FAN Bulletin 983
 
July 6,  2008

Dear Supporter,

Open debate in New Zealand. Hearty congratulations to Olive McRae nomassmedication@gmail.com, Mary Byrne mbyrne64@yahoo.co.nz, and Dr. Bruce Spittle spittle@es.co.nz, for their performances in a televised debate broadcast on Channel 9 in Dunedin, NZ. This 60 minute TV debate is accessible at
http://www.ch9.co.nz/content/star%2526%2523039%3Bs-%2526quot%3Bf-word%2526quot%3B-debate

I think you will agree that our side clearly won this debate.

Back door lobbying in Louisiana. The openness of the TV debate in NZ stands in huge contrast to the back door lobbying which managed to push a mandatory fluoridation bill through the Louisiana legislature with the public knowing very little about it. No TV debates there - or debates of any kind. It is so fascinating to see the machinations of those who claim to care so much about our teeth but have so little regard for our democratic rights.

This is the PR-crafted message the dental lobby in Louisiana is urging dentists to send to Governor Jindal in response to FAN’s efforts to get the Governor to veto the mandatory fluoridation bill (SB 312):
As a dental professional and member of the Louisiana Dental Association (LDA), I am very concerned about the high incidence of tooth decay among Louisiana children from lower income families, which ranks among the highest in the country.  This deplorable situation is exacerbated by the difficulty such children often have accessing oral health care.
 
Your signature on SB312 is an important step in bringing the scientifically proven benefits of community water fluoridation (CWF) to most Louisianans.  CWF is one of the most cost-effective, proven ways to reduce the incidence of tooth decay.  Yet, nearly two-thirds of our state’s citizens do not receive optimally fluoridated water.  By comparison, roughly two-thirds of the rest of the country DOES receive optimally fluoridated water.
 
Furthermore, SB312 passed the legislature by overwhelming majorities, after a full sharing of the facts about CWF throughout a very open and public legislative process.  Before and after the bill was filed, the LDA made it a point to discuss it with representatives of numerous interest groups who might be affected, including the Louisiana Municipal Association, the Louisiana Rural Water Association and most of the major health care groups.  None of these groups objected to the bill, and most of them support it.  Yet, the bill’s opponents mischaracterize the bill as being “slipped through” the legislature (my emphasis, PC).
 
Some interesting things you may note when considering this bill:
 
The vast majority of opponents are from OUTSIDE Louisiana, and are not directly affected by SB312 (unlike my family, my patients and me.)…
This last claim is ironic since most of the propaganda material and funding for the back door lobbying of the Louisiana legislature came from outside the state (e.g. largely from the ADA).

If only these lobbyists were as good with their analysis of the science on this matter as their simplistic propaganda, they might be more convincing. But they are not - or rather they are not for those who actually take the time to read the literature. They can not operate out in the open. They can neither debate the issue in public nor answer serious questions in writing. All they can do is to lobby other lobbyists!

There is no way round it - the people of Louisiana did not know this was going on and that was the intention of the Louisiana Dental Association. The legislators have been tricked by “white coated” salesmen.  This was an unfair process leading to an unwise bill. If ever a bill warranted a Governor’s veto this is it. This is a real test of Governor Jindal’s leadership qualities. He showed that he could stand up to intense pressures from the legislators by vetoing the “pay raise” bill; now he has to stand up to the pressures of the dental lobbyists. He has to give the people of Louisiana the chance to hear what this measure entails and hear from both sides. Democracy is a wonderful thing - and Governor Jindal’s veto would be a great way to celebrate it this July 4 weekend.

Help get in more ONLINE messages. In the few days remaining before the Governor signs or vetos this bill (July 14 is the last day that he can do this) we need to get more ONLINE letters to the Governor, especially from any one living in Louisiana. Please send in your own message as soon as you can. If you have the time, please craft your own letter using our online message system.

Be prepared. Don’t forget if you live in Arkansas, Maine, Massachusetts or New Hampshire you may also be facing mandatory fluoridation in the near future. Be prepared. Send your contact details to paul@fluoridealert.org if you want to be part (small or large) of the teams in each state which are gearing up to tackle the anti-democratic forces who mindlessly would want to impose this measure on the whole state. If you don’t want to be part of these teams, at least get all your friends and neighbors to go to FAN’s website and:

–  Watch the videos from some of the professionals opposed to fluoridation.
–  Read the Professionals’ Statement opposing fluoridation worldwide.
–  Sign the citizens’ online message to Congress in support of the Professionals’ Statement and calling for Congressional hearings.

Paul Connett