I’m in Tampa, Florida today for a conference and had some shocking news when I woke up. The news? Pinellas County (St. Petersburg, Clearwater, etc.) is REMOVING fluoride from it’s water.
The really shocking thing? This news story was AHEAD of the death of the venerable Steve Jobs in this morning’s paper(s).
While the battle over fluoride is beginning and/or raging in many municipalities around the country, the fact that Pinellas County — of all places, not the stereotype for alternative health by most measures — is big news, even if it wasn’t affected for health reasons (more on that, below).
Here’s a link to just one of the headline stories (I have so far seen it on the cover of three major papers): http://www.tampabay.com/news/localgovernment/article1195449.ece
Here’s another shocker: Who was the organization that stopped the fluoridation and affected this headline change in policy? Not the IAOMT, not the Fluoride Action Network, not the IABDM… nope, it’s none of the above. Instead, it was the Tea Party. Yes, the conservative political group affected the change to end fluoridation in Pinellas County.
I won’t say too much else except this: Read some of the quotes in the articles, as they are classic of mainstream thinking. Here’s a sampling:
- “I think the tea party has engulfed themselves or surrounded themselves with conspiracy theorists,”
- “I think it’s embarrassing and shortsighted,”
Oh, and what spawned the change? Well, it certainly wasn’t the health effects. Nope, it was the government’s use of taxpayer money. Oh well… at least it’s a start!