I read the first email I received from Luise Light with a sense of astonishment. Luise had been the former team leader and Special Nutrition Assistant to USDA's Carol Tucker Foreman - who is described as "a prominent food safety advocate" by Eric Schlosser in his best-selling book, Fast Food Nation.

From her personal experience, Dr. Light confirmed not only the revolving door I had described in my paper, but in addition, the corruption within the "government" taking place just on the other side of that door. Here, from an eyewitness, came the truth that individuals representing corporations are not only holding key government positions, they have also been determining which studies are done, who receives grants, and they have been "adjusting" the reports in order to create a false sense of security about their favored products and services.

With the promise of corporate gain and personal profit, the industry "representatives" have been making important decisions affecting all of us profoundly. For the most part, the general public has been unaware of this partnership between private business and our publicly funded federal government.

Of special interest to Luise was what I had presented as the "absurd American food pyramid" - a dietary guide that first came out in the 1980s, and in which our "government" recommended starch as the foundation of our diet. This was of particular interest to Luise because, as I read in awe, it was she and her team of nutrition experts who had created the concept of the food pyramid - but with a very major twist. The real food pyramid, Luise wrote, was completely different from the "adjusted" pyramid that was distributed to an unsuspecting American public.

The true pyramid that Luise and her team developed was not absurd, at all. It did not have starch as the foundation. Instead, it called for a base of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, with 5 to 9 servings daily. Whole grain cereals and grains were recommended in amounts of 2 to 4 servings daily - with the smaller amount for females and those with less active lifestyles. The real pyramid that Luise and her team created placed baked goods, crackers, sweets and other low-nutrient foods up with the sugars and fats at the top of the pyramid, where they were recommended only as occasional treats.

"But what happened?" Luise wrote, stating that there had been a deliberate, unexplained switch made at the political level that completely distorted the pyramid - which is the subject of her forthcoming book, Ketchup is Not a Vegetable; Sane Eating in a Toxic Food World.

"Instead of fruits and vegetables making up the base of the diet," she wrote, "the cereals and wheat products were made the base of the pyramid, and the recommendation [for starchy foods] was no longer 2 to 4 as we had determined but switched 6 to 11 servings! We couldn't believe it! What possible rationale could there be for such an unprecedented and unjustified switch? In fact the health consequences of encouraging the public to eat so much refined grain, which the body processes like sugar, was frightening! But our exhortations to the political heads of the agency fell on deaf ears. The new food guide, replacing the 'Basic Four,' would be a promotional tool to get the public to buy and consume more calories, sugar and starch." Ultimately, this would result in a poorer quality diet.

What was given to the public in the 1980s was a pyramid with a foundation based (in more ways than one) on dough. And the American people - with full and innocent trust in the health advice given to them by the government - then attempted to follow the new health-based plan. The result would be profit and gain for some, and the torments of ill health and weight gain for countless others.

As Americans complied with the new dietary suggestions, within a few years the results of this unsuspecting compliance began to surface.

According to studies and charts provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), during the years 1988 to 2000 the percentage of children and teens suffering from obesity more than doubled. During those same years, the CDC reported that the prevalence of adults suffering from overweight and obesity rose steadily to 64%. In 2001, the second most frequently prescribed drug sold in America was a synthetic hormone drug, indicating a vast number of individuals were now suffering from thyroid malfunction. Tied in with the overweight and obesity problems resulting from thyroid malfunction are a host of additional, potentially deadly afflictions suggesting that "overweight" might be only a symptom rather than a diagnosis - it is actually only one of the more visible clues that something is not right, that something is out of kilter. (2, 3, 4)

According to the CDC, between the years 1980 and 1994 the overall incidence of asthma increased 75%. Since 1991, the number of US adults with diagnosed diabetes has increased 61%, and the number is projected to more than double by the year 2050. (5, 6)

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that the incidence of gastric/esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma) has inexplicably risen more rapidly than any other cancer incidence in the United States. Yale New Haven Hospital and the National Cancer Institute list that rate of increase at 350%. Also noted was the observation that the majority of the unfortunates suffering from gastric cancer in this particular study were white males, and the majority of those white males first presented with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Adult white males were not the only ones suffering from GERD, however. By the CDC's own definition of "epidemic," GERD appears to be an epidemic of staggering proportions in the United States, today. (7)

The motto of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is "Safer, Healthier People." The CDC mission statement is, "To promote health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability." Yet, when I contacted the CDC because I was having difficulty in locating their statistical reports on the increasing prevalence of GERD, the response I received was, "CDC does not have activities related to GERD."

With CDC unable to supply statistics on this epidemic, it was necessary to look elsewhere. A reasonable idea of prevalence and trends could be obtained by "following the money" and looking at pharmaceutical marketing data.

What was found was stunning, and it suggested that medicine focused on the treatment of chronic symptoms results in a dependency on chronic treatment. People struggling for relief and a chance to live normal lives become dependent on the pharmaceutical industry for relief. If they can pay the price, they will be served.

Americans are apparently now paying the price because the marketing information indicates this country is now considered "the world leader" in the overall consumption of pharmaceutical products.

By following records of drug sales, one can follow the trend of GERD, and America once again has somehow become a "world leader," this time in the prevalence of caustic heartburn in its citizenry.

Beginning in 1997, the top-selling prescription drug being purchased by Americans was a pharmaceutical preparation that promised relief from ulcers, GERD and other conditions related to excessive, corrosive acid in the stomach and esophagus. In 1998, 1999 and 2000, that acid-relief drug remained the number one prescribed drug in the country.

An editorial that appeared in the March 18, 1999 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, (Volume 340:878-879, Number 11), by Sidney Cohen, M.D. and Henry P. Parkman, M.D. noted, "It is ironic that the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagus has increased dramatically in the very period in which highly effective therapies have provided symptomatic relief and mucosal healing."

Indeed.

In treating the symptoms of GERD, are we silencing true "gut instinct?" Are we silencing a divinely designed warning system that is trying to tell us we are ingesting something toxic, corrosive and dangerous? Are we silencing with drugs a signal that is warning us we must stop ingesting a toxic substance before it kills us?

It was not until 2001, that the most popularly prescribed drug was overtaken by drugs being purchased by Americans seeking relief from something else tormenting them within. In 2001, Americans were spending their money in an attempt to seek relief from personal and profound depression - another symptom that, along with weight problems, is known to occur as a result of thyroid malfunction. It was another signal telling us that something was affecting not only our bodies, but our minds and emotions.

While this surge in both corrosive gastric disorders and mental anguish was easily dismissed as the price to pay for "the daily stress of life," the same theory cannot be used to explain away the surge in rates of mental torment and GERD now afflicting infants and children.

