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Saturday, February 6, 2010

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Water, water everywhere

Fluoride foe expressed bitterness

Irene Johnson, the leader of Brainerd's anti-fluoride forces, was an independent Montana native who wasn't shy about carrying a grudge. The fluoride opponent died in 2001 at the age of 81.

While being interviewed from her nursing home room in 2000 for a story on the 20th anniversary of Brainerd's fluoridation of the water she still expressed bitterness at the mention of a particular judge's name.

"Boy, that old goat," she said of her old foe. "I hope he had gallstones."

Fluoride appealed to highest court

A 1974 Minnesota District Court ruling, which ordered Brainerd to fluoridate, was upheld by the Minnesota Supreme Court and then went to the U.S. Supreme Court. The nation's highest court refused to hear the issue, sending that case to a legal dead end.

Constitutional meeting at Franklin

One of the more novel approaches fluoride opponents used in their long struggle against the 1967 fluoridation law was a constitutional convention that was conducted at Franklin Junior High School in July of 1974.

Delegates to the convention were members of the Brainerd City Council, the Brainerd Water and Light Board and the mayor.

In a 30-minute session the convention unanimously adopted a resolution declaring the state statute on fluoridation "absolutely unconstitutional, null and void and of no lawful force and effect."

Among the speakers at the convention were then-council members Mary Koep and Gene Goedker. An estimated 200 people attended the session.

Copies of the resolution were forwarded to the governor, the chief judge of the Minnesota Supreme Court and other state officials. Special counsel Jack Graham was secretary of the convention and Mayor Tom O'Brien was permanent chairman.

Vandals weighed in on fluoride

The night after Brainerd fluoridated its water vandals defaced a sign near the old Brainerd water tower proclaiming the city's water as "the world's best drink." The vandals painted over the original message and placed a sign with a skull and crossbones and the word "Contaminated."

'Got unfluoridated water?'

When the Brainerd City Council reluctantly yielded to the state on the fluoridation in October of 1979 it included a proviso. The council stipulated that when fluoride was added to the water the Water and Light Department must, at no cost, make available one gallon of unfluoridated water to each household on demand.

Information compiled from Brainerd Dispatch files by Associate Editor Mike O'Rourke.

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