Rich Swier's War Against Clean Water

I have written before about the bizarre rantings of Sarasota resident and tea party activist Rich Swier. Among the conspiracy theories floated by Swier are that the Muslim Brotherhood have infiltrated the Boy Scouts of America and the Broward County Republican Executive Committee. Perhaps Swier's most despicable moment was publicly advocating for the bullying of gay teens.

This is not bullying. It is peer pressure and is healthy. There are many bad behaviors such as smoking, under age drinking and drug abuse that are behaviors that cannot be condoned. Homosexuality falls into this category. Homosexuality is simply bad behavior that youth see as such and rightly pressure their peers to stop it. In Sarasota County over 70% of all HIV/AIDS cases are due to male sex with males.

I agree with Gulf Coast Gives that "LGBT youth are up to five times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight counterparts". Homosexuality, like drugs, harms young people if they experement with it. That is the greatest tragedy.

The greatest tragedy is people like Swier actively working to make the lives of gay teenagers a living hell.

Swier's latest crusade is against clean water.

For example, government can bestow clean water to the individual and take it away if it wishes but there is no right to clean water. Clean water is something that anyone can obtain simply by doing it themselves or paying someone else for it. You may dig a well, buy a filter system for your home, purify your own water by boiling it, buy bottled water from your local super market or have it provided from either a privately owned or government run centralized water treatment facility. These solutions are available and exist in one form or another everywhere. However, many citizens believe clean water is a right bestowed by government and must not be taken away. Apply this same narrative to health insurance or Social Security or Medicare or Medicaid.

Actually, clean water is a right bestowed on citizens. Swier would be wise to brush up on the law known as the Clean Water Act.

The objective of this Act is to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters. In order to achieve this objective it is hereby declared that, consistent with provisions of this Act

Tea party activist claim to worship the constitution. The Constitution gives Congress the power to make laws.

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by the Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Water is shared between the states. Unsanitary water would create mass health hazards and place a burden on the health care system. If Swier doesn't believe unsanitary water is a problem then I dare him to drink contaminated water in Africa. The World Health Organisation estimates that 700,000 deaths are caused by contaminated food and water.

If Swier really believes that government can't give rights then he should have no problem with the Defense of Marriage Act being revoked by Congress and the President. I don't believe someone as homophobic as Swier would want to put his theory about how the government can't give rigjhts to the test.