Water
Flint drinking water pipes, showing different kinds of iron corrosion and rust, Source Flint Water Study http://flintwaterstudy.org/tag/drinking-water/, Authors Min Tang and Kelsey Pieper
“Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom” (James 4: 9).
The children of Flint, MI have been systematically poisoned through government ineptitude and callous disregard.
Meanwhile, the children of Hollywood celebrities are being bathed in Diamond Water, a high priced brand of bottled water said by its promoters to have been “infused with diamonds” and “blessed” by priestess (and reality star) Asa Soltan Rahmati, founder of the company [1][2][3].
Lead leached into the drinking water of Flint from corroded pipes almost as soon as the Flint River was used to replace the previous water source, as a cost savings measure [4].
Repeated warnings of serious health problems were ignored by Gov. Rick Snyder and his staff, over a period of 18 months or more, and false statements made to residents about the safety of their water [5]. Even with a state of emergency declared and the Justice Dept. investigating matters [6], the governor has dragged his feet implementing a comprehensive remedy [7][8].
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated problem. Lead exposure (most often from lead-based paint) is a silent epidemic among inner city children across the nation [9].
As Christians, we should throw ourselves on the ground before God and weep.
—
[1] Daily Mail, “Jetting around the world on private jets, wearing designer cast-offs, dodging the paparazzi and bathing in diamond-infused water: Inside the life of a super nanny to the world’s biggest stars” by Sarah Carty, 12/13/14, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2872587/From-diamond-water-baths-dodging-paparazzi-gifted-designer-clothes-Meet-Australian-VIP-nanny-stars-gives-rare-insight-life-celebrity.html.
[2] Starcasm, “Shahs of Sunset’s Asa Soltan’s Diamond Water: Ridiculous, or Healthy and Luxurious?”, 1/20/13, http://starcasm.net/archives/194171.
[3] Celeb Dirty Laundry, “Shahs of Sunset Star Asa Rahmati Issued Federal Lawsuit for Diamond Water” by Amanda Austin, 1/23/14, http://www.celebdirtylaundry.com/2014/shahs-of-sunset-season-3-asa-rahmati-diamond-water-federal-lawsuit-0123/.
[4] Flint Water Study Updates, “The Unintended Consequences of Migrating to Flint River Water” by Ni Zhu and Siddhartha Roy, 8/23/15, http://flintwaterstudy.org/tag/drinking-water/.
[5] The Washington Post, “In Flint, Mich., There’s So Much Lead in Children’s Blood that a State of Emergency Is Declared” by Yanan Wang, 12/15/15, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/15/toxic-water-soaring-lead-levels-in-childrens-blood-create-state-of-emergency-in-flint-mich/.
[6] The Huffington Post, “Justice Department Investigating Toxic Tap Water in Flint” by Arthur Delaney, 1/5/16, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/flint-michigan-water-lead_us_568be5abe4b014efe0dbb159.
[7] MSNBC, “Flint Water Crisis: Mayor Says, ‘Pipes Have Got to Go’ ” by Erik Ortiz, 2/5/16, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/flint-water-crisis/flint-water-crisis-feds-expand-programs-help-kids-affected-lead-n530556.
[8] MSNBC, “New Plan to Replace Flint’s Lead Pipes Awaits Funding” by Rachel Maddow, 2/11/16, http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/new-plan-would-replace-flint-s-lead-pipes-621460547504.
[9] The Washington Post, “Untold Cities across America Have Higher Rates of Lead Poisoning than Flint” by Yanan Wang, 2/4/16, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/02/04/untold-cities-across-america-have-higher-rates-of-lead-poisoning-than-flint/.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse https://avoicereclaimed.com
A Lawyer's Prayers 
Thank you for this post Anna.How wide is the gulf between children in Flint Mi.drinking lead poisoned water and children in Hollywood bathing in “Diamond Water”? I’d say about the same as the gulf between those children who don’t know what it is to have a full stomach and those children who have never gone to bed hungry.
The fact that such a catastrophe could be happening right before our eyes is a testimony to how broken we are as a nation.Taking the word Christian out of the mix,doesn’t common sense and decency says that as soon as the Flint Mi situation became known, the full power of local,state,and Federal governments should have been unleashed to fix this? Aren’t our people,especially defenseless children, worth this? Don’t they deserve this? Is clean water in America so hard to come by?
I am afraid that our disconnect from God only grows wider,and the full force of our decisions will weigh heavily on generations to come as they inherit innumerable problems and not enough resources to correct them.Our children and grandchildren will sure pay a steep price for the sins of those who came before them.
As you so eloquently stated: “As Christians, we should throw ourselves on the ground before God and weep”. At this point, I am at a loss as to what other options we have.
You are a blessing, Ron. I could not have put it better.
sigh… 😥 ♥ ❤