During the five-year period ending in 2001, the sale of drugs prescribed to treat reflux, heartburn and other gastrointestinal disorders in children soared 660 percent. In a report looking at four of those same years, the cost of treating behavioral problems presently referred to as ADHD in children also increased 120 percent. (8, 9)

According to an annual report of the US Department of Education to Congress, the number of "children aged 0 to 21" being treated for autism and traumatic brain injury rose from the first 5,000 reported cases in 1992/93 (at the start of mandatory reporting), to 94,000 cases in 2000/01. In looking at individual states, a troubling mosaic forms. States showing the highest increase (a two thousand percent increase or greater) in the number of children being treated for autism include Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, Maryland and Oregon. This is not to say that the other states were faring well - in California from 1987 through 2002, the number of people being treated for autism by the Department of Developmental Services increased by 634%. In Indiana the percentage of children suffering from autism rose by 860%. In Michigan, the increase was over 1000%. The 1999 Journal of Pediatrics indicated that the majority of autistic children who were followed in one study were also suffering from reflux and other digestive problems. (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)

Unfortunately, it appears that little boys are far more likely than little girls to suffer from autism as well as from a variety of childhood behavioral disorders. Typically, even as infants these boys also appear to be suffering from reflux and sleep disturbances. It is while noting the surge in ADHD that another disturbing fact emerges: Some of the states with the worst surges in behavioral problems - including Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alaska and Oregon - are also states in which still-unexplained behavior in juvenile males has manifested in horrific school shootings.

While the brain and its workings are still not fully understood, it is within the frontal lobes of the brain that the capacities for moral judgment, attention and memory are now thought to be situated. PET scans and functional MRIs of the boys afflicted with autistic disorders have revealed what appears to be "decreased glucose metabolic rate in the medial frontal region,"and "hypometabolism [lowered metabolism] demonstrated in the temporal and parietal regions." (16)

Tests have also indicated that, in the brains of the afflicted boys there is a "decreased activity and reduced anatomical size, particularly in the right brain . . . " Other brain disturbances, including disturbances in the brain's processing of tryptophan, serotonin and melatonin are becoming known, as is damage to the hippocampus area, thought to be associated with memory problems and obsessive thoughts. (17)

Pharmaceuticals such as methylphenidate, now in popular use, stimulate the frontal lobes in order to heighten the brain's ability to filter out noncritical parts of the daily barrage of stimuli. This pharmaceutical appears to at least temporarily improve the behavioral symptoms of agitation, hyperactivity and inattention in children whose brains are otherwise unable to filter stimuli on their own.

While stimulants might improve outward symptoms, though, research now indicates that within the right brain, most notably within the right temporal lobe and hippocampus regions, there exists an extremely unusual area of neuroreceptors and transmitters. It is this area of the brain that is believed to be the connection between the human individual and the still unexplained realm of the mystical and the divine - the realm of divinely perceived Light. For this reason, this area of the brain is now being referred to by some researchers as the "God Spot"- what might be our most important connection of all.

Despite the fact that this extraordinary realm of Light is largely bypassed as noncritical by the majority of researchers, many individuals have now described numerous, similar experiences with the Light, indicating such experience is not as uncommon as orthodox science has assumed. In examining some of the oldest texts in human history, it is apparent that interactions with Beings of Light have, since the earliest of times, been the most cherished and desired of all human experiences. Writings from ancient Egypt describe journeys into the Light and contact with beings and messengers. "Manna," was the expression voiced by startled Egyptians on seeing the living entities emerging from the light. "Manna," meant, "what is this?"

We can judge from the unprecedented volume of prescriptions for psychiatric drugs that something is having a profoundly depressing influence upon the human mind at this time. Something is happening within our brains that is manifesting as anxiety, depression and impaired cognitive abilities - this much we know. Because adequate research of the God-Spot is not an "approved" field of study, however, we have no scientific reports warning us if the God connection in the brain is also being damaged at this time. Again, we have only outward signs to observe - signals indicating something is blocking our access to the most important light of our lives, and symptoms that speak to a growing angst, darkness and the loneliness of godlessness.

Researchers who dare to study this area of human experience, do so facing professional humiliation from peers, although such research may actually be critical to the well-being of humanity. Those who guard the borders of acceptable research are often quite skeptical or disapproving of what they contend is mere "paranormal" speculation, and for this reason, that area of study has been largely avoided by professionals and researchers.

Melvin Morse, M.D., pediatrician and author of Closer to the Light, is one of very few professionals who has dared to explore this uncharted territory. In summing up this unfortunate situation of acceptable study versus study that is dismissed as paranormal, he writes, "This lack of a theoretical scientific model to allow interaction with an interconnected universe has led to a 100 year 'skeptic' versus 'believer' debate which has not advanced our understanding of human consciousness." (18, 19, 20)

Although our increasing inability to perceive the divine and understand the full extent of our human capabilities remains largely ignored by those discrediting or rejecting "paranormal" research, the growing epidemic of anxiety, depression and overwhelming despair in this country's children deserves the attention of all of us. It should be considered a national emergency, and a national tragedy.

In Colorado, the rate of suicide among teenagers, children and young adults has been consistently above the national average since 1980. Suicide is, sadly, the second-leading cause of death in children between the ages of 10 through 19 in Colorado. In Kentucky, suicide is also the second leading cause of death in children, teens and young adults. In Mississippi, the number of teen and young-adult suicides has increased 126% since 1969, with more than 90% of the victims being males. In Alaska, the suicide rate among teenagers is nearly twice that of the national average - twice. (21, 22, 23, 24)

Other strange surges in human suffering have been noted, as well. In Colorado, from 1990 through 1999, the percentage of children with orthopedic impairments rose 484%. In Alaska, during 1990-98, the incidence of diabetes increased by 152%, (much greater than the national rate), and now Alaska is among the top three states with the highest incidence of squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. (25, 26)

In the midst of all this growing and tragic suffering, in the year 2000 the Surgeon General issued a "first ever" call to action in response to what was noted as a "silent epidemic" of dental problems in the United States. Something strange is happening in the mouths of Americans. (27)

According to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, an estimated 80% of American adults currently have some form of periodontal (gum) disease. In parts of Kentucky, nearly half of the toddlers have cavities in their teeth, which is approximately twice the national average. In addition to Kentucky, the top five states cited in a 1997 table used in the Surgeon General's report on toothlessness included West Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Maine. (28, 29, 30)

Perhaps it is at this point that one might begin to reasonably suspect that whatever lies at the cause of this epidemic of epidemics - whatever is disabling Americans in body, mind and spirit - just might be something we are putting into our mouths or otherwise absorbing into our bodies. This is not an unreasonable suspicion.

