By Elissa Meininger – Health Policy Analyst
Folks, I have been involved in the so-called “Health Freedom Movement” officially since 1990. I signed on when I conducted the first national survey among dental amalgam victims in preparation for the first of two FDA hearings on the safety of mercury fillings.
The second hearing ended with Obama’s Commissioner of the FDA, Margaret Hamburg, directing the agency to declare amalgam fillings safe.
In an earlier BolenReport, I wrote an article called FDA Follies – Dental Amalgams to cover the whole sorry history of amalgams in American medicine including Hamburg’s disgraceful and thoroughly corrupt performance as FDA Commissioner.
In recent days, I came across a video describing new information about the depth of her corruption as Commissioner. This video stands as a monument to the determination of those of us who have traveled down a long road to get justice.
Charlie Brown, head of Consumers For Dental Choice, is to be commended for keeping his shoulder to the grindstone despite the odds and his letter below is an illustration of what we all should be doing in these times of chaos and lack of real press to keep us informed about the real issues.
I wanted to share Charlie’s letter at this particular moment for a reason.
It provides evidence that the work of health freedom leaders goes on day in and day out without regard to the headlines. These days, sad to say, these sorry headlines are about some spoiled little rich boys who have decided to stage a group tantrum to complain about how put upon they are.
I encourage y’all to stay focused on the important things.
We’ve launched our “Make Dental Amalgam History!” campaign
Dear Friends,
Greeting from Geneva, where I am participating in the first conference of the parties for the now legally-binding Minamata Convention on Mercury!
The Minamata Convention requires each nation to cut down its amalgam use. So during the phase between the treaty signing (2013) and this entry into force (2017), Consumers for Dental Choice embarked on a full-court press that resulted in substantial progress in every region – from banning amalgam for children, pregnant women, and breastfeeding mothers in the European Union …. to dental training updates in India …. from exposing pro-mercury insurance and government programs in the United States …. to consumer fact sheets urging mercury-free fillings in Nigeria.
Now comes the next phase. As president of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, I was proud to present our opening statement announcing our newest initiative: “Make Dental Amalgam History!”, a step-by-step campaign to get an amalgam phase-out written into the Minamata Convention.
This campaign was developed and is being carried out by affiliates of the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry, the coalition of dental, consumer, and environmental organizations from around the globe that I have the honor to lead.
Our team embraces some of the world’s foremost policy talent, including:
the advocate who secured the world’s first ban on plastic bags
two winners of the Goldman Prize, the coveted award given to the most accomplished environmentalists
leaders of the top environmental non-profit groups from nations on every inhabited continent
the stars from our successful European Union campaign
Altogether, this team has acquired more than a century’s worth of policy experience, earned several dozen advanced degrees, and speaks at least 32 different languages. Now each brings his or her unique expertise – international policy, dentistry, public health, engineering, journalism, law, environmental science, etc. – to the table for mercury-free dentistry.
As our team’s chief dental adviser Dr. Graeme Munro-Hall observes, “Now that we have the Minamata Convention, some of the best minds are flocking to work with the World Alliance for Mercury-Free Dentistry on this great cause!”
Most important, this united team wants to win …. and knows how to do it.
This is a great opportunity for the mercury-free dentistry movement. And I promise you that we will seize it. With your help, my friends, we can “Make Dental Amalgam History!”
Charlie
27 September 2017
Thank you Charlie, for all your years of hard work. We are obviously close to the finish line!
By Elissa Meininger – Health Policy Analyst
I loved everything about this article (especially the video) but I just don’t know why you had to include a political comment about the NFL players. It divides your audience. I think the NFL players have every right to protest police brutality against minorities by peacefully taking a knee during the national anthem.
Carol:
I believe in free speech and have, on occasion, spoken up at town hall meetings, written letters to my public officials and news outlets, and, on one occasion, participated in an organized public demonstration. I have also organized a number of grassroots lobbying campaigns, testified at various hearings at my state legislature, and you can purchase the transcripts of a Senate Hearing in Washington to see what I said as recorded in the Congressional Record to Ted Kennedy and the other Senate Committee members. This is to say there are plenty of ways to express your opinion in appropriate and time-honored ways including social media.
My objection to the NFL exhibition is that, in truth, football players are very well paid entertainers. People who attend games have spent hundreds of dollars for tickets, transportation, food and other costs so they can forget the cares of the day. They like yelling and screaming, drinking beer and stuffing their faces with hotdogs and the like. They have a right to expect to be entertained watching an exciting game and not be subjected to some political statement from the people who are being paid to entertain them.
Similarly, people who spend hundreds of dollars on cable TV sports packages have purchased the right to be entertained in the privacy of their own homes. They didn’t purchase these viewing packages to be subjected to political demonstrations.
This intrusion into a sporting event by a political demonstration about anything is just plain rude and inappropriate to those who paid to be entertained. It is the same as if someone who paid to view Netflix movies had just stretched out in their recliner with beer and sandwich in hand looking forward to some escapist comedy and was suddenly confronted with an intermission where the stars in the film start ranting about some political issue.
I also don’t think the NFL demonstration really reflected the true feelings of many of the participants. I believe there was quite a bit of bullying in the locker rooms to get 100% participation. This would not meet my standards for free speech, either.