flint sparks water discussion

 

water is life

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Water.

 

Most of us we don’t even think about it.

 

But for 783 million people they think about it a lot.

For 80 countries they think about it a lot.

 

Think about that (a lot).

 

===

Bruce McTague

water water everywhere but nary a drop to drink

written 4/3/2012

 

 

———-

 
As I sat on the exercise bike in the gym watching the news, but not listening to the talking heads, I watched images as they discussed unsafe drinking water in Flint Michigan in the United States.

 

They discussed the issue with one outraged person after another. And each person should be outraged. Water is an essential aspect in living Life and unsafe water disproportionately negatively affects the young more than the old, i.e., unsafe water is impacting the future of our future.

 

 

And, yet, as I watched some of the images of the water itself I kept thinking I had seen an image like that before.

 

 

I had. <see image to the left>.dirty water clean waterflint water gallon jug

 

 

And then I placed the image of the Flint water to the right.

Uhm.

 

They both seem fairly similar.

 

 

One is from Africa and one is from Flint.

 

 

One is representative of what millions are faced with and one is representative of what hundreds are faced with.

 

 

Now.

 

I am not suggesting that the numbers should affect how we feel about this issue.

 

What I am suggesting is that if you believe the visceral response to the Flint water issue is loud … imagine if millions of Americans were impacted by unsafe water.

The din would make us deaf <and multiple heads would roll>.

 

 

Africa?

 

 

<crickets>

 

 

Do I believe access to clean safe water is a human right? No.

Flint residents protest the water quality in the city on Monday, Oct. 5, 2015, outside Flint City Hall in Flint, Mich. Tests have shown elevated lead levels in the drinking water after Flint began drawing and treating water from the Flint River.  (Danny Miller/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP) LOCAL TELEVISION OUT; LOCAL INTERNET OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT

 

Do I believe access to clean safe water is a moral responsibility? Yes.

 

 

We, in America, should absolutely take immediate steps to not only fix what is wrong in Flint Michigan but also scan the country for other access to water issues and resolve them now <let’s call that a national infrastructure update program>.
Personally, I believe in that idea because it not only is a good program from a jobs & economy perspective but if done well I could argue it becomes the platform for a discussion on steps toward how we can solve our national addiction to sugar drinks <free good tasting clean safe water is a great alternative>.

 

 

But, beyond the good ole USofA, maybe we use Flint as a moral wakeup call as we view what we have – and believe is a basic human right – and what millions of others do not have. And maybe do something about it.

 

 

Let me be clear.

 

Access to water is going to be one of the most important global issues in the near future. Set aside any skepticism with regard to human impact on climate change and simply focus on global climate change. It is happening. And the impact the change will have on water access will impact millions & millions of people. Suffice it to say … people will do a lot of extraordinary things to gain access to water under the heading of “survival.”
In America … we have a government which, while flawed, will go to extremes to insure its citizens ‘survive.’

 

In many other countries … there are governments which will do the same.

 

In many other countries … it will simply be the people who will do whatever it takes to survive.dirty water kills

 

 

I imagine my point here is that we either proactively insure people have access to clean safe water or people will do what it takes to gain access to clean safe water.

 

 

Personally, setting aside what could be construed as some relative dire consequences if we don’t proactively address the water issue, I would suggest that we have a moral responsibility to care about the issue beyond our own town, city, state or country.

 

 

Flint should remain all of us that people are people, children are children and water cannot be taken for granted.

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Written by Bruce