November 19, 2024

"Have you ever seen a Commie drink a glass of water?"

Said Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper, quoted in "The Anti-Fluoride Movement Vaults Into the Mainstream/With the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as health secretary, a formerly fringe opinion suddenly gets wide attention" (NYT)(free-access link).

43 comments:

Jaq said...

it's not really fringe. Scientific journals are full of research that strongly suggests a link between fluoridated water and lower IQs, including one study that showed that high IQs occurred less frequently in areas with fluoridated water.

Search for yourself on scholar.google.com. I thought it was more "chemtrails" crap when I first heard about it, but I always go to the scientific literature when I have a question. And even if it is sometimes, well, often manipulated, still you can find truth there/

mezzrow said...

Just as long as there are no references to Bexar County. When we get there, we'll know it'll soon be over.

Peachy said...

there are new studies out that reveal fluoride in water is bad for children.

Peachy said...

During Leftist-dominated Disease COVID - the left smothered real scientific research in favor of their own narratives.

doctrev said...

The lunatics trying to bomb Russia probably shouldn't call much attention to Dr. Strangelove.

Howard said...

In the early 2000's, California mandated communities to add fluoride to drinking water. The progressive left in Santa Cruz fought it tooth and nail.

Jaq said...

Oh, we are not trying, we have done it. Now Putin has written a lot of checks with his mouth that, if he doesn't make good on them, he is going to be toast. Interesting stuff, interesting times.

Jaq said...

Democrats have even lost Cory Booker on this one.

BamaBadgOR said...

You have to be of a certain age to remember that this is what the John Birchers were saying in the 1950's.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Maybe. It might be that just more stupid people live and procreate in those areas where the water is fluoridated?

Although I would never personally, knowingly drink fluoridated water and don't doubt that it could be bad....those statistics might not really prove a correlation. We have a well for ag watering, and our community water is from a pristine well sourced from snowpack run off and filtered through miles of lava beds. We get an annual report detailing the chemical composition. Highest elements are Calcium and Magnesium

Jaq said...

Pick your own study, Canada, China, the US.

https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C33&q=fluoride+IQ&btnG=

Cacimbo said...

"Though he was excited that fluoridation was “a presidential issue,” he was also worried: If the Trump administration forced the issue, it could alienate Democrats from embracing the cause."
Interesting that Mr. Cooper who I assume to be a Democrat kind of acknowledges that Democrats are not pro-science, just anti-Republican.

Yancey Ward said...

Ask yourself this question- if the addition of fluoride to drinking water were a proposal on the table today, how likely do you think it would be for the EPA/FDA to approve it?

Freder Frederson said...

there are new studies out that reveal fluoride in water is bad for children.

I love when commenters on this site claim there are "studies" out there but don't bother to provide a link to the actual studies.

Fluoride (like carbon dioxide or iron) can indeed be toxic, but dose is all important. What studies there are generally focus on people who live in areas with high natural levels of fluoride, not the miniscule amounts added to your drinking water.

ChrisC said...

Exactly. Like hormones in beef - 5 parts per billion, versus 200,000 parts per billion in your soy latte.

tommyesq said...

Freder, Jaq did provide a link, at 8:34, one to multiple studies.

Maynard said...

Flouride in the water supply may have been necessary back in the 1960's, but there is now plenty of fluoride in toothpaste and mouthwash to prevent tooth decay.

The question I would like to see answered is: What is the current benefit of having fluoride in the water supply?

mikee said...

The false narrative is being formed that RFK Jr is a nutcase. Why, he even wants kids teeth to rot out of their heads! So he can't be confirmed or allowed to call out those who caused so many deaths during COVID with their mistakes and lies. Sorry, media, this false narrative BS you toss out isn't working any more.

Curious George said...

"I love when commenters on this site claim there are "studies" out there but don't bother to provide a link to the actual studies.
What studies there are generally focus on people who live in areas with high natural levels of fluoride, not the miniscule amounts added to your drinking water."

Where is your fucking link?

Lloyd W. Robertson said...

Everybody knows Commies drink bottled water. It may not be the flouride they are avoiding. It may be the chlorine.

Freder Frederson said...

Freder, Jaq did provide a link, at 8:34, one to multiple studies.

