Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder Arrested
Michigan has issued a state of emergency for the city of Flint over the lead poisoning in their water supply. It appears though that the Governor, Rick Snyder, and some high-level staffers were aware of the problem long before the emergency was declared. Some are now calling for the governor to be arrested.
Emails obtained by NBC News show that the governors chief of staff wrote, “I’m frustrated by the water issue in Flint. These folks are scared and worried about the health impacts and they are basically getting blown off by us (as a state we’re just not sympathizing with their plight),”, reports truthdig.com. However, for some reason the governors office waited until the first week of January to declare the state of emergency, and now for some, the damage has been done. In a study that was released this past September, Hurley Children’s Hospital has identified a rise in the amount of lead present in the blood samples of children who are less than 5 years old. And this damage cannot be undone.
It’s hard to claim you are concerned for your constituents and their health with a flub like this. But, the US Department of Justice is watching, announcing this week that they too are launching an investigation into the water crisis and its handling.
Truthdig.com also reports that Michael Moore, a Flint native, is also involved, writing an angry letter to Governor Snyder:
“Your staff and others knew that the water in the Flint River was poison—but you decided that taking over the city and “cutting costs” to “balance the budget” was more important than the people’s health (not to mention their democratic rights to elect their own leaders.) So you cut off the clean, fresh glacial lake water of Lake Huron that the citizens of Flint (including myself) had been drinking for decades and, instead, made them drink water from the industrial cesspool we call the Flint River—a body of “water” where toxins from a dozen General Motors and DuPont factories been dumped for over a hundred years. And then you decided to put a chemical in this water to “clean” it—which only ended up stripping the lead off of Flint’s aging water pipes, placing that lead in the water and sending it straight into people’s taps.”
Mr. Moore is also circulating a petition calling on the U.S. Attorney General to arrest Gov. Snyder for corruption and assault.
Our hearts go out to everyone in Flint, especially the Moms and Dads who are terrified for their children’s health and well-being. We hope that there are some local doctors who can help these kids to detoxify and get back to living the lives they deserve. We will continue to watch this story and update you.
Source: truthdig, Common Dreams and Huffington Post
