And he said, Woe unto you also, [ye] lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
— Jesus Christ, Luke 11:46
At a time when water fluoridation is being increasingly scrutinized worldwide, the Arkansas State Senate resoundingly passed a bill today mandating the fluoridation of all water systems in the state serving more than 5,000 citizens.
By a vote of 25-7, the Senate passed Senate Bill 359 by Sen. David Johnson, D-Little Rock. Johnson said the fluoridation requirement would help prevent tooth decay, lower dental costs and help ease the strain on Medicaid.
In his first term, Senator David Johnson, who was elected in 2008 during an unopposed general election, is a lawyer whose two biggest campaign contributors are a trial lawyers association and an investment firm with ties to Righthaven, the nefarious copyright troll who has recently become the bane of free speech in the United States.
Johnson received a grade of zero from a conservative group seeking to limit the exposure of Arkansas’ children to pornography, while a radical, pro-illegal immigrant, global-warming-fear-mongering organization gave him scores of 100 on environmental and civil rights issues.
Johnson, who wants to extend the school year to 200 days, is head of the state’s lottery oversight committee. Johnson is also part of the “sustainability” movement, widely recognized as a UN-led land grabbing effort.
It is clear who pulled Johnson’s strings for this bill:
Water Fluoridation (Bill No. Unassigned)
The Water Fluoridation bill, if introduced, would mandate fluoridation of the state’s community water supplies that serve populations of 5,000 or more. Pew has weighed in on this particular bill, having hired a lobbying firm to support it. This bill, which is the most controversial, is also a direct result of the Pew report. This legislation is proposed in the shadow of a very recent report from the EPA that recommends a reduction in the amount of fluoridation contained in water supplies. The ASDA is depending on the solid science [LOL! Just like global warming, eugenics and phrenology are “solid science.”] demonstrating that community water fluoridation and placement of sealants is a good formula to prevent the majority of dental decay in our younger population, and is vitally important in underserved areas.
So this is yet another example of an out-of-state lobbying effort overriding the best interests of a state’s citizenry.
Only a few weeks ago, the EPA reduced its recommended levels of fluoride in drinking water due to health and dental problems associated with fluoridation.
Fluoride is rejected throughout Europe, and the recent trend in America is to ban fluoridation as Honolulu did and as Austin, Texas, is currently considering in light of overwhelming evidence against water fluoridation.
EPA’s own scientists oppose water fluoridation and the “science” behind water fluoridation has always been specious.
Fluoride is bad for babies. Fluoride is linked to bone cancer in men, and it appears to increase bone fracture rates.
For many years, fluoride has been condemned for it affects on the human brain. Research shows that fluoride reduces IQ and increases dementia risks.
Fluoride only has proven benefits for topical applications and even those are questionable. Water fluoridation is a failure at reducing dental carries, which is the only reason anyone has ever argued for its use. In fact, look at what happened in Kentucky, a state that mandated fluoridation years ago. The program was disastrous:
A new study reveals pre-school children’s tooth decay rates doubled after fluoridation became Kentucky law.
In 1987, 28% of Kentucky preschoolers developed cavities. That number increased to 47% in 2001, according to the July/August 2003 journal, “Pediatric Dentistry.”(1)
Over 96% of Kentucky water systems add fluoride since a 1977 Kentucky law compelled water suppliers serving over 1,500 individuals to fluoridate, aimed to reduce tooth decay by up to 60%(2)(3). Fluoride supplements are prescribed to children without fluoridated water(3).
But cavities didn’t decline at all. In fact, 57% of Kentucky third- and sixth-graders also developed tooth decay.
“…untreated decay and caries experience have increased since the state’s 1987 survey. The state’s levels also appear to be much worse than national levels for these same indices,” concludes authors Hardison et al., summarizing “The 2001 Kentucky Children’s Oral Health Survey…”
And none of this even begins to address the ethical issue of informed consent. Forced, mass medication is immoral and simply stupid and reckless:
Arkansas State Senator David Johnson’s email address is: johnsond@arkleg.state.ar.us