Given the avalanche of starch that is now figuratively suffocating us and literally fattening us, given the strange new bioengineered oddities now secretly passing as food in America, given the relatively new insertion of soy compounds in seemingly infinite forms and aliases into nearly every packaged, jarred and canned food on the grocery shelves - given the chemicals, the mandatory cocktails of highly questionable and extremely toxic vaccines all being inserted into the American population - it does not appear at all unreasonable to think that what is wrong with our health and well-being might have something to do with what we are taking in with mouths, skin and lungs.

It does not appear to be at all unreasonable to suspect that our new status as world leader in pursuit of relief-seeking drugs has a cause, and that cause just might be something unnatural that is entering our bodies en masse.

The list of possible suspected toxins, though lengthy, can be shortened by a deductive process. Not all of us consume soy - some avoid it by preference, others because of allergies, and still others avoid it who have been alerted to questions raised by research about its safety. Not all parents permit their children to take the vaccines mandated by government. A significant number of Americans avoid bioengineered food by purchasing organic, GE-free products, and still others have cut large amounts of starch from their diets in order to maintain proper weight and health. Not all of us have similar lifestyles that might be blamed as the cause for physical distress, mental despair, stress, cognitive malfunctions and uncompassionate apathy now upon us.

The toxic suspect is unlikely to be an elective, avoidable substance. More likely the toxin is in something that we all consume because we need it, like flowers need the rain. It might be something undetectable at first - something that we willingly ingest without knowing it. It would be a toxin that could be added into virtually every food and beverage, with no mention of it required on the labels.

The substance would also be now causing problems in a bizarre geographical manner. As though it were seemingly able to sense invisible county boundary lines, it would be a toxin that is leaving a trail which jumps from county to county, state to state, missing some counties and entire states while hitting other counties and states particularly hard.

The search is for a substance that can be absorbed through the skin and lungs as well as by swallowing it. Undetectable to us except by scientific measuring, it is a substance that does its work quietly and in extremely low doses. Working at a molecular level, it would cause a gradual onset of disease and disability observable only after the slow passage of years. It is then, after that slow, slow passage of years, that an epidemic of epidemics would be noticed while its cause long forgotten in the mists of time.

After a process of elimination, the substance that meets all of the criteria and stands alone in the crosshairs of our search is a substance that does not appear to be suspect. In fact, it raises no suspicions in most of us, whatsoever, because most of us are unaware of the research pertaining to this substance.

It is a substance that, according to government reports, has been known since 1930 to have such a powerful effect upon thyroid function, it has been used in prescription medications to treat hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid). It can, therefore, along with our pyramid of dough, be reasonably marked as a suspicious agent contributing to the current epidemic of obesity and thyroid problems. (31, 32, 33, 34)

It is a substance that has also long been known to cause or exacerbate the exact periodontal disease resulting in the tooth loss that has caught the attention of the Surgeon General. In addition to being a causative agent in periodontal disease, it is a substance that is known to accumulate in the teeth and bones creating brittleness, and for this reason it has also been associated with osteoporosis and other bone diseases and disorders that are also now being seen in America.

The mysterious substance is so corrosive, when added to water it will eat its way through a titanium container. Since it will eat its way through titanium, perhaps it should not come as a great surprise to learn that it is also known to act as a severe corrosive agent on human gastric and mucosal tissues. (35, 36, 37, 38)

As Americans' afflictions continue to unfold unlike anything else that humanity has known and brought upon itself, we also learn that the material, once thought unable to cross the blood-brain barrier, crosses it rather well. It also concentrates in the pineal gland that is located within the brain. (39, 40, 41, 42)

Any agent that passes through the brain can be expected to affect behavior, mood and cognitive function, and this substance has been repeatedly shown to create a depressing, numbing effect.

As early as 1954 this substance was reported by George L. Waldbott, M.D., to cause his patients to become "incoherent, drowsy, lethargic and forgetful." His reports are not isolated. Government reports indicate similar findings of "impaired cognition and memory." So well-known is the impact of this chemical on the human brain and mental function, it continues to be incorporated in and sold in a variety of popular, well-known psychiatric drugs. (43, 44, 45)

Given the existing reports of this substance's presence within the brain - including its effects on the right temporal lobe, hippocampus and the pineal gland - perhaps it should come as no wonder that a growing number of people, children in particular, are now behaving strangely, unpredictably, and sometimes very badly while also noting gross memory impairment after ingesting or absorbing this substance.

Reports also indicate that the substance is not as effectively eliminated from the body in young males as it is in others. Thus retained in the body, its effect upon juvenile males appears to be quite different from its effect on females or even adult males. (46)

Because of its known toxic side effects, this substance requires a prescription when administered by medical professionals, but in a bizarre and quite deadly paradox enabled by industry masterminds working within the government, it can be administered en masse to the general public by dealers who have no medical training whatsoever, no license to dispense medications whatsoever, and who, in fact, have no idea to whom they are administering this corrosive, toxic, mind-altering substance.

Those who avoid non-prescribed pharmaceutical substances might feel safe as a result of personal choices to refrain from unapproved drugs and substances. We have dutifully repeated the "just say no to drugs" mantra, and we have instructed our children to repeat the same after us. We would not think of taking mind-altering drugs from a dealer, and would never consider giving such a substance in unregulated doses to our infants and children.

However, we have been innocently doing just that. In a growing number of geographical areas that begin and end with invisible county lines, the substance is almost impossible to avoid. Some of the hardest hit counties are located in Alaska, Colorado, Kentucky, Michigan and Mississippi.

As the old saying goes, when no other agent can be located as the cause for our problems, blame it on the water. "It must be something in the water," the saying has been said for ages, usually with a shrug and chuckle.

Perhaps it's time for us as individuals and as a nation to repeat this phrase again - this time as though our lives depended upon it, this time without a shrug and chuckle - and while we are at it, take a closer look at our water.

Maybe there is something in the water, after all.

* * * * * * * * *

The strange, corrosive, toxic but still controversial agent in the water is fluoride.

The atomic symbol for the negatively charged halogen known as fluorine is, simply, "F" or "F-." When the negatively charged ions - or anions - of fluorine gas combine with another element, a fluoride compound is formed. If the F combines with sodium (Na), for instance, the compound would then be known as sodium fluoride, or NaF. If it combines with calcium (Ca), the compound formed is calcium fluoride, or CaF. If it combines with arsenic, it becomes AsF. And so on.

