I congratulate Fraser on taking the effort to research the claims of the anti-fluoride lobby. He exposed, once again, their misrepresentation of the evidence, astonishingly using the Vic Health Q&A on water fluoridation, which is, overwhelmingly, for water fluoridation.

I also note that in reply to Fraser’s letter on August 17, Stefanie Ransome used the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) report, which actually says up front “so it is important to note that the safety and effectiveness of the practice of water fluoridation was outside the scope of this report and is not evaluated”.

Every anti-fluoride proponent on the internet uses this report (NHMRC) as “evidence”, perhaps not taking the time to read the report or hoping that people will be credulous enough to take their word for it – an appalling cherry-picking of data and misrepresentation of evidence that is in fact against their position.

They refuse to argue the quality/validity of the evidence they use and resort to telling us how poisonous fluoride is – a classical straw man argument.

The strategy here is to invoke a fear response that is very effective in ceasing critical thought. Very ironic indeed considering some of them claim that fluoride is being used as a mind controlling agent.

If the government was indeed using fluoride to control the populace (assuming that it is true), then that would be doing it the hard way; as the anti-fluoride lobby has shown, you only need use fear to lead people up the garden path.

Des Horwood,

Gol Gol.