TheIncrediblePirate
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Osceola Township, with a population of less than 2,000, is being sued by Nestlé so it can pump even more water from Michigan to sell at a huge profit.
When the Township denied Nestlé's application to build a booster station to pump 400 gallons of water per minute, Nestlé got mad and sued.
The hearing starts in just two weeks and Osceola Township is already $30,000 in debt from fighting Nestlé. Osceola Township members just reached out to SumOfUs seeking our help to pay for the legal fees knowing that time and time again, you've stopped Nestlé all over the world.
Source: https://actions.sumofus.org/a/nestle-is-suing-a-tiny-township-in-michigan-for-protecting-its-water-from-nestle-s-greed-driven-extraction?akid=36156.13924448.T8Xp6z&donation_band=nondonor&rd=1&source=fwd&t=2
I’m not asking you to donate or anything, even just reading the story and realizing how the corporate world works helps.
clgibeault31415
Got nothing good to say about nestle , on average they pay pennies for a huge semi of water as product then sell back at massive markup
Groose
What are they suing them for though? Theres a ton of missing i formation
zasolka
Well shit, I live in Osceola township...
HarrisonWellsc137
It's not that big a deal as the story makes you to believe. Ventra pumps 10x the water a day nestle wants to.
mohstlyfreshreposts
Holy shit if a company can sue for that imagine what I can sue for! new ferrari here I come
OntopDownunder
Fuck these pieces of shit. Fucking scumbag cunts!
Tlaxxil
Honestly this is when said township should go "you are a corporation. You cannot make elected officials do your bidding-or else"
Darkspire
*laughs in "political donations"*
Totallycasual
If some real life Dexter type character started clipping CEO's and corrupt politicians i wouldn't be the slightest bit sad.
km9v
I heard Flint has plenty of water.
Parrila9
No stle!
CustardPies
Corporations like nestle are allergic to bad publicity. Don't just put it on imgur. Get the press involved and social.media
SalientSeven
They've sued Canada and lost a few times already.
CriticalJudgementalElitistPrick
Similar thing happening in Portland, fuckkng greedy bastards
notmuchthoughtoreffort
how? how can a corporation sue a township?
Damnitshardtopickausernamethathasntbeenchoosen
Exactly my thought! Wouldn't that be the same as me asking to buy your house and you say no, so therefor i sue you? I don't get it.
Munchman347
Remember? The White House passed a law making corps 'people'. It was mostly to get more 'donations', but also allows them to sue...
LOlivingVE
This article is horseshit. The town denied an application for a ‘booster’(Nestle has been pumping since 2011) and Nestle is filing an appeal
thedevil
To be fair many of us know what other bullshittery nestle has pulled and is pulling. They ARE an evil mega-Corp that abuses their power.
ringox
Around 2-3 years ago there were rumors circulating around my country that some corporation was planning to privatize some water source (1)
ringox
Although I hate the current populist Government, they didnt take any chances and proposed amendment to our constitution basically saying (2)
ringox
that water resources cannot be transported beyond our borders.
Darkspire
That was smart. We need to do that in 'murica, these cunts need to learn their place.
skrimg59
STAY AWAY FROM OUR LAKES
patotheduck
I'm out of the loop here in the UK. Why does a chocolate bar company want shed loads of water?
DidItForScience
They're trying to buy up water rights all around the world.
patotheduck
Sounds like some James Bond Shit.
Captaintippie
They also sell bottled water
rshini
Nestle is a conglomerate that has a lot of fingers in pies, including expired baby formula and bottled water
CompelledCynic
They are not just a chocolate bar company...they are the single biggest food and drink company in the world and they sell bottled water.
TheKingofBees33
I never plan on buying a Nestle product again after what they did in Africa. I let friends know this when I see them buying their stuff.
Ihavewaytoomanyfavoritestosort
Remember how big their brand is. They don't always put their name on the front of the box.
scubasteveATO
I know many people from Osceola, they’re a small, friendly town of hard working people who deserve better than being bullied by big business
TheIncrediblePirate
Wish them all the best. Hope it ends well!
scubasteveATO
Thanks! And thank you for raising awareness!
HarrisonWellsc137
Osceola isn't a town in Michigan. Perhaps you're thinking of somewhere else?
scubasteveATO
It’s a small township made up of a collection of unincorporated territories in Michigan. It’s also the name of the county that it’s in.
HarrisonWellsc137
That's right
salinawyldcat
To be clear, Nestlé doesn't want to pump Osceola's water. It wants to build a pump to increase throughput of it's existing pipe.
LittleDiDi
They've also applied for additional water pumping rights here in Mi... guess how much tax $ they give us in return? Not enough
ontimegreg
If you stupid people would quit buying bottled water, they would quit bottling it
browniesftw
yes. i'll just drink my water that tastes like iron and actually slowly damages clothes due to high mineral content.
ontimegreg
Try a water softener and water filter. I do also
Lepercake
Hey remember the time they killed all them African kids? I membeh!