Fluoride is a trace element in nature, but manmade fluoride compounds became grossly abundant as a result of the invention of weapons of mass destruction in World War II. Fluoride and uranium are key components in the atomic bomb, and fluoride is also a key ingredient in fluorinated organophosphate nerve agents, such as Sarin.

Radioactive uranium is naturally present in phosphate ore, but it must be "enriched" if it is to become a nuclear weapon or a reactor fuel. After the phosphate is mined, the uranium "yellow cake" is removed and sent to an enrichment facility such as the plant owned by the Department of Energy in Paducah, Kentucky. There, the uranium is fluorinated and uranium hexafluoride (UF6) is produced. Paducah's enrichment plant stopped making UF6 for weapons in the 1960s, and began creating it, instead, for commercial purposes as a reactor fuel.

Uranium fission was first discovered in the late 1930s by German scientists. In 1939, there was a reported fear that the Nazis were about to develop a bomb using uranium fission. In 1942, Americans began similar research, facilitated by the knowledge of scientists who had fled their own countries and moved to the United States. Thus, America was the first to achieve both creation - and use - of atomic weaponry in 1945.

That year, 1945, was one of many changes. With World War II over, 1945 marked the year in which the Nuremberg Trials began - trials that presumably reaffirmed the sanctity of life, and human rights - trials which would eventually address the atrocities of Nazi human experimentation.

As the world breathed a sigh a relief in knowing that the Nazi health officials' experimentation on human beings had been halted in Germany, 1945 marked the year that "public health officials" in America began their experimentation on human beings with water fluoridation.

In what would turn out to be the biggest human experimentation in history, sodium fluoride - NaF - was added into American's drinking water in selected communities under the medical claim that the F would prevent dental caries (cavities) in children. Those receiving this experimental, medicinal treatment in their drinking water, received it then as they do now: They are forced to ingest it, inhale it, bathe and shower in it, whether or not they want or even need this toxic chemical in their bodies.

As with all medicinal compounds - indeed, as with virtually everything on Earth - some individuals can be expected to have extreme side effects and allergic reactions. Individuals having severe allergic reactions to penicillin, poison ivy or peanuts are very likely to use common sense and avoid those substances. Unlike the penicillin, poison ivy or peanuts, however - in fact, unlike any other medicinal compound in history - over 60% of Americans at this time are now unable to electively avoid the F product unless they also can find a way to avoid their water. While the list of side effects from fluoride has been falsely minimized or completely concealed by fluoride promoters, the side effects are well documented. Side effects have been so severe that previously approved medications containing high-grade F compounds have been removed from the market by the FDA. (47, 48, 49, 50, 51)

In a recent paper authored by Myron Coplan, PE, and Roger Masters, PhD, a professor at Dartmouth, the authors discovered that a subtle but potentially lethal change in F additives took place shortly after the fluoride experimentation on Americans began. In 1947 instead of higher-grade NaF or sodium fluoride - silicofluorides, or SiFs, were substituted as the fluorinating compound in drinking water. This switch was carried out under the gross misconception that all F compounds are the same. As outlined in some largely ignored research, however, one part of SiF is substantially more potent than six parts of NaF. Despite this evidence, and despite the fact that it is now SiF rather than NaF primarily being used in American water fluoridation, Masters and Coplan found that "virtually all the extensive laboratory research on the biological properties and effects of fluoride in water has been performed using NaF rather than SiFs..." (52)

Merck gives the definition of silicofluoride as, "fluorosilicate is a compound of silicon and some other base with fluorine, such as sodium silicofluoride; fluorosilicates are sometimes used as insecticides, and are very toxic when ingested. Called also silicofluoride." (53)

While many are still assuming that the SiF compounds being added to drinking water are high-grade pharmaceuticals, the CDC's National Fluoridation Engineer has publicly stated that all fluoride compounds currently used for water fluorination are "byproducts of the phosphate fertilizer industry." (54)

Because of the toxic nature of this compound, the SiF being added to drinking water is an industrial waste that would otherwise have to be disposed of by the industry that created it, and it would have to be disposed of according to the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HAZMAT). Disposal of toxic substances under hazmat regulations, however, results in an expense for the industries.

This costly disposal dilemma - and its clever marketing remedy - was expertly summed up in a 1983 letter written by EPA's Rebecca Hanmer, (formerly the Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water), who stated that by putting the SiF waste into drinking water rather than disposing of it, an important financial savings is made for the industry. Miss Hanmer wrote that this industrial plan is "...an ideal solution to a long standing problem. By recovering by-product fluosilicic acid (sic) from fertilizer manufacturing, water and air pollution are minimized, and water authorities have a low-cost source of fluoride..." (55)

Ongoing research by Dr. Roger Masters' team revealed that the effect of SiF in young, growing boys differs from its effects on adult males. In juvenile males, ingested fluoride is not excreted from the body as efficiently as it is excreted from the body of adult males. It is this finding that perhaps explains why this substance might be creating an extreme reaction in boys. In addition, after comparing blood lead levels of over 400,000 children in communities using SiF-treated water, it was found that SiF water was also significantly associated with increased levels of lead in the children tested. This should be cause for alarm because the findings of other recent studies show a distinct correlation between blood concentrations of lead and unusual, aggressive behavior. (56)

Information published in 2003 detailed the findings of a controlled study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Researchers found in this study that elevated amounts of lead in the blood "may cause aggressive and even violent behavior." Dr. John D. Bogden, Professor of Preventive Medicine and Community Health participated in this study at the New Jersey Medical School. He stated, "The data of this study demonstrate that lead exposure enhances predatory aggression in animals, and provide support for lead exposure as a cause of aggressive behavior in humans." Among other researchers also participating in this study was Dr. Donald B. Louria, Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health. Dr. Louria stated, "The results support other recent investigations that have found associations between lead in blood or bones and delinquent and aggressive behavior in teenagers." (57)

In seeking further documented evidence regarding aggressive behavior and its association with SiF water, Dr. Masters contacted personnel in the EPA in 2000 and asked them if they had empirical, scientific data on the effects of SiFs on health and behavior. Robert Thurnau, Chief, Water Supply and Water Resources Division of the EPA responded. ". . . our answer is no." (58)

In spite of the increasing evidence pointing directly to a potential calamity stemming from massive fluoride poisoning, there remain outspoken groups that continue to advocate the blanket dosing of entire communities with still-untested, unapproved fluoridation. Among them is a group known as "Quackwatch."

Quackwatch is chaired by retired psychiatrist, Stephen Barrett, M.D. He and the Quackwatch associates have gathered together for the purpose of acting as both watchdog and instructor for the gullible, unlettered public. The group has apparently done some substantial instructing, because it claims to be one of the three most popular medical websites on the entire internet. Dr. also serves as a Fellow of the "Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal."

