Fluoride, Hitler—Usual Suspects

Juliane Poirier's endorsement for Take Back Day (Green Zone, "Keeping Fish Off Prozac," Sept. 22) is laudable, but it omits other major sources for toxins in our water.

The article's title begs the question "How does Prozac get into the water?" In fact, the main ingredient in Prozac is fluoride, which is added to all our drinking water. We bathe in it, we garden with it, we flush it down the drains. To paraphrase W. C. Fields, "Fish fuck in it."

There is a growing revolt against fluoridated water; no proof exists that it benefits us. What purpose does it really serve?

Step back to WWII, and we learn that the Nazis added fluoride to the water at their death camps. It was to keep the inmates complacent, not for any health benefits. The Soviets received shipments of the stuff from the U.S. for the purpose of dosing their German POWs with it.

Keeping drugs out of the water is a lot more than not flushing them down the toilet.

Jeff Matthews

Benicia

Just not that smart?

Recently, many homeowners received a letter from PG&E saying it was excited to be installing the smart meters in our neighborhoods. Well, I am calling for the city council of Novato to block them, like Fairfax and other cities have. If you're someone with special needs, along in years or have sensitive equipment in your home, they will be a hazard to your health.

Unknown to me, a "smart" meter was installed in the homes of the small town—Michigan Bluff, Calif., pop. 28—where I have a mountain house. It turned out the meter installation is with in five feet of my bed, and I believe this is way too close for comfort, but I can't move the bed elsewhere.

I reported this in writing to PG&E. I advised them of the harmful situation, plus the fact of the willful radio interference from the smart meter.

This last week was spent up the mountains and every time the meter would gather its data and send it, a disturbing pulse or glitch would come over the amateur radio equipment we have there, for traffic and emergency communications. This, I believe, is a violation of the Federal Communications Act regarding harmful emissions.

We found that my amateur radio has a tone alert function in it. The PG&E smart meter when it sends its data will cause this radio function to receive a false signal. This tone alert function had to be disabled in the radio due to the smart meter.

In case you're not aware, with the smart meter, PG&E can turn it on and off, shut it down, distribute energy elsewhere and give you higher readings. And you have no recourse.

Walter Schivo

Novato

Bully on Boxer

In Hollywood there are actor and stars, but in politics there are leaders and politicians. Henry Kissinger said, "A leader does not deserve the name unless he is willing occasionally to stand alone." I have found Barbara Boxer to be a leader, and that scares the people who want politicians. Karl Rove wrote an article in the Wall Street Journal predicting that national Republicans would pick up at least four and as many as six Senate seats in 2010. He also said that Carly Fiorina "could be a strong candidate," meaning he will pull her strings like he did in the Bush administration. That, of course, was among the many quandaries of the last eight years—too many politicians just looking to see which way the wind blows and no leaders. Fiorina couldn't even lead HP, although she has her rationale. We need Barbara Boxer's leadership now more than ever.

Bruce Gabriel

Santa Cruz

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