Fluoride Free Austin is an alliance of concerned citizens from all walks of life united behind the goal of eliminating the dangerous and costly practice of community water fluoridation. Fluoride Free Austin is not a card-carrying, dues-paying organization. It is a fire in the minds of men and women–a fire that will not die until Austin’s drinking water is free of the artificially introduced, health damaging hazardous waste toxin fluoride. If you agree with our objectives, then, wherever you may live, you can be a part of Fluoride Free Austin. Welcome on board.

You can actively help our campaign by downloading and distributing our handouts, sending us interesting news items to post and–if you live in the Austin area–emailing, calling or writing to City Council members and signing up to speak before the City Council. You can also take advantage of our Reading Room page, with its outstanding collection of links, to educate yourself and others. Please explore our website and make use of the resources you find there.

PORTLAND'S HUGE VICTORY: AN INSPIRATION TO US ALL!!

Last month, the people of Portland Oregon scored a stunning victory by resoundingly voting down an attempt by politicians to force fluoridation of their city's water. Portlanders are a lot like Austinites: well-educated, health-conscious, environmentally aware. They even say: Keep Portland Weird. Their outstandingly pure water, which originates from snow melt in the Cascade Mountains, has never been fluoridated. And their battle—though framed as local—was instigated by outsiders.


IN SUMMER 2011, Washington DC-based lobbyists with unlimited funds and the corporate print media in their pocket crept into town and, acting through a local PR group called Upstream Public Health, began to secretly lobby the 5-member at-large City Council based on a bogus "dental crisis" among Portland's children. Then last August, following months of behind-closed-doors meetings which were carefully kept off the public calendar, a bought-out Council suddenly announced they would vote to fluoridate the city's water at their September 12 meeting. Meanwhile—their decision already made—they staged a September 6 mock hearing, during which they heard six hours of citizen input--most opposed to fluoridation—before dismissing it.

But in their arrogance, they had greatly underestimated the public outrage their backroom actions would generate, even among many who under other circumstances might have been their allies. Following the Council's vote, the grassroots organization Clean Water Portland sprang into swift action with a referendum to place the fluoride issue on the next ballot and halt construction meantime. They needed 20,000 signatures in 30 days; they collected 43,000 in 29. They spent the next six months till the May 2013 vote educating a public already outraged by the Council's stealth campaign. In the end, it wasn't even close. Despite being outspent 3-1: over $800,000 by fluoride-pushing corporate interests to their own $280,000, and despite facing a supposedly invincible team of high profile campaign consultants, they won by a 20-point margin, 61% to 39%

WHAT'S NEW

We have a new website for parents interested in joining an upcoming legal action against the city for damage to their children's teeth caused by drinking Austin's fluoridated water. The link (below) is not yet live, so cut and paste.

http://www.stopaustinfluoridation.com/

2013 The Texas Legislative session has been extended 30 days, through June. Fluoride wasn't on the radar this year, which is probably just as well. The 2015 session could be different.




June 17, 2013