I'll write more on this later. But, Obama sucked up to Snyder and the party
line that filterred water is now safe and that people shouldn't worry about
damage. Of course his EPA is being sued for their part in this crap and EPA
Head McCarthy was on the flight with Obama. I've never been more disappointed
on or with Obama than in his remarks which I watched in full live at
Northwestern High about four miles from where I live.
BTW Snyder was virtually booed off the stage....
Joe
White House explains Obama's remarks on lead exposure Todd Spangler , Detroit
Free Press WASHINGTON ' The White House on Thursday further explained'President
Barack Obama's comments made a day earlier in Flint that he, too, likely was
exposed to lead as a child, saying they were clearly intended to convey that
Flint's children won't suffer lasting consequences if they receive the proper
support. During the hour-long speech, Obama --'making his first visit to
Flint since declaring an emergency there in January --'noted that it wasn't
until the 1980s that'lead in paint and gasoline was banned, and that, 'if you
are my age, or older ' you got some lead in your system when you were growing
up. Asked at the daily press briefing Thursday whether Obama's remarks were
an unfair comparison to children exposed to high levels of lead in the tap
water, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said the point of the comments
at Northwestern High School in Flint were that 'being exposed to lead is not
going to limit the potential of these kids' if they get proper medical,
nutritional
and educational attention. 'I am sure that somewhere, when I was 2'years old, I
was taking a chip of paint, tasting it, and I got some lead,' Obama said,
explaining that while we recognize those are environmental hazards now, 'as
long as kids are getting good health care, and folks are paying attention,
and they're getting a good education, and they have community support ' these
kids will be fine. Earnest said the president's remarks were not intended
to compare his experience to those with children in Flint, but to underscore
the need for parents not to 'despair about the future opportunities for their
kids to succeed,' or believe that high lead levels --'which have been linked to
cognitive and emotional issues --'should somehow limit their ambitions
for their children. 'The president's making clear that even when the president
was a kid he was exposed to lead and ' he (still) had a very bright future
that allowed him to attend Harvard Law School and be elected president of the
United States,' Earnest said. Earnest also was asked why Obama --'whom the
press secretary had'earlier said was not scheduled to take part in any 'photo
ops' of him drinking Flint water --'did so on three occasions during his
trip to Michigan on Wednesday, including twice during the speech at
Northwestern High School. Earnest said the president drank Flint water after a
meeting
of federal, state and local officials at the urging of a reporter, noting that
the president 'doesn't usually indulge them (journalists) in these kinds
of stunts, but in this case he did. As for the other two times he drank water
during his speech at Northwestern High, the answer was more direct. 'The
man was just thirsty,' Earnest said. As Obama said during Wednesday's meeting,
filtered water in Flint is considered safe to drink, though as an extra
precaution, officials are urging pregnant women and children under age 6 to
only drink bottled water or water from other sources. Contact Todd Spangler
at 703-854-8947 or at tspangler@xxxxxxxxxxxxx. Follow him on Twitter at
@tsspangler.
