Dear Supporter,

Before we get to the Naked Truth from Ireland here is some very exciting news on our fundraiser.

At 3:10 pm Dec 29 we reached $100,000, which kicked in $4,000 in pledges. Then at 9:43 pm we received our 600th donation, and as we received this before midnight, it triggered another $1,000 pledge.

Our current total is  $106,420 from 602 donors. Thanks to everyone for your generous support for our 2014 “education to end fluoridation” campaign.

Now we need to raise $13,580 in two days to reach our ultimate goal of $120,000 by midnight Dec 31. It is doable but it is going to need even more generous support from supporters like you. Together we can do the impossible.

Our “50 Reasons to Oppose Fluoridation” playing cards have been wildly popular and we offering these at four different donation levels:

1 pack $27

2 packs $52

3 packs $71

4 packs $80

Before you read Aisling Fitzgibbon’s upbeat news on her almost naked year in Ireland, let me provide some of the other exciting news, which pertains to the Irish situation.

1) Knowing that Ireland is the only country in Europe which has mandatory fluoridation, those promoting this outdated practice must have been disturbed to hear the news from Queensland that the new government there has dropped mandatory statewide fluoridation and there has been a stampede by many communities to end fluoridation or not start it, even though in one case the equipment was already installed.

2) Even better from our perspective was when the Minister of Health in Israel announced that fluoridation would no longer be mandatory there in 2014. This sets a wonderful precedent for Ireland to follow.

3) It was particularly satisfying for me personally when John Gormley, former mayor of Dublin and former Minister of the Environment finally released his report (while serving on the Parliamentary committee for Health and Children) in which he recommended that fluoridation be halted in Ireland. Unfortunately the chairman of the committee refused to release this report at the time. John – now out of government – has chosen to release it as a concerned individual.

4) I was also very happy to see that Dr. Don MacAuley has returned to Ireland and has rejuvenated the group Irish Dentists Opposed to Fluoridation (IDOF). With so much new research emphasizing the ineffectiveness and risks posed by fluoridation I think we can anticipate more traction from this group in 2014.

5) Finally, there is the good news from nearby unfluoridated Scotland where the government has reported very positive results in their low-cost educational program to fight tooth decay.  So fluoridation promoters in Ireland cannot argue that if fluoridation is halted it will result in chaos. Scotland has shown there is a better, safer, and more rational way of fighting tooth decay without forcing it on people who don’t want this treatment via the public water supply.

6) On a sad note we have to remember the passing of Gladys Ryan and Robert Pocock this year.

Gladys brought fluoridation to court in an attempt to prevent it becoming mandatory in 1963. Even though the case went on for 6 weeks Gladys lost, partly because many of the leading government officials promoting fluoridation in the U.S. were brought over to testify). However, she lived long enough to see the huge momentum building up against this practice today.

Robert Pocock, a fine colleague that we so enjoyed working with, died suddenly in April. He was a great advocate for the Irish people on this issue and would have simply been overjoyed with Aisling’s naked calendar campaign.

Now, over to the lovely Aisling Fitzgibbon to hear a lot more about how opinion is shifting in Ireland – especially among the young.

Paul Connett,
Director of FAN

The Naked Truth from Ireland

By Aisling Fitzgibbon, The Girl Against Fluoride

Dear Paul,

May I wish you and your family a very happy New Year in 2014 and thank you for all the support that the Fluoride Action Network (FAN) has given us in 2013.

Little did I think when I was 24 that 3 years from then I would have become such an ardent fluoride fighter. This issue must have a way of seeping into one’s bones!!!!!

In 2013, The Girl Against Fluoride campaign began to pierce through the armor of unawareness through a series of various actions, including stripping to pink underwear on the main street in Dublin and serious scientific presentations throughout the country.

Hot Press breaks through press barrier

The campaign was catapulted into the mainstream mindset through the efforts of Hot Press investigative journalist, Adrienne Murphy, who highlighted the endemic corruption surrounding the mandatory water fluoridation policy.

Feeble response from the Department of Health

Although the Department of Health was given the opportunity to retort, their answers were based on the flawed science that underpins this archaic policy. Hot Press also gave a platform to environmental scientist Declan Waugh, whose research on water fluoridation was used to help end the policy of water fluoridation in Israel, but whose work has been ignored and derided by the pro-fluoridation zealots who strongly influence the media and the political system. Two political parties have made statements against fluoridation while in opposition (the Fiona Gael party and the Green Party, but then forget it when they get into office).

Protest against Chemifloc

There have been many memorable moments in this campaign, notably when we held a protest outside the company that distributes the water fluoridation chemicals in Ireland. This was a fun protest. We were joined by musicians, singers and even a comedian. Our posters – Chemifloc: Chemicals for the Flock with pictures of sheep were applauded by passers by.

Protests in pink underwear

Our protest in Dublin in pink underwear with my mum dressed as the pink panther giving out pink balloons to children with the name of the campaign on them was an astounding success as we hit three main media outlets. People who had no interest in water fluoridation were led to the issue through the power of the pink bikini-go figure!!!

Main political parties let us down

Politically, 2013 saw us reach an impasse when the three main political parties in Ireland voted to retain the water fluoridation policy – opposing a bill introduced by the Sinn Fein party. Although we were unfazed by this, we now know that our only chance to get this policy banned is to take the matter to court.

Raising funds for the court case

To help raise funds for expert witnesses for this court case we created the “Naked Calendar” that so far has helped us raise a third of the funding needed. The calendar has also helped to raise awareness among people who would never have heard of this issue were it not for the scientific points, which we strategically placed near the beautiful images.

Our Facebook page now has over 16,000 followers and this continues to grow on a daily basis.

Court case proceedings will begin in January 2014 when we will attempt to overthrow a Supreme Court ruling in 1963 (see Paul’s tribute to Gladys Ryan above) that mandated water fluoridation in the Republic of Ireland.  We are fighting for our democratic right to clean safe water.

A victory in Ireland will help everyone

Happy New Year to all of you wonderful fluoride fighters.

I believe that our joint efforts will pave the way for clean water for generations to come – not just for Ireland but throughout the world in those countries that blindly follow this practice as if there was no such thing as scientific research! Let’s hope that common sense and justice prevail in 2014.

Sincerely,

Aisling, Aka “The Girl Against Fluoride”

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