Michael Moore is arguing that more water bottles won’t help Flint’s crisis. Moore has called for a revolt in Michigan instead of more donations from celebrities and organizations in a letter he posted on his website on Wednesday. In his “Letter to America,” Michael Moore pointed out the futility of donating bottles of water given the amount that would be required on a daily basis.
Moore stated that in order to help everyone, you would have to send 200 bottles a day, per person, to cover what the average American needs each day. Approximately 102,000 citizens times 200 bottles of water, which equals 20.4 million 16-ounce bottles of water per day, every day.
Besides the incredible amount of water needed to keep up with demand, Michael Moore sentiments lean towards it being too late to repair the damage.
“No doctor or scientist who has any way to undo the harm done to thousands of babies, toddlers and children (not to mention their parents). They are ruined for life.”
Flint, Michael Moore’s hometown, has contaminated water that continues to plague the city, causing thousands of children to suffer from lead poisoning. The shift in water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River to cut costs likely sparked this spike in lead contamination for the Michigan city. It appears that lead levels are alarmingly high among children across the entire state, not just Flint, the Detroit News reported.
“In Flint, they’ve already ingested it for these two years, and the toll has already been taken on their developing brains,” Michael Moore added.
Instead of donations, Michael Moore wants the public to revolt and start by sign a petition against Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder .
My NEW letter on Flint. “Do Not Send Us Bottles Of Water. Instead, Join Us In A Revolt.” https://t.co/hfvJFk6p9Y RT! pic.twitter.com/9iwIYSpzmV
— Michael Moore (@MMFlint) January 27, 2016
In his petition, Moore calls on President Obama and Attorney General Lynch to serve justice. Specifically, to investigate, arrest (if warranted), and prosecute Snyder for violating the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulations in cutting off clean drinking water to the city and making the citizens, instead, drink polluted water. Moore’s petition also asks that the Governor is investigated for fraud, political corruption, and for covering up the criminal actions of his administration.
“We ask that you, President Obama, come to Flint and see first-hand the tragedy that has taken place — and then send in the CDC, the EPA, FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers to repair the damage the Governor of Michigan has done to Flint.”
Michael Moore’s petition has already garnered over 474,000 signatures.
In his letter, Michael Moore lists five things that “you and I need to do”
- Demand the removal and arrest of Rick Snyder, the Governor of Michigan.
- Make the state of Michigan pay for the disaster that the state of Michigan created.
- The Federal Government must then be placed in charge.
- Evacuate all Flint residents who want to leave now.
- For those who choose to stay in Flint, FEMA must create a temporary water system in each home.
According to the New York Daily News , Michael Moore described Snyder’s handling of the water crisis as worse than anything a terrorist group could do.
“There is not a terrorist organization on Earth that has yet to figure out how to poison 100,000 people every day for two years — and get away with it,” Moore said.
He’s not the only one of that opinion.
Flint is not a disaster, disasters are unavoidable. This is environmental racism. It is domestic terrorism.
— Michael Lee (@MichaelLeeWrite) January 28, 2016
If a group threatened to poison the water supply, that’d be terrorism. If Gov Snyder’s emergency manager poisoned it, that would be #Flint .
— Jim (@literatepunk) January 24, 2016
Michael Moore and Flint residents are calling for the arrest of Governor Snyder for his political corruption and for covering up the acts of his administration.
Michigan Live reports that over 24 celebrities have made donations to Flint’s cause. Cher has donated over 200,000 bottles of water, Pearl Jam donated over $300,000, and rapper The Game has pledged to donate $1 million in water bottles.
You can read Michael Moore’s letter in full and sign his petition by visiting his website .
[Photo by Nicholas Hunt, Sarah Rice/Getty Images]
