F.A.N. Newsletter

Below veteran campaign organizer and the chairperson of FAN’s Advisory Committee, Rick North explains why he trusts and supports FAN and our work, and tomorrow we will feature the must-watch video of his presentation before Calgary council in October.  But, but first here's an update on our fundraiser for our 2020 operating budget.

Yesterday, we raised $5,580 from 32 donors, which included $2,120 for reaching the 500 donor milestone (and we have a winner who Paul will be phoning today to interview).

Our grand total is now $65,599 from 517 donors.  The first $1000 (total) donated today will be doubled by one of FAN's angels.

How to Make a Tax-Deductible Donation

• Online, using our secure server.
   
• If you should experience difficulty in donating online please email: Ellen@fluoridealert.org
   
• Or by Check, payable to the Fluoride Action Network. Mail your check to:

Fluoride Action Network
c/o Connett
104 Walnut Street
Binghamton NY 13905

Rick North: A Matter of Trust

“Change moves at the speed of trust.” – Steven Covey

We need a major change in this country – from fluoridating 74% of community water systems to stopping it altogether.

Whether you support this change or not depends upon whom you trust. If it’s the CDC, American Dental Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, or organizations that follow them, you favor fluoridation.

But you don’t if you trust the vast majority of nations and cities in the world who’ve rejected fluoridation based on health risks, ethical concerns and ineffectiveness. You may also reject it because you’ve actually studied the issue with an open mind and, above all, trust your own judgment.

That was me. I once trusted the U.S. medical establishment until I actually started doing some research on my own about ten years ago. This didn’t require any advanced degree. An average high school sophomore could read the basic science and major arguments and make a well-informed decision. It became quickly apparent that I had misplaced my trust.

This doesn’t mean that everyone in the CDC, ADA, AAP and organizations that follow them are bad people. On the contrary, I believe nearly all are very well-intended, and I’d follow their advice on many issues.

But not this one. Most are woefully lacking in knowledge about fluoridation’s ineffectiveness and numerous harmful health effects. I don’t blindly trust any government agency or organization. They have to earn it.

So, based upon new information, I changed my mind. I believed my own eyes instead of authority figures who had blinders on theirs. 

But it IS difficult for most people to overcome years of being fed the pure fiction that fluoridation is “safe and effective.”

That’s where FAN comes in.

• FAN puts science into informative, lay-friendly language that enables busy people to easily understand what’s really going on.
   
• Its website is the world’s best, not only for the public, but for researchers looking for scientific studies on specific sub-topics.
   
• It provides materials for community leaders and helps them recruit more volunteers.
   
• It has provided the leadership and capacity, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, in the lawsuit against the EPA for allowing fluoridation, scheduled to go to trial in February, 2020.
   
• Above all, it speaks truth to power.

The ONLY way that FAN has been able to accomplish this is by earning your trust. But it takes more than trust – it takes money.

Volunteers do a major part of FAN’s work, making it one of the most cost-efficient organizations I’ve ever seen. But it just couldn’t exist without a small dedicated staff leading the way.

With all the new science coming in every year, it’s only a matter of time before we defeat fluoridation. But it won’t happen without a fight, and the fight won’t happen without FAN.

I’m proud to give both my time and money to FAN. Please join me – today. We can’t do it without you.  

Thank you.

Now retired, Rick North is the former executive vice president of the Oregon American Cancer Society and former project director for the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility. He helped lead the successful campaigns against fluoridation in both Portland and Newport, Oregon and has been a volunteer for FAN for several years.