Secure Arkansas

Keep your eye on both the medical and dental industries because it seems like they are making their own laws, regulations, and policies, not to mention buying the lawmakers loyalties. So, instead of handling the science of fluoridation in a professional manner, both the American Dental Association (ADA) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are pouring money into PR to keep this outdated and dangerous practice going.  This includes over $30 million of taxpayer money that the CDC is using over the next 5 years to help fluoridate more communities in several target states, and the ADA is lobbying for more.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the American Dental Association monetary involvement with the U.S. Congress in 2014 included:

• Contributions to candidates: $1,187,100

• Contributions to Leadership PACs: $363,500

• Contributions to parties: $120,250

• Contributions to 527 committees: $505,418

• Contributions to outside spending groups: $317,000

The American Dental Association (ADA) announced on December 8, 2014, that they will pour $500,000 (our guess is more) into a PR campaign to fool the American public into believing that fluoridation is good for them, when science and government statistics prove otherwise. The American Dental Association is willing to spend thousands of dollars but has never been willing to present their documentation to any of the opposing scientists to debate the fluoride issue because they cannot defend their fraudulent statements with proper documentation.  The only information that we are able to procure from this organization and the Arkansas Department of Health were some brochures with opinions and endorsements they refer to as “facts”.

Fluoridation is a waste of money on many fronts.  The CDC’s PR claim that, for each $1 invested in fluoridation $38 is saved in dental costs, has been shown to be false by independent scientists. 

Although the national organizations affect us here in Arkansas, our main focus is what’s happening in our state regarding local control of water fluoridation.  We believe we have found enough evidence that our legislators might have been paid off through campaign donations to block local control of water fluoridation.

In case you weren’t aware, all health-type legislation has to go through both the House and Senate Public, Health, Welfare & Labor Committees before it hits the House or Senate floor.  HB1355 is an attempt to return the fluoridation of the public water systems back to local control, and the bill did get out of House committee and was passed by the House in February 2015.

On the Senate side, there was an attempt to get HB1355 passed out of the Senate Public Health Committee yesterday, March 4, 2015.  According to witnesses, the minute that it was announced in the committee that Representative Ladyman’s bill was up next, Senator Missy Irvin (whose husband is a doctor) was reported to have hopped up out of her chair and walked out!  We’re not sure why.  Two other Senators (Sanders and Ingram) weren’t in committee to hear the bill introduced or debated. (They joined the meeting later.)  Senator Stubblefield introduced the bill with Representative Ladyman, and Senator Flowers limited the debate to only TWO MINUTES for either side.  Senate Committee Chair Cecile Bledsoe did a roll call and took a voice vote.  The committee vote was 3 Yea and 2 Nay.  Senator Bledsoe pronounced the bill as “failed”.  Watch_the_YouTube video here.  (We have reservations about how this committee meeting was handled regarding this bill!)  The Committee Chair can control the committee and legislation that comes out the committee significantly.  So, if our math is correct, in this committee of 8, there are at least 5 members of the Senate Public Health Committee who didn’t want to see this bill get passed?!

TAKE NOTE:  In case you didn’t know it, Senator Cecile Bledsoe (the Chair of the Senate Public Health, Welfare and Labor Committee) has a son who is the newly appointed Arkansas_Surgeon_General,_Dr. Greg_Bledsoe.  Greg Bledsoe was the personal physician to former President Bill Clinton during Clinton’s tour of Africa in 2002.  Senator Cecile Bledsoe’s husband, Jim Bledsoe, is also a doctor and is sitting further over to her right in the video linked above.  It seems that not only is this family making blanket decisions regarding the health of the residents of the whole State of Arkansas but that they’ve also decided to FORCE mass medication of fluoride upon the State!  Call the Arkansas Surgeon General, Dr. Greg Bledsoe, and ask him why, with all the NEW science being revealed, is the State of Arkansas not calling for a moratorium on water fluoridation?  Turn it off, and then do the studies that have not been done which were recommended by the National Research Council (NRC) in 2006.  Plead with him to PLEASE stop the involuntary mass medicating of the people of Arkansas with fluoride through our water supply! Even if just one person is harmed, that’s one too many!  Since Senator Cecile Bledsoe does not want to pass the bill, maybe we need to turn to her son, Dr. Greg Bledsoe, for a remedy.  We should have a choice regarding whether we are medicated (forced to take a dosage of a drug) from the Arkansas Department of Health and the Arkansas lawmakers.

