Is it just me?
Drivers who traveled Front Street in south Marquette anytime earlier this month may have noticed the Mothers’ Day greeting which appeared on the business marquee seen above.
The message… “The woman cleaned your butt,” is meant, I believe, to honor the person who took care of you before you were old enough to take care of yourself.
I’m guessing the creator of the message thought it to be a funny, maybe clever, homage to all the women who did the dirty work required in child rearing… no pun intended.
Well… is it just me, or was that expression more tasteless than tribute?
A Time and a Place
Full disclosure… I can be as crude as the next guy, but I generally like to keep my questionable notions in a more private realm, and not on a very visible marquee, which happens to be one of the first things visitors see as they enter our city.
Maybe it’s my boomer mentality, but I happen to think there’s a time and a place for everything, and a very prominent marquee isn’t the place for potty humor, particularly when it’s linked to one of our more genteel holidays.
When we defy the laws of civil behavior, we enroll in the slide down the slippery slope… to who knows where? I don’t want to imagine.
When news reporters warn us the video we are about to see may be disturbing, we’re able to decide whether or not we want to change the channel. A marquee on one of our busiest streets gives us no such option. It’s there… for all to see, whether we want to or not.
What would the folks at Hallmark think? I hope they’d be disapproving, but who knows, maybe it was Hallmark inspired. If that’s the case, we’re probably already too far down the slope, with little hope of return.
Fluoride Back in the News
I don’t mean to pick the scab off this, but the practice of fluoridating municipal water supplies, and the opposition to it, continues to find its way into the conversation, both nationwide and here.
According to a recent article in Newsweek, “There has been national debate over water fluoridation, a practice endorsed by many public health agencies to reduce tooth decay but more recently has been increasingly scrutinized by critics who call it involuntary medication.”
Currently, Florida and Utah are the only states with bans, but a number of others are also looking into approving similar legislation. Thirteen states have laws intended to mandate statewide fluoridation. The State of Michigan does not mandate fluoridation, but rather leaves it up to local governing bodies.
Coming from the Top
One of the reasons the issue has been revived is that our nation’s new Secretary of Health and Human Services has come out against the practice of adding fluoride to municipal water systems.
According to an article on PBS.org, “Kennedy, a former environmental lawyer, has called fluoride a “dangerous neurotoxin” and said it has been associated with arthritis, bone breaks and thyroid disease. Some studies have suggested such links might exist, usually at higher-than-recommended fluoride levels, though some reviewers have questioned the quality of available evidence and said no definitive conclusions can be drawn.”
Marquette has been adding fluoride to the municipal water supply since 1951, but it’s still subject to question by an unofficial group of concerned citizens. The issue was the subject of a community discussion a couple weeks ago at Messiah Lutheran Church.
Retired pharmacist and former Marquette Mayor Dave Campana spoke in favor of the fluoridation program, while Dr. Scott Emerson, Fellow of the American College of Medical Toxicology, represented the dissenters.
More than one side
In a nutshell, Campana contended the amount of fluoride added… 0.7 parts per million, has been proven to be safe and effective. He also noted that having worked with countless dentists across the U.P., for many years, not one suggested fluoride presents a danger, when added in the appropriate amount.
There are many studies that show fluoride is effective when addressing tooth decay in both children and adults. Those studies also contend fluoride is safe… provided it is added to water supplies in the recommended amount. There’s plenty of information available if you care to look further. Just Google fluoride and set aside some time.
Emerson countered with an argument which didn’t necessarily contend fluoride is a health hazard, but rather there are better ways to fight tooth decay… like avoiding the processed sweetener known as high-fructose corn syrup. The less of that we put in our mouths, Emerson told the crowd, the less likely we are to end up with rotting teeth.
Though that sounds like a great alternative, it’s also something processed food loving Americans would find hard to swallow… since it’s in just about everything. That’s an exaggeration… but not by much.
Additionally, though the 0.7 parts per million is said to be a safe amount, that doesn’t take into account the amount of water each individual may drink. For some, that’s very little, while others are never seen without a water bottle at their side. It seems that would have to make a difference.
Freedom of choice
Another objection from the anti-fluoride crowd cites the “right to bodily autonomy.” In other words, according to one who objects to the practice, “Fluoridation amounts to mass medication without individual consent. Forcing a population to consume a chemical substance without individualized due process raises serious constitutional concerns.”
Though the city currently has no plans to reconsider the fluoridation debate, I suspect the national discussion, or new state mandates, may force them to put the issue back on table.
Until then, water water everywhere… but do you want to drink?