http://www.portlandmercury.com Comments On: Portland Mercury en-us Copyright 2013 Portland Mercury. All rights reserved. This RSS file is offered to individuals, Portland Mercury readers, and non-commercial organizations only. Any commercial websites wishing to use this RSS file, please contact Portland Mercury. webmaster@portlandmercury.com (Portland Mercury Webmaster) Thu, 23 May 2013 00:00:01 -0700 Thu, 23 May 2013 01:15:00 -0700 Foundation http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss And you still don't get it. The arrogance to say "don't fuck this up Portland". It was the Portland Mercury that fucked up.

Look into the facts and use common sense. I don't see how adding industrial toxic waste to the water is a good idea. Or even if you think it's an effective dental treatment, the public water isn't there to mass medicate people.
It was really low to jump on the ad hominem bandwagon that the corporate snakes use to justify their dumping of toxic waste in the water.

"It's never a good idea to take health advice from the same publications that exhort you to make your own porno... " @MediaMonarchy on twitter

Posted by Jay Sun]]> Thu, 23 May 2013 00:12:48 -0700 Portland Mercury
And by that I mean the talking points that a lobbyist got paid to dumb down for me.
Posted by Chunty McHutchence]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:49:26 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by eldepeche]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:41:52 -0700 Portland Mercury
Now don't get me wrong; the tinfoil hat bad science crowd loved the other side, and maybe that's "wingnut" Portland liberal, sure. But it's not "lives-in-a-$600k-Alameda-home" Portland liberal. (So many different varieties!) We could split hairs further and say that the Hot Yoga Moms would be voting GOP anywhere else, but hey, this is Portland! We're all liberals and we're all really excited about eco-equality and outdoor activities and whatnot. Common ground. At least most of the time.

Somehow the wingnuts found themselves in bed with the curmudgeonly libertarians this time around, adding to the confusion. So yeah. But the "save the children" appeals weren't aimed at them; they were aimed at anyone who's decided that they exist on some sort of figurative perch, high above the unfortunate. This crowd might drive redevelopment, food culture, etc but they're not the majority. They're not really hippies, just like they're not really progressive or really into yoga. They're just good at throwing money and time at pretentious self-serving causes.
Posted by Chunty McHutchence]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:41:11 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Tommy]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:34:32 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Abusive]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:31:04 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by The Showstopper]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:29:14 -0700 Portland Mercury 1) It's a new shopping experience for Portland and;
2) Union Way finds it's origins from global precedents.

To use your closing line:
So, yeah, not so "new" really, but new for Portland. Apparently Stu is one of those loathsome people who lives in America but thinks America doesn't exist because he wishes he lived in Europe or Asia or the Middle East...
Posted by General Electric]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:12:03 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Chunty McHutchence]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 22:01:15 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by David F Morgan]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 21:25:37 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by ill paxton]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 21:15:58 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Andy from Beaverton]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:58:23 -0700 Portland Mercury
"B-but! There are CORPORATIONS! That SELL FLUORIDE!!!" Jesus.
Posted by jamdox]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:52:01 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Maxims&Arrows]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:50:47 -0700 Portland Mercury
Never mind, I'm sick of humoring the willfully ignorant.
Posted by disastronaut]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:46:57 -0700 Portland Mercury
The point: it's NOT been a scientific debate in any way-- see the comment from your mixed flavor amigo above and from numerous other merc posts, radio shows, TV interviews, etc over the past 2 weeks.

The vote was an advancement of an emotional anti-authority, anti-government, pro-"purity" argument, and unashamedly so. It's a little too late to suggest science supports your claims of harm of proposed water fluoridation. (Many of your cronies don't care and have said as much.) So with this campaign, you clearly HAVE joined the ranks of the idealogues, and are NO different than the religious right in that way. Welcome to the bliss of ignorance.
Posted by Spoolo]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:29:15 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Todd Mecklem]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:15:15 -0700 Portland Mercury Now get up off your ass and do something.
Posted by frankieb]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:08:58 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by Todd Mecklem]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:05:37 -0700 Portland Mercury Well, I hope that cop gave him 35 grand worth of punishment.
Posted by frankieb]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 20:00:06 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by buddy]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 19:52:32 -0700 Portland Mercury
Humans have been putting that extra carbon there because, in small part, at one time, science said that was safe.

True story, but yea totally unrelated to this whole save the children with fluoride thing. Because, ya know, children.
Posted by myscreennameistaken]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 19:49:44 -0700 Portland Mercury
But the minorities also came out against fluoride as well as the hippies and right-wingers.

Basically, the idiots from above and below who want to go back to the dark ages defeated the science-oriented middle class that made America great.

Again. The country can't take much more of this.
Posted by jamdox]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 19:47:48 -0700 Portland Mercury Posted by sara lee]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 19:47:22 -0700 Portland Mercury
Analytically there's very little reason to put fluoride in our water. Our teeth our improving as much and better than many fluoridated places in the country. We don't have a city wide dental crisis and there are far better ways to spend time and money to target the groups that do. (translate and distribute educational material and info about access to free programs, toothpaste, toothbrushes, etc)

But the emotional appeal of saving the children and colored people is just too enticing. It's almost got a catholic style "wash your sins away with one simple vote YES" thing going on.

Plus languages are hard.
Posted by myscreennameistaken]]> Wed, 22 May 2013 19:39:26 -0700 Portland Mercury