PoopyPantsStinkerButt
Just Nestle going after the town's water for profit is fucky, but fuck them AND their sisters for attacking the town with a lawsuit.
PattiMichelle
Yet, I'll bet you buy Nestle products - they're using *your* money to sue. Don't you see?
governmentgavemeagun
NOT. ANY. MORE.
51CorgisInABar
They can’t let precedent be established, same as when the oil companies went after towns that banned fracking within their limits
ForgotMyOtherAcct
That's not really new, they do this regularly
Flyndaran
Not saying that such nasty corporations are anything but nasty. But going after profits is kind of what all companies do.
DevonLacroix
Doesn't mean we have to allow it when they overstep.
Flyndaran
We need to make such things illegal so that it is "overstepping". As it is, it's just "good business" to do so.
thebelltollstv
How is it legal for a company to ask permission, get denied permission, then sue? Why is that a thing that can happen?
hawkesnightmare
Because corporations are legally people.
thebelltollstv
Yeah, but if I want to build a shed in my backyard and my town says no, I can't just go and sue them. Right?
hawkesnightmare
Technically you can, though there are a lot of restrictions on the situation, namely if they denied you out of malice or negligence.
lelandbenedict
If only we could organize enough to boycott them for it
napsmear
As someone from Michigan, fuck Nestle.. and fuck Hershey too, they sued Art Van (a MI. based furniture company)
TheIncrediblePirate
I'm very sorry to hear that
HeyItsFreddie
As someone also from Michigan, I'm with you.
Roserapaine
so I can't buy nestle or hersheys products anymore?
seriouslyunrealisticexpectations
Lindt is better anyway.
tourettesguy54
Why?
AIRBORNEALLTHEWAY
Dooting so I can find this when someone answers. I'm curious too.
napsmear
Hershey? for this..
its a chocolate bar (couch) on 1 of their trucks.
AIRBORNEALLTHEWAY
Sue happy fuckers >_>
Chapimgur
Please tell me Art Van won the verdict.
napsmear
has to do with the color used (red) Hershey also sued Mars over their orange Reeses wrapper color scheme. copyrighting color schemes? wtf
aGuyfromWalmart
It makes sense with mars, color is a brand ID. competition with the same colors could water down your brand. The couch is weird though
BigBenThisHeresRubberDuck
"Yeah I was thinking about buying a Hershey's candy bar but then I saw a picture of a couch that looked like one so I bought it instead."
crann
but hershey doesn't own the concept of a chocolate bar (right?!)
hawkesnightmare
No but they probably own the specific style of packaging on their bars, which this company used the likeness of.
crann
You are totally right,I checked it out and its the "dressing" that they were upset about. Why sue when a C&D would have served just as well?
demonic
What was the claim for the Hershey lawsuit? Hershey does a lot of good for kids so I'm curious about the suit.
FlintMurdaMitn
A lot of good? By giving them rotten teeth and diabetes? Fuck that company and any company bent on profits over people.....
demonic
https://www.mhskids.org/about/
TuxKamen
The Milton Hershey school is legit. They do a lot for youth in central Pennsylvania.
demonic
My best friend and his sister went to Milton Hershey.
mawfuggincheese
Same thing is happening in southwestern Ontario, Canada. Nestle greed.
crowkiller06
Years from now everyone is going to be thinking: “Man! Quantum of Solace was so ahead of its time.”
Lisossoma
Quantum of solace is inspired by what happened in Bolivia () https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_privatization_in_Bolivia
jolem53
Nestlé knows the water wars are coming. They are trying to hoard as much as they can. Scary.
phoenixsphinx
As long as states let companies run house like this it will just get worse
Calmeister
Avatar Book 5: The Water Nation strikes back
cyno01
Energy is only getting cheaper, cheap energy = desalination becomes cost effective. Not that its not important and neslte arent assholes.
Glaive18
This. Not many people realize the tech is already there, but the energy costs need to be drastically reduced
Glaive18
https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-05-15/desalination-expensive-energy-hog-improvements-are-way
IMayOrMayNotHaveTroubleFindingAndOrChoosingAUsername
CheapER, yes, but not as cheap as just pumping clean water up from the ground.
cyno01
Well no, but not everywhere in the world has an aquifer that supports the aboveground human population anyway. Nobody in the middle east +
cyno01
is going to fight a war over water when they could just throw down more solar panels for desalination. Nobodys talking about desalinating+
Raptor052
Would it be possible to make a Desalination plant powered by Tidal Energy and supplied by those same tides?
exguerrero
In a decade or so.
Abrausedteleprot
short answer yes, but desalination takes a huge amount of power that tidal can't generate (yet)
Senofa
Recent advances in desalination techniques might make it more feasible. If they end up being commercially viable of course
ShmoeJoeHoe
What do you mean by water war?
Nibbets
Whats more scary is I can't tell if that is real or not
Drgreennug
Make the oil wars look like lilbitch
qthegoodtimes
Their CEO and board do not believe that water and access to it is a basic human right.
