Back in August, while working on our analysis of Michael Easley’s power point presentation(http://www.fluoridealert.org/d-easley.htm) I went through much of Michael Easley’s website, reading his essays. I did this to compare what he had written with what he recently presented in Wellington Florida. While doing so, I came across a most unusual essay by Mr. Easley titled “Community Water Fluoridation in America: The Unprincipled Opposition.” Some of the passages from this essay were so bewildering, so McCarthy-like, that I wanted to give them some light of day, to let people see what the spokesman for the American Dental Association, was saying.

The following are four quotes I took from Mr. Easley’s essay. We have since incorporated them in a couple papers, and my father, Paul Connett, is now using them in his presentations. In fact, I’ve been to two such presentations in the last month — one in Utah and one in Ithaca, New York. At both presentations, these quotes have brought a great deal of reaction. At first people laugh, but by the end, they seem truly concerned.

Here are the quotes:

“A favorite tactic of the fluorophobics is to argue for a debate so that ‘the people can decide who is right.’ Proponents of fluoride are often trapped into consenting to public debates.”

“Debates give the illusion that a scientific controversy exists when no credible people support the fluorophobics’ view.”

“Like parasites, opponents steal undeserved credibility just by sharing the stage with respected scientists who are there to defend fluoridation”;

“Unfortunately, a most flagrant abuse of the public trust occasionally occurs when a physician or a dentist, for whatever personal reason, uses their professional standing in the community to argue against fluoridation, a clear violation of professional ethics, the principles of science and community standards of practice.”

Now, why I am I writing about this today?

Well, today I visited Easley’s website (http://fluoride.oralhealth.org). While at the website, I went back to the page (http://fluoride.oralhealth.org/links.asp?pg=8&sc=92) where I had accessed Easley’s essay about “The Unprincipled Opposition.”

“The Unprincipled Opposition” was an essay from a 5 part series written by Easley. Back in August, it was part 4.

However, today while looking over the essays I noticed that only 4 essays were now listed. The one essay that was missing was, you guessed it, THE UNPRINCIPLED OPPOSITION! Easley has taken it off his site!

Could this be because Easley is embarrassed by comments he himself made?

I think it may be appropriate for people to ask Easley the following questions:

1) Why did he take this essay off of his sight?
2) Does he still support the above statements?
3) If not, will he issue a public apology, or, agree to a public debate?

For anyone wishing to contact Michael Easley about this, his email is: mweasley@buffalo.edu

Regards,
Mike Connett
Webmaster
Fluoride Action Network
http://www.fluoridealert.org

p.s. Michael Easley’s mailing address is as follows:

Dr. Michael W. Easley, Director
University at Buffalo
State University of New York
School of Dental Medicine
315 Squire Hall
Buffalo, NY 14214