Article: Tired of Being Lied To

Are you tired of being lied to? I am. We supposedly live in a democracy. We supposedly have the mechanisms for an informed citizenry. We supposedly have mechanisms in place to protect the our health, security, and environment. Yet time after time we find we have been lied to. Unfortunately, the generally comes out way after the fact. What is even more frustrating is to be called names for trying to talk about the truth. While it may not silence those who are trying to inform and alert the populace, it does mean that the warnings are not "heard." The news bite that set off this morning's rant was this report by Geoffrey Lean of the Independent - "US Issues Health Warning over Mercury Fillings. Yes, the FDA is now saying that:

Dental amalgams contain mercury, which may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses. When amalgam fillings are placed in teeth or removed from teeth, they release mercury vapor. Mercury vapor is also released during chewing. FDA's rulemaking (described in question 7) will examine evidence concerning whether release of mercury vapor can cause health problems, including neurological disorders, in children and fetuses. (FDA)

I don't know how many dentists I have asked about this over the years. The virtually unanimous response has been "It's not a problem." Of course as a simple non-dentist, it seemed like a bad idea to me to be putting highly toxic materials in people's mouths - including my own. For roughly 30 years, the FDA has stood by its rule that mercury-based amalgams pose no health threat. For many of those years, concerned people have tried to raise the issue - bunch of kooks. This little news tid-bit set in motion a walk down memory lane of other lies. In no particular order ...

There is no swept wing stealth aircraft.
There are no black helicopters.
The military is not fooling around with weapons technology in the upper atmosphere (HAARP official site ... HAARP watchdog site.
Global warming isn't happening and humans have nothing to do with it.
Toxic wastes are not harmful for the environment or oceans.
Saddam Hussein has "weapons of mass destruction."
The CIA was not involved in the drug trade (Iran-Contra - and thanks to Gary Webb who committed suicide by shooting himself twice in the head)
Agent Orange is not harmful

Still under official denial and those who talk about it identified as "kooks" and "conspiracy theorists":

Depleted uranium is safe.
Nuclear plants are safe (and nuclear material can be safely stored)
The U.S. has not used white phosphorus as a weapon in Iraq
Tasers are safe
Vaccines do not cause autism in children
The Bush administration had nothing to do with 9/11
We "liberated" Iraq to make it safe for democracy
We are not engaged in covert operations to destabilize Iran (See new Hersh article "Preparing the Battlefield")
Global warming has nothing to do with "wacky" weather
Peak oil is a myth
Globalization is good for everyone
The U.S. does not torture
The U.S. attacked Afghanistan because of Osama bin Laden
Mass produced foods are nutritious
Genetically Modified foods are safe (environmentally and for consumption)
There is no such thing as electronic pollution and it does not effect the health of people or other life forms
Power lines are not a health hazard
Commercialized violence does not cause violence
Corporate media is "fair and balanced" and provides us with information we need
Animals do not "feel" or "think," and those who believe they do are "anthropomorphizing"

Obviously both of these lists could go on an on. Please add to either of these lists (admitted lies or unadmitted lies).