Quackwatch uses an FDA quotation to describe what, exactly, quackery or health fraud is, and it also provides the public with guidelines to help us more easily identify the "quacks" among us. According to Quackwatch, "The FDA defines health fraud as 'the promotion, for profit, of a medical remedy known to be false or unproven.'"

In reading through the reports published on Quackwatch, one will read claims that opponents to fluoridation have no supporting evidence to back their opposition to fluoridation. In fact, the only suspicions regarding F that seem to be embraced by Quackwatch are suspicions raised about individuals who oppose or question fluoridation. In one report that appears on Quackwatch, "Community Water Fluoridation in America: The Unprincipled Opposition," Michael Easley, DDS, another outspoken promoter of fluoride, refers to fluoridation opponents as "health quacks," and quotes from a 1983 paper which likens fluoride opponents to "parasites" who "steal undeserved credibility just by sharing the stage with respected scientists," all of whom (we are apparently to believe) are pro-fluoridation. (59, 60)

Quackwatch warns that one of the tactics of an "anti" (an opponent to the mass fluoridation of drinking water), is to use tactics based upon "those of Hitler," and to state that fluoride is the cause of an entire laundry list of problems. Quackwatch is correct about the laundry list. This is not a "tactic," however. It is a mere statement of facts.

Those who have dared to ask a few questions in spite of the potential risk of public humiliation by Quackwatch and other fluoridation promoters, have discovered information that flatly contradicts the information being generated by the promoters.

In a journal found in the National Library of Medicine, studies have shown that in doses as low as 3 mg per day, fluoride has produced toxic effects on male reproductive hormones. Despite what Americans are being told by fluoridation promoters, the negative effects of F upon both body and mind have not only been discovered, but they have also been duly reported, albeit in areas and texts that most Americans - including professionals - do not regularly access, subscribe to or read. (61, 62, 63, 64)

Perhaps the most amazing fact of all discovered by those daring to ask questions, is the fact that the F compound being added into our drinking water under a promised, medicinal claim, has not ever been approved by the FDA.

Representative Glenn Donnelson of Utah summed this fact up during the winter, 2003, National Conference of State Legislatures. When asked about fluoride he stated, "A major concern is that the Food and Drug Administration has never approved fluoride for safety or effectiveness . . . When a product, substance or chemical is added to the public water supply for the purposes of treating or preventing a disease, that chemical must have an approved health claim by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. To say that 'fluoridated water will decrease tooth decay' is an illegal health claim." (65)

Amid the Quackwatch reports, is a report reprinted from the 2002 FDA Consumer magazine focusing on the Surgeon General's "silent epidemic" of oral/dental problems, previously mentioned above. The article is named, "Fighting Gum Disease: How to Keep Your Teeth." The paper focuses on "Americans' bad oral health," and on the high incidence of gum disease in the US. A portion of this scientific paper, however, reads suspiciously like a product promotion and endorsement. It is in that particular area of this paper on "how to keep your teeth," that the inevitable endorsement of a fluoride product is made. (66)

A more realistic paper focusing on "Fighting Gum Disease: How to Keep Your Teeth," might have actually contained a warning about fluoride.

According to a patent application that can be located through the US Patent and Trademark Office, the following statement was given as supporting evidence by researchers applying for patent #636150, filed on April 22, 1996: "We have found that fluoride, in the concentration range in which it is employed for the prevention of dental caries, stimulates the production of prostaglandins and thereby exacerbates the inflammatory response in gingivitis and periodontitis." The claim for which these researchers were seeking a patent was, "A method for preventing dental caries and at the same time controlling periodontal bone loss precipitated by the fluoride..."

Could it possibly be that fluoride does not belong on the list of the "Ten Great Public Health Achievements in the Twentieth Century," as is claimed by the CDC and seconded by popular fluoride promoters such as Quackwatch?

Is it possible that along with the "adjusted" reports that have been given to the public from the USDA as well as from the EPA (as has recently been charged by angered EPA scientists), that individuals in the CDC, the FDA and those crying foul and quack in the private sector might be giving us - albeit with great authoritarian bluster - more inaccurate information in order to promote and market this product?

Most of the dental problems in the Surgeon General's report are broken down according to race, income and educational levels in the government's apparent attempt to find a reason behind the appalling increase in gum disease. It is in the midst of this data that the following lament is made: ". . . about 40 percent of the public does not receive the benefits of community water fluoridation." Because the mention of "fluoride-deficient" communities is listed in this report, one might reasonably draw a conclusion that fluoridated drinking water must be working wonders for those more fortunate folks in the fluoridated counties. Certainly, the five states mentioned on the Surgeon General's list as having the worst toothlessness problems - Kentucky, West Virginia, Arkansas, Louisiana and Maine - must be five of the most embarrassingly "fluoride-deficient" states in the entire United States. (67)

A brief review of a state-by-state CDC score card of "optimally fluoridated" communities reveals just the opposite.

Predictably, and in keeping with research that reveals fluoride causes gum disease, the two states with the worst edentulous problems in the country - Kentucky and West Virginia - were 96% and 87% "optimally fluoridated" in 2000. In fact, Kentucky, which was mentioned earlier above as also having twice the rate of cavities in toddlers as the national average, was actually 100% fluoridated in 1992.

Among the other top five states of now-toothless-Americans, Maine was 75% fluoridated, Arkansas was about 60% fluoridated and over 53% of Louisiana's residents were being "optimally fluoridated" via hazmat waste in their drinking water. (68)

Adding to the overall contradictory statistics is yet another report, this one a 2001-02 "report card" issued by a fluoride-promoting group calling itself "Oral Health America" (OHA). They gave the United States an oral health grade of only "C," a grade that was in part lowered because each state not "optimally fluoridated" automatically received one "F"to be figured into their grade. According to OHA's data, there were only four states that actually received a better grade than the national average of C. Two of those four states that received the highest grades in America for overall oral health were Utah and Hawaii. Both Utah and Hawaii received a B minus.

Utah and Hawaii, however, are the two "hold-out" states in America. Both states have been roundly rejecting water fluoridation for some time. (69)

Once again, the list of areas being "optimally fluoridated" or "fluoride deficient" pertains only to fluoridation of drinking water. There is no mention of the other sources of fluoride pollution in America. Among the other sources are ongoing fluoride contamination of the air and environment by Superfund sites, fluoride contamination in animal feeds, pesticides, cigarette smoke, coal combustion, in fertilizers being incorporated into soils, the fluoride that is contained in plastics and in nonstick cookware, the fluoride contamination of human foods as well as canned/bottled juices, soft drinks and other beverages, and the fluoride that is added to an overwhelming number of pharmaceutical products, including antibiotics, steroids, molecular imaging tracking agents, anesthetics, vitamins and antidepressants.

