Tom Sluis’ tirade against Clean Water Durango exemplifies what happens when the ability to incorporate updated information into one’s perspective is abdicated in favor of desperately clinging to the status quo.
Pro-fluoride soapboxers’ tactics ignore any and all up-to-date studies and their findings as well as any example or input set forth by the vast majority of other first-world countries.
Their fears are reminiscent of the widespread willful ignorance and prolonged feet-dragging that accompanied the regulation and eventual phasing out banning of other harmful substances like asbestos, CFCs, mercury in vaccines, and saccharin.
The key to pro-fluoride efforts is a campaign of name-calling, recitation of antiquated medical references, and the overuse of quotation marks, in an apparent attempt to effect a tone of superiority, though it typically reads as unjustifiably haughty sarcasm. They utilize this tone to undermine facts collected on the internet, reducing the value of this resource to that of a tabloid, evidently unaware that the entirety of documentable information worldwide is actually stored there.
Any “facts” they “cite” are also “found” on “the internet”. See how that works? Yes you can find older studies that declare cigarettes are safe. Yes, you can find journals of astronomy from decades ago that claim Pluto is a planet. You can find “proof” that trickle-down economics creates a strong middle class, and that fluoride is completely safe to drink.
In addition to logic, the pro-fluoride efforts defy common sense. It says right on a single tube of toothpaste “If more than used for brushing is swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control center right away.” Yes, please, give me that by the glassful.
Perhaps reading the warning labels is the first step. The ballot measure to remove fluoride from Durango’s water reflects a profound progressive attitude and approach toward education, health, and liberty. Better yet, it promotes an individual’s rights as a basic tenet of freedom, reinforcing the foundation of our republic.
On April 4, don’t vote based on the fear of change.
Jeremiah Kern
Durango
