, claimed that there was no contamination, a volunteer Virginia Tech research team proved that alarming levels of the neurotoxin lead were present in Flint’s drinking water. ... The residents and researchers fought an uphill battle convincing the Flint government that a crisis was at hand.
....

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) also fought the findings, telling the media that the Virginia Tech research team “(pulls) that rabbit out of that hat everywhere they go,” implying that the researchers results were no more than an illusion.
....

The research team at Virginia Tech consists of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, research scientists and principal investigators. The team has received extensive national attention throughout the past few months. The study has been featured on CNN, The Daily Show, NBC News, The Washington Post, CBS News and much more.

...

The heroic professor who helped uncover the Flint lead water crisis​ has been asked to fix it
...He is again largely funding this effort out of his own pocket. He received a small $33,000 emergency grant from the National Science Foundation, but he has estimated that he’s spent another almost $150,000.
...
“I feel like I’m doing the job I was born to do,” he said. “I get up every day with such a sense of purpose I wish everyone could experience something like that once in their life.”

[Octafish]

20. Virginia Tech professor used his own money. Here's how to help...

From Metro Times

SOURCE: http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/archives/2016/01/13/help-the-researcher-who-helped-expose-flints-lead-levels

Thanks to the hard work of researchers and volunteers, including and especially Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards, we know know a great deal more about what happened to Flint's water system. The costs of decisions made under emergency managers who reported to Gov. Snyder will haunt Michigan for decades, and could end up being in the billions of dollars.

But there were also significant costs associated with uncovering what happened. And now Edwards could use a bit of help himself, as he donated a lot of his money toward the significant expenses involved in testing and research. Former MT news editor and ACLU journalist Curt Guyette explains:

"I didn't think it was possible to hold Virginia Tech professor Marc Edwards in any higher esteem, but damn if he didn't just prove me wrong. Turns out that he's been footing much of the bill for the independent testing of Flint's water out of his own pocket. As someone who has been involved in this issue for more than six months now, I can say with certainty that, were it not for the tireless efforts of Edwards and his VT team, this scandal would not have come to light. I already knew he was an an extraordinary human being. Now, it seems, there needs to be some new superlative coined to describe him. I say this because he is tapped out and needs to raise some money to keep the effort going."

You can see the online fundraiser at FlintWaterStudy: http://flintwaterstudy.org/2016/01/the-flintwaterstudy-research-support-fundraiser/

Who knew government was so evil?

[Duppers]

21. Thank You! nt