F.A.N. Yesterday, we asked this question of our supporters worldwide, and below is part 1 of some of the statements we have received:

WHY WE DO IT – PART 1

We start with Clint Griess, the founder and host of the International Fluoride Free Teleconference, and an active member of Clean Water California:

“On top of an unwavering commitment to end artificial water fluoridation everywhere, I am spurred on each month by the people I meet along the way. In this era of mass consumer consciousness and false political narratives challenging our ability to organize around principles, I find the people who are attracted to this issue to be of the utmost integrity, generous of spirit, uncommonly optimistic, and beautifully self-possessed. How refreshing and how inspiring!”

**Clint has a special limited-time offering for FAN supporters.  See end of bulletin**

 Our second is from FAN’s campaign director Stuart Cooper:

"I joined the Fluoride Action Network initially because I felt strongly that the practice of artificial water fluoridation set a dangerous public health precedent that threatened personal freedom and choice by using the public water supply to distribute a drug, without consent or concern for vulnerable subpopulations.  As I learned more about the practice, I noticed how many of my friends and acquaintances had dental fluorosis, and I felt they deserved the truth, as well as some sort of vindication and justice.  Then, not long after I started working for FAN I became a father, and the desire to protect the two most important people in my life and their generation of peers from this seemingly ever-present neurotoxin and its harmful side-effects became abundantly important.  It's our water, our health, our children, and ought to be our choice."

This is from David Kennedy, a dentist from San Diego, the producer of the video Fluoridegate and one of the directors of our parent body, The American Environmental Studies Project, Inc.,

“This is an interesting question, which I’ve pondered myself on many occasions and have reached some tentative conclusions.

First off as a guiding rule whenever I see evil being perpetrated I step in and do what I can to thwart the evil.

When you study fluoridation with hydrofluosilicic acid allegedly to prevent caries you see nothing but evil. The substance used is highly toxic and there is absolutely no evidence that swallowing the toxic soup will do anything but harm you. But it is worse than that because bottle fed babies swallow their weight in water every 3 to 4 days. So a worst case scenario would likely be an infant. I’ve just co-authored a scientific review article on the causes of the United States high infant mortality that is in press at this time, which is one of the highest in the world.

I am a third generation dentist as both my father and grandfather were dentists before me. The dentists are in front of this issue advocating the addition of fluoride to public drinking water. When the public finds out they will logically blame the dentists. They won’t be able to blame me.

So I see evil in the name of an honorable profession (dentistry) promoted by a huge network of well-paid bureaucrats and enormous hard money grants from the Center for Disease and US Public Health Service and the only purpose I can see is to save many industries the cost of disposal of their hazardous waste. Destroying children’s health to save corporations money is not logical. 

My purpose then is to oppose evil where I see it.”

From Cynthia Bagchi, Bedford UK

“The power of love and with deep heartfelt gratitude for all the wonderful work that has gone before and the amazing work that is happening now.   

Do we really have a choice!?”

Our next response comes from Geoff Pain, a PhD chemist from Melbourne, Australia:

“As a former tutor and lecturer I encountered the IQ bell curve shift caused by Fluoride up close and personal. Having to fail students who lacked essential reasoning ability and get to university by paying a fee is tragic.

My genes are selfish. As a parent, I hope my grandchildren (if I am lucky enough to be blessed and have them) and their descendants have fine brains and other vital organs that are not damaged by Fluoride, at any age.

Stopping Fluoridation will be the single greatest public health benefit imaginable that we could achieve here and now with determined efforts worldwide.”

Another one comes from Susan Landes, a neuromuscular massage therapist in Northern California:

“I fight water fluoridation because the Connetts have worked so hard to make the science available to anyone who cares to read.  It's a hard fight, but we've got truth on our side.  I fight because I want to see the health of people improve and corporate greed at the expense of people ended.  I fight because ADA and CDC lies need to end. I fight because there are so many victories every year and it's a pleasure reading about them in the FAN news.  This is a winning cause.  I fight because I can feel the snowball effect happening and can feel the sweet taste of victory...the practice of water fluoridation ending worldwide.  I fight because clean water is so important to life.”

Here is my answer, which comes after 22 years of campaigning on this issue:

“I ask these questions to myself nearly every day. A simple answer is YOU. I do it because of the wonderful people I work with: my son, our staff (Ellen, Jay Sanders and Stuart Cooper), and our wonderful volunteers, starting with Dr. Bill Osmunson our pro bono director, Dr. Bill Hirzy our pro bono Washington representative, Carol Kopf our pro bono media officer and Chris Neurath our pro bono and meticulous research director. I do it also for all the people like you who work so hard on this because of your children and grandchildren who you rightly believe should not have their futures limited by this foolish practice. I do it most because I think scientific integrity is being threatened in many ways and this policy is a classic example of where a wedge has been driven between honest science and public policy by arrogant people whose over-confidence outstrips their willingness to read the literature with an open mind.”

Our final Why We Do It—Part 1 statement comes