As though even more fluoride were somehow needed by a nation that is clearly already overdosed, the list also does not include one of the most highly concentrated sources of fluoride that is purchased by most Americans and used daily: Conventional toothpastes. Most toothpastes have a fluoride content that is so potentially lethal, a poison warning must be displayed on their labels. In what must be the most bizarre examples of conflicting and confusing in formation, while "public health officials" in many states are using words such as "enforcement" when it comes to keeping fluoride in people's drinking water, the notice on the toothpaste tubes warns specifically against the ingestion of the fluoride product. The government's Medline encyclopedia gives the following prognosis following an ingested toothpaste overdose: "For fluoridated toothpastes -- If the patient survives for 48 hours, recovery is usually likely." (70)

Amid the confusion, one might wonder why topical fluoride dental products would even be necessary when the fluoridation of drinking water is now being enforced in so many communities. The answer to this question can be found in statements from the CDC and other fluoride promoters: Ingested fluoride only affects teeth prior to tooth eruption. According to the CDC, after the tooth has erupted from the gums in toddlers and children, ingested fluoride no longer affects the tooth. (71, 72)

There are only preliminary estimates available regarding how much F is absorbed through the skin and lungs even though over half of all Americans now have no choice but to stand naked in their showers and be completely contaminated by F water - and then pay for it in their utility bill. Estimates suggest that dermal and pulmonary absorption of F are far more efficient routes than ingestion by mouth, as was demonstrated over a half century ago by the Nazis during their experimentation with lethal, fluorinated nerve gases.

It is perhaps of interest to note that while Quackwatch includes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its list of "Reliable Agencies and Organizations," several important pieces of literature pertaining to F and published by EPA Headquarters Union of Scientists have either escaped the Quackwatch notice or have simply been ignored.

It appears that a number of scientists in the EPA have also been able to uncover existing information that documents the dangers of F. In fact, some of the scientists of the EPA have been issuing warnings about the dangers of fluoride in our drinking water for over ten years, but - again - reports that do not further the sale of this product have been seriously "adjusted" by overseers occupying jobs within the government. Only after being adjusted are the reports then given to the unsuspecting public. In other cases, the scientists' warnings appear to be completely ignored by major news media, as well as by some of the more popular medical sites that profess to keep Americans informed.

One statement prepared by J. William Hirzy, Ph.D. of the EPA Headquarters Union of scientists, summarizes the stand of approximately 1500 scientists and professionals in Washington, D.C. "... our opposition to drinking water fluoridation has grown, based on the scientific literature documenting the increasingly out-of-control exposures to fluoride, the lack of benefit to dental health from ingestion of fluoride and the hazards to human health from such ingestion. These hazards include acute toxic hazard, such as to people with impaired kidney function, as well as chronic toxic hazards of gene mutations, cancer, reproductive effects, neurotoxicity, bone pathology and dental fluorosis." In another statement issued before the Subcommittee on Drinking Water in D.C., Dr. Hirzy urged an immediate moratorium on water fluoridation, citing among other possible links, the growing psychological problems children are now suffering. (73, 74)

While research on the destructive role that F is playing in the human body continues to unfold, a much earlier clue regarding the toxic effects of cellular message disruption was given years ago in an old book written by Adelle Davis, Let's Get Well. (Ms. Davis, who was suspicious of fluoride, was posthumously inducted into the lengthy Quackwatch list of Quacks for misinforming the public.)

Although she was not writing about fluoride when she mentioned the words "xanthurenic acid" in that old book - she was writing about diabetes - both xanthurenic acid and diabetes fit well into any study of fluoride and America's health problems.

Referencing research done in the 1950s, on page 94 Ms. Davis wrote: "When too little vitamin B6 (pyridoxin) is obtained, an essential amino acid from complete proteins, tryptophane, is not used normally; instead it is changed into a substance known as xanthurenic acid. If animals are deficient in B6, xanthurenic acid in the blood becomes so high that it damages the pancreas within 48 hours and diabetes is produced."

On the next page, she stated that magnesium plays an important partnership role with B6 by decreasing the need for B6. A more recent study shows that a magnesium deficiency impairs B6 status by inhibiting the uptake of B6 in the tissues. On page 342, Adelle Davis stated that many foods grown in America today using chemical fertilizers are deficient in magnesium content. (75)

These are important statements in that old book, as they clearly demonstrate that the need for appropriate nutrition as well as the devastating effects of an improper diet were well-known by researchers in the 1950s - long before adjusters gave us our pyramid of dough. Information available through the CDC also states that a poor diet - something that is now quite easy to come-by in the United States - can lead to a depletion of B6. (76)

In order to better understand what, exactly, xanthurenic acid is, and how important each small piece of the puzzle is, one must look at the symphonic workings of the nerves, chemicals, proteins and hormones that are receiving and transmitting messages in the brain and throughout the body each moment of every day of our lives. It is the very ability of the receptors and transmitters to give and receive their accurate messages that creates the symphony that is the song of life.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that must be obtained through a proper, balanced diet. The tryptophan is then further dependent upon - and influenced by - other nutrients and messages for its destined work in the body.

If the tryptophan is not able to metabolize in the brain because of missing nutrients or due to incorrect messaging, the tryptophan degrades into xanthurenic acid, a toxin that causes cells to self-destruct in a cellular suicidal action called "apoptosis." All of the B complex vitamins are essential for proper cellular messaging, but in studying the specific roles of each of the B vitamins, a deficiency of vitamin B6 has, indeed, been shown to lead to tryptophan degradation. What little B6 that is gained from a poor diet can be further depleted by something else as easy to come by in the US as a poor diet - stress. (77, 78, 79, 80)

On the other hand, if all goes well and all nutrients are present, instead of metabolizing into xanthurenic acid the tryptophan will interact and then form serotonin, which is a powerful neurotransmitter. Serotonin's molecular messaging role is so vast and important in the body, it is sometimes referred to as the "serotonin system." It is a key player in the regulation of mood and behavior. It also directly affects the gastrointestinal tract, and low levels are being found in the development of heart disease. Serotonin is also thought to play a regulatory role in insulin production, and a disruption of serotonin levels has also been found to worsen the behavior in some autism cases. (81, 82, 83, 84, 85)

In a paper published in a peer-reviewed journal, the point is made that, "Evidence is mounting that abnormalities of serotonin metabolism play an important role in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Whole-blood serotonin often is elevated in children with autistic disorder and normal intelligence. Also, in boys with autistic disorder, serotonin synthesis typically is decreased in the frontal region and thalamus on one side of the brain and increased in the dentate nucleus of the opposite cerebellum." (86)

