FAN Bulletin #960

May 29, 2008

Dear Supporter,

If fluoridation was the wonderful practice that promoters claim it to be then they would behave differently. They would be happy to openly debate the issue with expert opponents. They wouldn’t have to use endorsements of biased “authorities”. They wouldn’t have to denigrate opponents. They wouldn’t have to pressure the media to hold back stories. They wouldn’t have to deny democracy. They would freely put the matter to the vote in referendums instead of using PR firms to run dubious surveys.  They wouldn’t have to ignore, obfuscate or deny the findings of the NRC (2006) review concerning fluoride’s dangers. They wouldn’t have to intimidate government officials, water department personnel, scientific researchers or individuals who speak up on the issue. They wouldn’t have to overwhelm local authorities with armies of white coats when they have the wisdom to reject fluoridation. They wouldn’t be afraid of doing the research that would demonstrate its safety. They would be willing to study scientifically the many anecdotal stories of people who claim ? and can often demonstrate - their sensitivity to fluoride.

Sadly the officials and “professionals” who continue to force fluoridation on a largely unsuspecting public do not have the confidence in this practice which they verbally extol. Thus they stoop to many of the dubious tactics above. Why? Because they have the power and they are willing to misuse it. They often get away with it because not enough people are outraged by their bullying tactics.

We saw two depressing examples of this successful bullying in the last few days. One in New Zealand and the other in Australia.

New Zealand. We were very excited when Channel 9 in Dunedin agreed to show “The Fluoride Deception” (see FAN Bulletin #957). In stepped the censors from the Dunedin City Council & Public Health South and prevented that from happening, labeling the videotape propaganda. It took former BBC correspondent Chris Bryson 10 years to write this book. He backed it up with 100 pages of footnotes and references. It is being used in University courses. All the videotape does is to allow Bryson to summarize his rigorously documented findings. If that looks like propaganda to local health officials it is because they are blissfully ignorant of the sordid history of this practice. It is they who are victims of propaganda not those who would wish to share this information with a larger public. See Olive McRae’s email below.

Australia. We were also excited last week when the Eurobodalla Shire council in New South Wales voted 5 to 4 to oppose the attempt to fluoridate their shire in New South Wales. But that excitement lasted only a few days before the promoters rounded up enough white coats to overwhelm a city council meeting (how many times have we seen that tactic before?). You have to be a very gutsy official to stand up to a posse of local “health” officials, doctors and dentists swearing up and down that fluoridation is one of the best things that have ever happened and the sky will fall in if they don’t go ahead or stop the practice. The councilors probably do not realize that the vast majority of these local health officials, doctors and dentists, wheeled out by their professional organizations, have never read the literature on the matter and are simply parroting what they have been told. Remember that famous recommendation from the American Dental Association in 1979:

 ”Individual dentists must be convinced that they need not be familiar with scientific reports of laboratory and field investigations on fluoridation to be effective participants in the promotion program and that nonparticipation is overt neglect of professional responsibility.”

Nothing has changed, except the science on this issue is more overwhelmingly on our side today than it was in 1979. See Ailsa Boyden’s email below.

Paul Connett.
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New Zealand. News from Olive McRae nomassmedication@gmail.com:

It is official! After pressure from the Dunedin City Council & Public Health South, channel 9 have buckled. The screening of “The Fluoride Deception” has been cancelled (email from FAN NZ, May 28, 2008).

In a message to the TV station Olive writes to Luke (lukec@ch9.co.nz), May 29, 2008:

“Channel 9 originally undertook to screen this DVD in its entirety. That Channel 9 has replaced this screening with what appears from discussions to be in effect a publicity platform to be dominated by those pro-fluoridation bodies who opposed the screening is saddening. That this occurred only after those bodies pressured Channel 9 conflicts with the suggestion that the debate without the screening was Channel 9’s initiative.

The intention to show excerpts of the DVD for the pro-fluoridation lobby to attack without the public having the opportunity to judge for themselves is the very reason we set the conditions of use - to ensure a fair viewing of the information, and a balanced debate. We believe that Channel 9’s proposed approach is itself inconsistent with the intent of the broadcasting standards…”

If you are upset by this media censorship please let this TV station know that the whole world is watching them. Please write to the station at lukec@ch9.co.nz and add your thoughts on this matter. Don’t scream, shout or insult (they have probably been told by now that opponents of fluoridation are a bunch of crazies) ? simply state your concern. Please copy Olive at nomassmedication@gmail.com and FAN at paul@fluoridealert.org.
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Australia. News from Ailsa Boyden afin2@bigpond.com email May 28, 2008:

1) Rescission motion successful - Councilors change position and vote for fluoridation

Disappointment rained on local activist Marilyn Vine when last week’s Eurobodalla Shire Councilors’ 5-4 decision not to fluoridate was overturned.  Yesterday’s decision was the result of a successful rescission motion, when Councilor Chris Kowal changed his stance, allowing the controversial proposal to go ahead with a 5-4 decision to fluoridate (he had told Marilyn on the preceding weekend that he would vote against)…
 
Our deepest sympathy to all campaigners fighting fluoridation of the Eurobodalla Shire in NSW; this skirmish might have been won by the many “heavy weights” who appear to have heavily lobbied councillors in the intervening week between both votes being taken; but it is good to hear that the battle isn’t over.
 
During yesterday’s council meeting there were speakers for and against fluoridation, with the majority speaking for the practice.  In Marilyn’s allotted five minutes, she said that a submission by two residents who have severe fluoride poisoning (see 2, below) had been lodged with council on April 4 and receipted and that it never went to any councilor.  She asked who had the submission and why it was not given to councilors.  No response…
 
After the council meeting ended yesterday, Marilyn told John Irving (government fluoride promoter) that, “We have two people in our community who are extremely ill with fluoride toxicity and if they have fluoridated water they will die.”  Irving said he didn’t think so and the man (who I assume was with Irving) whose name Marilyn did not know said, “Everyone dies”.

If you want to send a message of encouragement to Marilyn Vine after this setback please send it c/o Ailsa at afin2@bigpond.com
 
2) Eurobodalla’s Shire two severely ill fluorosis sufferers  

Eurobodalla Shire Residents Pam Frost and her partner Darryl Mattox of Moruya are the two extremely ill people mentioned above.  They will be particularly devastated by council’s decision to fluoridate.  Marilyn reported that they have been bed ridden for the past eight months and were too unwell to attend yesterday’s council meeting, even though there was an offer to get an ambulance to transport them.  However, Darryl felt that even that could compromise his health and didn’t think it was worth the risk.  
 
Pam and Darryl both have severe fluorosis - as a result of about eight year’s exposure to emissions from an aluminium smelter that they were eventually forced to flee from.  They moved to the Eurobodalla Shire in 1991 because it was the most unpolluted area they could find.