Fumoufu
Lmao, human rights
qthegoodtimes
WARHAMMER405
Time to lock and load. See how fast they change their tune when a bunch of pissed off and armed Michiganders show up.
qthegoodtimes
As much as I appreciate that sentiment, I've lived in Michigan for the last 19 years. People bitch but very little action is taken.
damien309
That's all of America, not just Michigan. =D
doctorbocker
Nestle doesn't really believe in human rights.
WAITAREYOUSERIOUSohyourenotokaythatscool
True. They advertised their baby formula as better than mother's milk and caused hundreds of infant deaths in third world countries.
FreezyFish
I think it was due to bad water mixed with it in third world countries but yeah...still bad.
qthegoodtimes
They are truly scum
OpticRocky
Holy shit that was Nestle?! I was trying to track down that story bc I remembered it from high school the other day. Thank you!
criticalmassdriver
They also put lead in the noodles they sold to India and where well aware of its presence in their food stuff and did not admit it.
TheGreatBlueHeron
They also own a shit ton of food brands; it's very likely we're all supporting them.
SaucyFineBolognaFactory
they're also big fans of child labour
schleimkeim
They are doing this for over ten years now.
Buckbeak1486
They have been*
schleimkeim
Oh no the grammar police!! Just kidding. Actually, thank you for the correction.
dannowhammo
I have German friends and that's how they would say that. My guess is that they're German.
schleimkeim
close. I'm Swiss.
Buckbeak1486
Why are they called Swiss Army Knives? Seem kind of useless in combat.
dannowhammo
Curses, so close. Just one neutral war stance away from German. I jest.
CreepyPhlox
https://media.giphy.com/media/JrSvpT69E4bzq/giphy.gif
Ruhig
They're already happening in other areas...
TheIncrediblePirate
This is like the cartoon Skyland
sowasvonsowas
Nestle is an evil corporation. They also sell out of date baby formula in 3rd world countries. Their CEO has stated 'water is not a right.'
masterscompanion
Its funny how healthcare housing education and water are not a right any more I think air is next
DuineSgith
https://imgur.com/noJg6v5
hotdropoclock
"DO NOT, MY FRIENDS, BECOME ADDICTED TO WATER" -Nestle CEO or Immortan Joe? The world may never know.
XedtheRed
unless it is them?
Allofyoush
That's like saying that living isn't a right. Fuck that shit.
percivaldanvers
If water isn't a right, what right have they to take so much of Michigan's water?
ArdentSlacker
Because might makes right. Which... as a doctrine, is risky, because it means you are in a constant state of war. And shit blows up in those
Dingus2
Sorry, but on what grounds are they filing suit? They have no right to the town's water.
starrychloe
https://youtu.be/U_80bWlLJvg
SwaghettiYologneseWithMemeballs
Someone should stab him with one of those things from the Tank Girl movie then.
UndercoverDumbledore
They also then remove the low cost when mothers can no longer produce milk and charge more when they can't afford it.
starrychloe
https://youtu.be/U_80bWlLJvg
starrychloe
Do you know the difference between positive rights vs negative rights?
superpaul79
Aren't all corporations evil?
BossCar9
Depends on which corporations you’re talking about.
darkdragonempress
Nah. There's corporations that try to be okay. Corporations that just kinda do what they can for money but they don't go psychotic in the 1
darkdragonempress
Pursuit. Then you have the evil ones. 2
sowasvonsowas
I think there are a small number that are somewhat human/humane... but I can't think of one right now! :'(
SendMePicturesOfYourDog
Ol Musky is popular here
MadHakon
That's half the story. His position was that water has incredible value. It has incredible importance and shouldnt be wasted.
Cyzyk
Shouldn't be wasted. On people.
starrychloe
Water isn't a right. Neither is food, nor healthcare, nor internet, nor shelter. Do you see any of those in the constitution?
ArdentSlacker
Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. Was in the declaration. Also, the founding fathers don't have a monopoly on discussing rights.
javer80
1) Water is necessary for human life, which is mentioned. 2) Man, do you check the Constitution before wiping your ass too?
sowasvonsowas
Life (food, water, health) Liberty & Pursuit of Happiness - Declaration of Independence, but not in Constitution
TheDoctorCrankenstein
Equating the need for food and adequate healthcare so one can live to a leisure activity such as internet. Good job.
previoustopcomment
(1)Society says you can no longer subsist as a hunter gatherer due to property rights, property rights are a fiction created by society
previoustopcomment
2)Since food and shelter can no longer be taken from the land due to society's rules, society as part of the social contract should provide
previoustopcomment
3) at least some form of shelter, water, and food to those less fortunate.
starrychloe
Property rights may be a fiction like the social contract, but populations who believe in property rights have higher GDP/capita than others
previoustopcomment
That doesn't mean that society has no responsibility to reasonably provide for its whole population.
starrychloe
Then you may provide voluntarily. Don't ask thugs to extort money from your neighbors.