Greg Bledsoe, MD, MPH Arkansas Surgeon General

Arkansas State Board of Health 4815 W. Markham Street, Slot 31, Little Rock, AR 72205

Telephone 501-661-2878  Fax 501-661-2357

greg.bledsoe@arkansas.gov

It appears that the Arkansas Dental PAC may have paid off the Senate Committee members to sabotage HB1355 to prevent the bill from getting out of committee.  We the People simply cannot compete with this type of money!  That’s why your lawmaker does NOT listen to you most of the time and why you are ignored!  Have you ever wondered why they are locked into their vote most of the time (regardless of what you say or how much evidence you provide to them) and you cannot change their mind?!  Because they’re influenced by LOBBYISTS and their deep pockets.

ACT197 mandated the fluoridation of all of Arkansas public water systems serving more than 5,000 persons.  Delta Dental of Arkansas and Arkansas Dental PAC were heavily involved in  influencing the legislators.  From 2011 through 2014 (four years), $501,044.00 was rotated through the Arkansas Dental PAC.  That’s a half-a-million dollars!  It appears that this money could have been a bribe in an attempt to buy off the Arkansas legislators to pass the Fluoride Mandate Act.  To see what is happening, you need to follow the money.

We especially want to focus on these lobbying groups:

• Delta Dental

• Arkansas Dental Association

• DBH Management

Delta Dental has given $2,984,617 to 1,704 different filers over 21 years.

Arkansas Dental Association has given $347.579 to 431 different filers over 16 years.

DBH Management Consultants has given $316,475 to 267 different filters in 25 states over 16 years.

To follow the money, this is just the tip of an iceberg! Click on each of the Senators’ names underlined in blue below:

These senators have brought in a LOT more money than we’ve shown above.  Take a peek at the chart below!

ACT197 that mandated fluoride (ie. mass medicated most of our state) throughout Arkansas would never have been passed if Delta Dental of Arkansas and Arkansas Dental PAC didn’t get involved.  In order to hide where the money influence is coming from, some of the dental lobbyists donated money to DBH Management Consulting, and DBH donated the money to the legislators’ campaign funds. 

The GoEddieJoe PAC is owned and managed by Senator Eddie Joe Williams. This PAC appears to be used to reward the players of the progressive movement.  Money comes into this PAC and is redistributed by Senator Eddie Joe Williams to various politicians.  For example, some of the money is being funnelled from DBH Management into Senator Williams’ GoEddieJoe PAC to give out to other legislators.  Over $110,000 came into this PAC from 2012-2014 (according to the Arkansas Secretary of State website).

The five hot links below shows all the funds and where they come from and to whom they are being distributed.

GoEddieJoe PAC 1/1/2014

GoEddieJoe PAC 3/1/2014

GoEddieJoe PAC 6/1/2014

GoEddieJoe PAC 9/1/2014

GoEddieJoe PAC 12/1/2014

“Arkansas Constitution Article 5 Section 35. Bribery of member of General Assembly or state officer

Any person who shall, directly or indirectly, offer, give, or promise any money, or thing of value, testimonial, privilege or personal advantage to any executive or judicial officer, or member of the General Assembly; and any such executive or judicial officer, or member of the General Assembly, who shall receive or consent to receive any such consideration, either directly or indirectly, to influence his action in the performance or non performance of his public or official duty, shall be guilty of a felony, and be punished accordingly.”

“Arkansas Constitution Article 5 Section 9. Persons convicted ineligible

No person hereafter convicted of embezzlement of public money, bribery, forgery or other infamous crime, shall be eligible to the General Assembly or capable of holding any office of trust or profit in this State.”

We have something that money can’t buy: the truth – which is why we are winning the fluoridation battle!   Do not be weary in well doing … We will win this battle, folks!

Fluoridation is a local issue, not a state issue.  Fluoridation MUST be left up to local people alone. The time for returning the fluoridation of Arkansas public water systems to LOCAL CONTROL is NOW!  All hope is not lost: the HB1355 bill could be brought up once again.  We will see… but ONLY if you keep the heat on the legislators!

HB1355 could come up in committee again next week, so keep contacting the Senate Public Health Committee members!  Their contact information is below. Ask them to support HB1355 and to vote YEA if and when the bill comes up again.

PUBLIC HEALTH, WELFARE AND LABOR COMMITTEE – SENATE

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