I’ve heard so many times over the past few weeks about how the effects of drinking lead-laced water might last a lifetime, that the children of Flint could grow up to face immeasurable hurdles learning and finding productive lives.
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Harvey Hollins III, director of Michigan’s Office of Urban and Metropolitan Initiatives, said in an interview Friday that he received an e-mail from a Department of Environmental Quality official in March about concerns over Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County. It was unclear if both were residential structures. Snyder’s coup d’etat usurped the people’s democratic voice and effectively imposed a corporate-style autocracy over them, run by his unelected CEO-like manager who answers only to Snyder. These dribs and drabs are damaging Snyder’s credibility and contributing to the destruction of the people’s trust in their government.
The emails were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Progress Michigan, a liberal nonprofit, and made public on Thursday.
Hillary Clinton says she will be taking a break from her campaign on Sunday, and will be traveling to Flint to get a first-hand look at the efforts underway to mitigate the water crisis. That’s incredible. But if true, those who failed to pass it on should be held responsible. People are asking what did the Governor know and when did he know it?
The Huffington Post also reports that it asked the state’s GOP if it planned to include another infograph, detailing what “caused the crisis” or how Snyder “ignored repeated warnings”. In an infograph promoted by the Michigan GOP, the Obama administration is accused of not doing enough to fix the problem in Flint, while elaborating the alleged positive work Snyder has done.
Attorney General Bill Schuette has launched an independent investigation looking back to 2006.
It is no wonder the U.S. Attorney’s office and the FBI are investigating the situation in Flint and treating it as a criminal matter.
As lead poisoning captures the attention of presidential candidates, Gerald Markowitz reminds Here & Now’s Peter O’Dowd that the problem is anything but new. Since that time, at least nine people have been reported dead due to the poison water, with almost 90 falling ill. “The Muchmores have a personal interest in seeing to it that Nestle grabs as much of Michigan’s clean water was possible – especially when cities like Flint in the future are going to need that Ice Mountain”.
EPA officials met with Flint residents in January, as did President Barack Obama, who spoke with Flint Mayor Karen Weaver on Jan. 19.
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Snyder owes them, and all of MI, a complete and unfiltered accounting.
