Militarism is Not the Answer

Near the end of the Wizard of Oz movie the humble but brave sojourners reach the City of Oz and Dorothy’s little dog Toto pulls away the curtain, exposing the terrible Wizard of Oz as merely a little man pulling levers behind a curtain. Startled at being found out as a fraud, he tells them not to pay attention to the little man pulling levers behind the curtain. His defense is fruitless. His fraud has been exposed, and his power to frighten is gone. On September 11 terrorists attacked the Pentagon, the very center of our military power, which spends $300 billion a year, but could not protect its own building from a few guys with box cutters! Militarism has been exposed as a fraud! People say nonviolence doesn’t work. It turns out that violence does not work! Nonviolence deserves serious consideration, and it has a good track record. Nonviolent actions have accomplished historically significant results in opposing violence and oppression in a number of countries. For example, nonviolent action achieved India’s independence, gained remarkable successes for the US Civil Rights Movement against entrenched racial oppression, overthrew the Marcos dictatorship in the Philippines, helped several Eastern European countries overthrow dictatorships. The gap is not between Americans and terrorists. The gap is between those who believe violence can solve problems and those who recognize that violence only makes things worse.

Glen Anderson

Beware Fluoride

The label on your toothpaste most likely says: “WARNING: As with all fluoride toothpastes, keep out of reach of children under 6 years of age. If you swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional assistance or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.” Fluoride allegedly reduces tooth decay by hardening tooth enamel. Perhaps that’s why my teeth are brittle and chipping. Fluoride penetrates on contact. Anything ingested is wasted. Yet water fluoridation proponents would have us drink this poison. Drink a glass of water. Notice how few of your teeth are exposed to the water let alone bathed in it as they would when brushed with fluoridated toothpaste or swished with fluoridated mouthwash and expelled. Fluoridation proponents claim they want to help people by forcing them to drink fluoridated water. Proponents are perfectly free to counsel individuals to use inexpensive and readily available fluoridated dental hygiene products. They need not employ government to force everyone to ingest fluoride by contaminating the water supply. Such force is very un-libertarian. The only logic to water fluoridation is people profiting by selling an industrial by-product to foolish voters or bribed politicians and bureaucrats.

Bill Holmes, Carlsbad, CA