Once the tryptophan is transformed into serotonin, the serotonin acts as the precursor to melatonin which is formed in the pineal gland. Melatonin is the hormone that regulates daily cycles, and it induces sound sleep which is necessary for our bodies to heal and repair themselves each night. It is also an extremely important regulator of apoptosis and it also plays a role in the regulation of insulin. Because of its role in the regulation of apoptosis, when the melatonin is able to send and receive its messages properly, its messages tell cancer cells to self-destruct, while keeping other cells on task. It also helps to govern mood and behavior, and plays a role in the triggering of puberty. (87, 88)

As science has leapt forward in various areas, researchers are now better able to understand some of the smaller, lesser-known details of the great symphony within us. They are now aware, for instance, of the critical role played by something that was discovered not long ago by a gentleman of science named Martin Rodbell. He discovered one of the most critical messengers in our bodies - messengers that are now referred to as the "G-proteins."

According to "The Martin Rodbell Papers - Signal Transduction and the Discovery of G-Proteins, 1969-1980," which can be viewed in the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, "'Signal transduction' describes how individual cells receive, process, and ultimately transmit information derived from external 'signals,' such as hormones, drugs, or even light . . . The G-proteins proved to be the essential components of the hormone signaling process." This was a discovery that was so profound, it resulted in a shared Nobel Prize for Dr. Rodbell and Alfred Gilman, M.D., PhD. (89)

But, Dr. Rodbell had also seen something else. At a press conference in 1994 he took a moment to express concern for something troubling him. He was concerned about the increasing profit-oriented arenas into which the field of science was moving. "The tenor is changed," he stated, "the world ain't the same, everything is targeted, everything is bottom line, how to make a buck." He added that there is a crucial need to "capture knowledge for its own sake and for humanity." In one of his last public speaking engagements, the man who represented pure science rather than industry - a scientist who was also a poet and unafraid to speak of Amazing Grace - Dr. Rodbell said, "We should be able to together bring about a better world, a world that we, as humans, can be proud of." (90, 91)

Eerily, strangely - very strangely - as though he had looked at the smallest of the small details and in those details found divine consciousness, at his Nobel banquet celebrating the discovery of the G-proteins, Martin Rodbell the scientist and poet told us that when we think of G, to remember all that it stands for - "lucky seven in the alphabet, the starting point for everything surely profound, remember God..." (92)

Since the great, internal symphony is so dependent upon the abilities of the G-proteins to send and receive their messages, it would appear reasonable to assume that life, itself, depends upon the safe and unblocked passage of these messengers.

Fluoride can now be suspected in a host of illnesses including GERD, gum disease, bone problems, diabetes, thyroid malfunction and mental impairment. As stated earlier, a significant number of the health and mental problems in the US are more pronounced in boys. Because tryptophan, serotonin and the melatonin formed in the pineal gland are specifically associated with behavior (both aggressive and nonaggressive), with mood, sleep, appetite control, mucosal function of the gastrointestinal tract, regulation of cells and a host of other functions of the body, it appears that something is disturbing the proper functioning of the messengers, thus resulting in outward signs of disease and behavioral problems. (93, 94, 95)

Additionally, fluoride has now been found to accumulate in extremely high concentrations within the pineal gland where melatonin is formed. This observation was made during postmortem examinations by researcher Jennifer Luke, DDS, PhD. A known neurotoxin, fluoride has also been shown to cause nerve cell degeneration, resulting in an outright disruption of motor coordination. It has also been shown to inhibit and interfere with the production of insulin, interfere with thyroid function and to directly affect thought process. (96, 97, 98, 99, 100)

The outward signs, however, are but the symptoms, the end results - the effects. Having found the effect, one must look at the smallest of the small details to find the cause. There in the small details, in the nucleus of the symphony where the divine is meant to sing, something else is, instead, lying: Fluoride has now also been identified as interfering with G-protein messages. A messenger of utter falsehood, fluoride both activates and inhibits cellular activity. (101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106)

This means that fluoride, along with those promoting it, is sending out some rather confusing messages. (107)

* * * * * * * * *

It was while studying the raging debate over whether "we" should or should not pay the uranium mining industries to use our drinking water as a cheap way to dispose of their fluoride wastes, that another fact appeared.

It appeared rather quietly and without fanfare, almost as background noise that was unnoticeable against the din of debate on municipal fluoridation. It might have been missed entirely if it weren't for the fact that I was focusing on the growing list of behavioral problems in children, and wondering each step of the way if the children's problems might possibly be tied into an epidemic of epidemics caused by fluoride.

While adults were sometimes being given an opportunity to express opinions prior to the fluoridation of their water supplies, another fluoridation program was quietly begun. In the 1960s and 1970s, fluoridation was begun in children's schools which had their own water supplies. The fluoridation plan for the schools' drinking water, however, differed slightly from the municipal fluoridation plans. The CDC guidelines suggested that school children's drinking water should be fluoridated at approximately 4.5 times the amount suggested for municipal fluoridation. (108, 109)

This deliberate overdose, which translates into ranges reaching 6.5 mg per liter of water, is not a dose that was based upon any child's size, weight, age or body mass. It is not a dose that was based upon any particular child's individual dental needs - nor was there even consideration of whether the children's teeth had already erupted and were therefore no longer affected by ingested fluoride. The dose was certainly not based upon any parent's desire to have his or her children exposed to fluoride in amounts that the parents would not want to receive. It is a dose that does not even take into consideration the amount of fluoride the children might already be exposed via topical dental products.

In fact, it is a dose that callously - and quite coldly - takes nothing whatsoever into consideration other than the mean outdoor temperature. In schools where the average daily temperature is 79.3 to 90.5 degrees Fahrenheit, the suggested dose is 3.2 milligrams per liter, with the upper range being 3.8 mg/L. But, heaven help the schools in colder areas where the average air temperature is 50 to 53.7 degrees Fahrenheit. In those schools, the suggested dose is 5.4 mg/L, with upper limits at 6.5 mg/L. (110)

With the dose of fluoride experimentation at such extreme levels, one would think that at least caution and close monitoring would be in order.

