Thirst (eBook)

Alan Snitow is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and journalist. Kaufman and Snitow's films include Thirst, Secrets of Silicon Valley, and Blacks and Jews. Deborah Kaufman is a film producer, director, and writer. Michael Fox is a film critic, journalist, and teacher.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

1. Water: Commodity or Human Right?

Battles for Water in the West.

2. Hardball vs. the High Road.

Stockton, California.

3. Small-Town Surprise for a Corporate Water Giant.

Felton, California.

Scandals in the South.

4. The Price of Incompetence.

Atlanta, Georgia.

5. The Hundred-Year War.

Lexington, Kentucky.

New England Skirmishes.

6. Keeping the Companies at Bay.

Lee, Massachusetts.

7. Cooking the Numbers.

Holyoke, Massachusetts.

Corporate Target: The Great Lakes.

8. When Nestlé Comes.

Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

9. To Quench a Thirst.

Mecosta County, Michigan.

10. Whose Water, Whose World Is It?

Notes.

Resources.

Index.

The Authors.

2008 Nautilus Book Awards Gold Winner in the category of ConsciousMedia/Journalism

"...an interesting read, well-written and thoroughlydocumented... completed by 50 pages of careful notes andreferences, helpful and informative." (World Business, March2007)

Is water a human right or a commodity to be marketed for profit?Should water be run by local governments or by distantcorporations? Why do we pay more for bottled water than forgasoline?

These are some of the tough-minded questions Alan Snitow andDeborah Kaufman first asked in their provocative and memorable 2004documentary, also titled "Thirst."

In their new book, the authors investigate how the growing"water business" is trying to privatize water systems in citiesscattered across the United States.

More often than not, local citizens don't even know their wateris being sold. But when people do know what's happening, they formpowerful coalitions, fueled by indignation and outrage. In theprocess, citizens rediscover some of the basic principles ofdemocracy, namely, that they should have a voice in theirgovernment.

This is the cautionary tale the authors tell through their vividdescriptions of eight conflicts over water -- from Stockton toAtlanta, Ga.

Should we worry about these new water wars? Yes. Water is notonly a limited resource; it is also necessary for biologicalsurvival.

"The current conflict between corporations and citizensmovements to control this precious resource," they write, "will bedecided in the years to come. The outcome of the conflict willsurely be a measure of our democracy in the 21st Century."

They're right. See their film. Read this important book. Thendecide if you agree that public control of water is essential forour health and the health of our democracy. (San FranciscoChronicle, Excerpts of a review by Ruth Rosen)"As a congressman from the Great Lakes region, I appreciate thistimely and important work on a critical public policy question: Iswater a natural resource to be protected by the public realm, or isit just another commodity?"
--Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Ohio

"A riveting and engaging account of one of the most importantenvironmental issues of our time: Will corporations or citizenscontrol our water?"
--Carl Pope, executive director, Sierra Club

"A smart, gripping narrative of the way 'big money' is corneringthe market for life's basic ingredient. It will shock you--andit should!"
--Jeff Faux, founder of the Economic Policy Institute, andauthor, The Global Class War

"The fight for the right to water has hit the U.S. heartland andthis passionate, information-packed book tells the story ofordinary Americans engaged in extraordinary struggles to save theirwater heritage for future generations. Every American should readit."
--Maude Barlow, chair of Council of Canadians, and author,Blue Gold

"Who really owns your water? It may not be who you think. Readthis provocative and insightful book and find out about thepolitics and economics of growing attempts to privatize our mostvital public resource--the stuff that comes out of yourtap."
--Peter Gleick, president, Pacific Institute for Development,Environment and Security

"A terrific read--startling and motivating. Thirsthelps us see that the fight for the right to water is in fact astruggle for democracy itself. Read Thirst and dive into thetwenty-first century's core challenge: Do we save ourselves by themarket's logic, or as citizens do we deepen democracy'slogic?"
--Frances Moore Lappé, author, Democracy's Edge:Choosing to Save Our Country by Bringing Democracy to Life