Jaq did, Peachy did not. And I will use Jaq's link as it pretty much supports my point, since the vast majority of the studies involved high levels of fluoride (and arsenic), not the levels added to drinking water.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

A comedic scene from a movie is the reason nobody could even *question* fluoridation of the water supply for the past 60 years without being call a paranoid right-wing troglodyte , flat-Earther and John Bircher.

Do we really need to wash our hair, dishes and cars with fluoride for our dental health? If only there were some fluoride-infused compound, maybe a gel, or paste, we could administer directly to our teeth, maybe with some kind of brush, or a liquid we could swish and spit, possibly sold in drugstores

BTW, the John Birch Society never had an official policy on fluoridating the water supply. Maybe you’d have known they, Bama, if you’d paid attention during Sen McCarthy’s HUAC hearings

Gospace said...

As pointed out, adding fluorine to water supplies isn't needed because alternate methods are available for people to use. Now- does everyone use them? Well... no.

I went to boot camp in 1973. The first toothbrush my best boot camp buddy owned was the one that the Navy issued him. A quarter century later two of my sons went through boot camp. Both reported that there were people in their recruit companies who owned their first toothbrushes when the Army issued them.

I can see adding things to public water for safety- chlorine. But for public health? Not so much. People are responsible for their health.

Which brings me to another thing. Iron. It's impossible in the USA to buy commercial bread products that aren't iron fortified. And very difficult to even buy iron-free flour... By federal edict. Now aht did adding iron to bread do? Virtually eliminated iron deficiency anemia in the young of America. That's a good thing. 50 years later liver cancer and Type 2 diabetes rates started increasing. There is a direct relationship between high iron levels and both those problems. And, men have no way of naturally shedding excess iron from their bodies. Nor do women past menopause... which is when their rates start to increase. I have mentioned this to several doctors over the years. None have said- "That's ridiculous!" I give blood - now platelets - on a regular basis. Does two things- helps others, and dumps iron. A twofer.

Bur- as a consumer- I should be able to buy bread that isn't iron fortified. Good for most doesn't mean good for everybody.

Mark said...

Whatever is nutty pre-Trump is brilliance if he embraces it.

Mark said...

Next it will be the anti-circumcision folks.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

My foreskin, my choice. Wait, what?

Joe Bar said...

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" One of my favorite movies.

Elliott A. said...

Fluoride in water has a systemic effect not a topical effect. Fluoride is taken up in tooth enamel during development which strengthens the enamel and makes it more decay resistant. Thus, the erupting teeth are more decay resistant when they erupt. Fluoride from toothpaste and direct applications at dental appointments help maintain this protection. Some water supplies have high levels of fluoride due to their source and it is not recommended to add any. The lifelong benefits of a healthier mouth are enormous. Not having the fluoride in the water would be criminal. (I am a DDS)

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

I had nearly perfect, clean, gleaming white teeth, despite going years without a dentist, until a DDS needlessly, fraudulently (he held back important details from me), and lucratively performed surgery on them, destroying the enamel all that fluoride helped build. I don’t trust medical professionals AT ALL

Lucien said...

I was just thinking about this scene, imagining Mandrake's response might be: "How do commies protect the purity of their essence if they don't drink water?"

Rusty said...

Yes, Mark. We need a lot of government regulation on everything possible. Not very pro 2nd amendment are you?

Ampersand said...

It would.be wonderful if we could add a simple chemical to our water supply, and after 60 years we only had positive public health effects, with no adverse unintended consequences. Wonderful, but unlikely.

BamaBadgOR said...

I don't recall the HUAC hearings dealing with fluoridation and will defer to you about the "official" position of the John Birch Society re fluoridation, but I knew WI Birchers who were opposed to it as a commie conspiracy and thought it was the Society's official position. Wikipedia fwiw cites the following for the same: Freeze RA, Lehr JH (2009). The fluoride wars: "how a modest public health measure became America's longest-running political melodrama. Hoboken: Wiley. ISBN 978-0-470-44833-5." Perplexity fwiw says the following: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/did-the-john-birch-society-opp-7gksIv.cTXKDr_9CO1wf6Q

Kakistocracy said...

With rates of autism and other neurodivergent conditions increasing rapidly, and rates of neurodegenerative diseases rising as well, I agree that we need to find the causes. However, the issues outlined by Kennedy seem to have little relevance to these major health issues, which more likely are caused by mass usage of dangerous pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in this country.