Once again, such a thought is apparently considered unreasonable in the minds of those promoting fluoride. In a report dated August 17, 2001, the CDC states that while schools in thirteen states had initiated school water fluoridation at some point during the course of this experiment, as of 2001, "school water fluoridation has been phased out in several states; the current extent of this practice is not known." (111)

In addition to school fluoridation now being "not known," in the same National Conference of State Legislatures in which Representative Donnelson registered his opposition to fluoridation, another 2001 study was reviewed. The study examined the knowledge level of operators controlling both small and large water plants. Specifically, this study focused on the knowledge level of individuals responsible for adding the fluoride into the drinking water. The two-year study found that only "approximately 64 percent of plant operators knew the correct optimal fluoride concentration for their plant . . ." (112)

Medical experimentation is always undertaken for a purpose. The purpose in most cases is to achieve or study end results. It is not unreasonable to suspect that the massive medical experiment involving one of the most powerful of the greenhouse gases - fluoride - might finally be revealing its long-term, end results. With children being subjected to more than a full measure of this experiment, it is not unreasonable to suspect that the children might reach their breaking point before the larger, older, heavier adult population.

It is not unreasonable to assume that children might now be showing signs not only of dental fluorosis - which has been visible for years in the United States - but also signs of systemic fluorosis manifesting in ways that have nothing to do with their teeth.

With a manmade, toxic substance now effectively sending false messages throughout the minds and bodies of most Americans, it is not unreasonable to suggest that previously unheard-of behavioral and mood problems might be directly related to that manmade substance which is sending out those false messages. Along with the new, bizarre fascination with darkness that appears to be growing in this country's juveniles, there seems to be a new aloofness and a growing lack of compassion.

In some children there appears to be a growing inability to think clearly beyond the moment at hand, and an inability to avoid bizarre and impulsive behavior. In some boys, there appears to be a growing inability to feel, and therefore an inability to behave in a manner that considers the feelings of others. School bullying, once a rare and punishable offense, is simply seen now as "life in the real world," as the principal of a notably violent middle school in Tallahassee told me. Along with an inability to feel, there is a growing inability to even perceive a concept of the divine. Instead, there appears to be a growing willingness to follow dark, provocative and charismatic leaders who are now easily leading their young disciples directly into hell.

There is also a growing reverence for Nazi philosophy reported among some school children, nationwide.

Xanthurenic acid is the toxic element needed before a number of illnesses - including malaria - are set into motion. Following this example of cause and effect, one might reasonably wonder at this point if it is fluoride, itself, that set into motion the numbing, light-blocking, emotionless disease of godlessness that is Nazi philosophy. Was it, perhaps, the fluoride that created the Nazis?

With children's minds now being ruled by a false messenger, it is within reason to wonder if this messenger of lies is the toxic agent behind the growing, horrific cases of murder, suicide and inexplicable behavior now being carried out by children - irrational acts carried out by children who are unable to think clearly enough to "just say no" to anything.

Christopher Pittman - was twelve years old when he shot his grandparents to death as they slept in 2001. In the weeks leading up to this horrifying event, Christopher had briefly lived in South Carolina with his grandparents. While the drinking water of South Carolina is over 90% "optimally fluoridated," this does not take into consideration all of the other sources of fluoridation mentioned earlier. According to news reports, Christopher had also been placed on prescription antidepressants just weeks prior to tragedy. Both of his prescribed drugs are classified as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs, and in addition, one of them is a fluorinated compound.

While it is possible that the two prescribed serotonin-altering agents might take the stand with Christopher, fluoride will undoubtedly continue to be ignored because the masterminds behind its marketing are still claiming after over a half a century of unproven experimentation that it is good for us.

A reflection of the accelerating lack of reason and compassion governing this country, and in spite of the fact that there is no child in the United States safe from fluoride, Christopher - like a growing number of boys and teenagers now being charged with life-shattering crimes - is being charged as an adult. He faces life in prison because, as a twelve-year-old, he was unable to control strange and terrible impulses that occurred following his ingestion of mind-altering compounds, including fluoride. (113, 114, 115, 116)

One might pray that reason and compassion will once again flow through this country and govern the behavior of our leaders. Reason and compassion, however, are now as rare as pure, sweet water.

For those in whom there remains the last of this nation's reason and compassion, let those people come forward now and speak in a clear voice on behalf of all who have no voice - let us speak first on behalf of the children in this country. Let the voice of reason and compassion take the stand with Christopher as he is charged as an adult, and let us speak on behalf of him and of all other children in this country who have been charged as adults and are serving life sentences or facing life sentences in the United States. Let our voice speak of the clear evidence that no child in this country can "just say no to drugs"when they are being drugged through their drinking water, their food and the air they breathe.

Let us next come forward on behalf of all those on whom the fluoridation of drinking water is being enforced.

Let us come forward with reason and compassion as though all of our lives and the future of America depend upon it, and let us tell industry that it must control its fluoride waste instead of placing it in our drinking water. This is not an unreasonable request.

Let us come together with a unified voice and remind those working in government that one cannot serve two masters. The government of this country was meant to work on behalf of the people of this country - on behalf of all people, including the children who have no voice.

Let those who are professionals be daring enough to take the research presented here and add to it. Further research cannot harm us. It can only lead to an increase in our knowledge. Like the symphonic workings of tryptophan, serotonin, melatonin and the G-proteins, knowledge that is tempered with reason and compassion unfolds into wisdom.

It is time for us to awaken and move beyond America's dark age of fluoride and time to strive for that wisdom which is so long overdue. It is wisdom that unfolds into enlightenment, and it is enlightenment that belongs to each of us. Enlightenment, along with our connection to the divine, belong to us. They are ours, by divine birthright.

It is time for us to remove the darkness of the false messenger known as F, the 6th letter of the alphabet, and to go forward so that we may reconnect with all that the next letter, G, represents.

Something wonderful is waiting for us there in the smallest details. We have been told so by a poet and scholar who was among the first to learn of it, and then to realize that he had encountered a symphony of universal proportions.

It is there, in the smallest of the small, that evidence of the largest of the large can be found.

It is time for us to try to remember God.

Copyright December 2003 by Mary Sparrowdancer

+ + + + + + + + +

Mary is the author of The Love Song of the Universe, (2001, Hampton Roads), documenting her fifteen-year, ongoing encounter with the light. The above work represents excerpts from Mary's forthcoming book, Fluoride: The Battle of Darkness and Light, to be published in 2004. The information has been provided here freely because of its critical nature. Mary can be reached through her website at www.sparrowdancer.com or at PO Box 535, Tallahassee, FL 32302.

Mary wishes to thank Valerie Guernsey, DO, specialist in adolescent psychiatry, Luise Light, MS, EdD, nutrition expert, editor and author, and J. William Hirzy, Ph.D. of the EPA Headquarters Union of scientists for their valuable help in preparing this paper.

Look for Ketchup is Not a Vegetable; Sane Eating in a Toxic Food World by Luise Light in the fall of 2005.

+ + + + + + + + +

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