There's crosswalk talk in the news again. This time it's about how WHO (one of Big Brother's little brothers) is behind local and international road safety programs. I'll get to that in a moment, but firstly I'll update people on my own travails in that regard.

In a previous essay I told Orwell Today readers about how a newspaper in my town wouldn't publish the CROSSWALK SAFETY POEM I'd submitted as part of a letter-to-the-editor. Undeterred I spent $30.00 to get the poem published as an ad and it appeared in the February 15th, 2004 edition:

In the month and a half since my poem was suppressed the press has published dozens of letters, articles and editorials from parents, the public, politicians, police and the private insurance corporation all pleading that "something needs to be done" to "protect pedestrians". Not a peep of protest has been uttered regarding plans to spend a quarter-of-a-million dollars on the suburban street in question or about the negative repurcussions to pedestrians AND drivers by the "improvements". Here's what the city engineer says we get for the $240,000 the nanny-state has allocated for the four-block stretch of road between 8th and 12th Streets where crosswalks already exist:

-  a pedestrian signal at 10th
-  a special flashing-amber crosswalk at 11th
-  a median that currently allows traffic to turn left at 10th will be closed
-  a median fence to prevent mid-road jaywalking will be installed
-  the speed limit has been reduced from 60 km/hr to 50 km/hr

Even an idiot should be able to figure out that this is highway robbery and doesn't add up to $240,000. And it comes at a time when the only people getting a decent paycheck in Canada are crooks, corporations, cops, bureaucrats and politicians. Most people are either unemployed or working for minimum wage due to disaster upon disaster and everything being made in China. We're dropping 500-lb bombs on the roads of half the world for gawd's sake!

But getting back to what I mentioned earlier, ie that WHO's behind local and international "safe road" programs. Here's a story from my town's paper for yesterday, April 7th, 2004.

"As the World Health Organization puts a special emphasis on road safety today through World Health Day, so will we with the launch of improvements to one of the city's main streets. Today will see the start of the 'integrated corridor project'. Aside from engineering work such as the installation of pedestrian-activated crosswalks at 10th and 11th streets, the project will also bring added enforcement and public education. The 'Safer City' program coordinator said the project was in the works long before the deaths of two teenagers at the crosswalk. Since then, the speed limit has been reduced from 60 to 50 kilometres per hour along that road. 'This was an ICBC initiative and our town was chosen as a pilot. This takes the three interventions of engineering, education, and enforcement, and applies them to one section of road,' said the 'Safer City' program coordinator. She added that our town is the second city in the province to benefit from this pilot project. Globally, the WHO estimates 1.2 million people are killed in traffic-related accidents per year."

And it wasn't just in my town that WHO traffic announcements were being made yesterday. This was a worldwide event with big names like Paul McCartney's wife doing promos for them.

McCartney's wife backs WHO safety ads. BBC, Apr 8, 2004

People should be alarmed that an evil United Nations organization like WHO is involved in controlling the roadways of independent nations. Everywhere WHO sticks its snooping nose there's chaos and disaster. Just look at the havoc their SARS, MAD COW and BIRD FLU policies are causing. When WHO says "health" think "unhealth".

Go check out their website and while you're there take a gawk at the slithering snake on their logo.~ Jackie Jura

Road safety: a public health issue. World Health Organization, Mar 29, 2004

Technology drives road safety revolution (cops equipped with handheld computer inspect biometric smart card licence). Go to 3.Surveillance & 20.Thought Police & ANIMAL FARM DOGS

Hypnotized by sober second thoughts (visualize horror of car accident & imagine you are dead etc). Globe & Mail, Jun 14, 2004. Go to 40.Brainwashing & 14.Experimentation & HYPNOTIZING STUDENTS TO DEATH

CROSSWALK SAFETY RULE and ODE TO WHO and WHO SPREADS SLOPS and 2.Big Brother and FREEDOM IS SLAVERY and 5.Pyramidal New World Order and 3.Surveillance and 14.Scientific Experimentation and SIR PAUL'S WIFE A LADY? and 27.Goodthink and BABY FACE MCCARTNEY NOT INNOCENT