As an environmental lawyer, Kennedy should understand the issues better than most. But he doesn’t seem to. The unnecessary focus on vaccines, milk, and other debunked topics is distracting from the major issues around widespread chemical pollution in our shared environment.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Bama, those House hearings had nothing to do with fluoride, or any senator. I was calling you a moron, but it flew over your head, apparently

That you knew individual Birchers who were opposed to ‘commie’ fluoride is as relevant as the high school chess club member I knew who thought the moon landing was fake. I suppose chess is a big conspiracy to deny the reality of space travel!

You need not, and cannot, defer to me about JBS; I’m in no way affiliated, and it’s website says they never had a position on the matter. The claims that they had are smears against both them and anyone who challenges fluoridating water. Imagine the MSM smearing an unpopular political organization/cause— INCONCEIVABLE! What is conceivable is Wikipedia citing sources that in no way back up the claims of the Wikipedia article it’s cited in

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Bama, those House hearings had nothing to do with fluoride, or any senator. I was calling you a moron, but it flew over your head, apparently

That you knew individual Birchers who were opposed to ‘commie’ fluoride is as relevant as the high school chess club member I knew who thought the moon landing was fake. I suppose chess is a big conspiracy to deny the reality of space travel!

You need not, and cannot, defer to me about JBS; I’m in no way affiliated, and it’s website says they never had a position on the matter. The claims that they had are smears against both them and anyone who challenges fluoridating water. Imagine the MSM smearing an unpopular political organization/cause— INCONCEIVABLE! What is conceivable is Wikipedia citing sources that in no way back up the claims of the Wikipedia article it’s cited in

Jaq said...

I asked the new model of ChatGPT to summarize the results on a study of pregnant women regarding fluoride from my link, this is how it interpreted the result:

Findings related to municipal water fluoridation:

Increased Fluoride Exposure: Pregnant women living in areas with fluoridated tap water had significantly higher urinary fluoride concentrations (mean of 0.69 mg/L) compared to those in non-fluoridated areas (mean of 0.40 mg/L). They also had higher daily fluoride intake (mean of 0.93 mg/day vs. 0.30 mg/day).

Association with Lower IQ in Children: Higher maternal urinary fluoride levels were linked to lower IQ scores in children, particularly in boys. Specifically:

Boys: A 1 mg/L increase in maternal urinary fluoride concentration was associated with a 4.49-point decrease in IQ score.

Girls: No statistically significant association was found between maternal urinary fluoride levels and IQ scores.

Both Sexes Combined: A 1 mg higher daily fluoride intake by pregnant women was associated with a 3.66-point reduction in IQ scores for both boys and girls.


You may not like RFK Jr, but this is disturbing.

BamaBadgOR said...

Char Char, I agree your humor has totally escaped me, so my continuing to comment is probably even more moronic, but I knew one of the founders of JBS, and he and all other JBS'ers I knew were opposed to fluoridation and used JBS to oppose same. I have no idea what they had on their website at the time, maybe because they didn't have a website.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

I was slightly wrong, but mostly right, about JBS official stance on fluoride
https://jbs.org/about/facts/

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

You’re slightly right, but mostly wrong
https://jbs.org/about/facts/

Jaq said...

This is interesting regarding autism:

In our final set of tests we use California and Pennsylvania data on children born between 1972 and 1989 to show, again consistent with the television as trigger hypothesis, that county autism rates are also positively related to the percentage of households that subscribe to cable television. Our precipitation tests indicate that just under forty percent of autism diagnoses in the three states studied is the result of television watching due to precipitation, while our cable tests indicate that approximately seventeen percent of the growth in autism in California and Pennsylvania during the 1970s and 1980s is due to the growth of cable television. These findings are consistent with early childhood television viewing being an important trigger for autism. We also discuss further tests that can be conducted to explore the hypothesis more directly. - National Bureau of Economic Research

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Putin's been writing those checks, and failing to cash them, for some time now.

Sorry, but only a loser lets Putin's mouth bully him.
Russia's nukes justify not invading Russia when Russia isn't at war with anyone else.
But so long as Russia is attacking / invading / bombing its neighbors, turn-about is entirely fair play.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

That depends on how much the deciders were looking to get paid by the suppliers.
Since there's no patents involved, and it's a cheap and easily supplied product, they'd probably vote against it

Unless there were Birchers out opposing it, in which case they'd vote to support it just to "show the rules who's boss"