html output from fckeditor - help please

hey all,

new to all this here php stuff but i've got a nagging problem getting plain 'ol HTML out of fckeditor ...

here's some code which is the action of an FCK form->

---------------------------------

<?php 
session_start();
$username = $_SESSION['username'];

if ( isset( $_POST ) )
   $postArray = &$_POST ;        

else
   $postArray = &$HTTP_POST_VARS ;    

foreach ( $postArray as $sForm => $value )
{
    $postedValue = htmlspecialchars( stripslashes( $value ) ) ;
}

$position = "content";
(other sql stuff)
$content = $postedValue;

$Link = mysql_connect ($Host, $User, $Password);
$Query = "UPDATE " . $TableName . " SET " . $position . " = '" .$content . "' WHERE username = '" . $username . "'";

if (mysql_db_query ($DBName, $Query, $Link)) {        
        header ("location: ../../../show_page_make.php");
    } else { print ("$username , $content");          
} 
mysql_close ($Link);

?>

----------------------------------

which DOES work ....

but the database entry then contains this --->

-----------------------------------
<p><font color="#ff0000">hel...
-----------------------------------
etc...

which i assume is some sort of nifty xml stuff BECAUSE... when i use it in a generated html (php) page (as a string brought in from the database)

-----------------------------------------
<div align="center"> $Row[content] </div>
-----------------------------------------

i get the HTML code itself displayed in the browser window. (the code created by FCK is correct just not being sent as a straight string variable.

(phew....)

obviously i am missing something in the translation here .... but after spending about 4 days google'ing and searching for an answer.... i've found none.

any help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks in advance,
jeff