Via James Randi’s Swift, a time-sensitive message. Remember when the National Vaccine Information Center ran ads this past April, on the Times Square Jumbotron? They’re baaaack: (Important stuff, after the jump:)

Well, in a case of déjà vu all over again, we find ourselves in the same position as last April. Except this time the potential that the NVIC’s dangerous misinformation is seen is magnified by orders of magnitude because they are going to be running their ad (through ABC Full Circle) on the Times Square megatron on New Year’s Eve, when millions, possibly billions, of people are going to be tuning in to watch the end-of-the-year festivities! Here is the ad and some of the text from the NVIC’s announcement…

A vaccine education message sponsored by NVIC will be shown during the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square on the 5,000 square-foot TSQ Digital screen at 47th St. and 7th Ave. in New York City. The 15-second ad, which encourages informed decision-making, has been shown on the megatron twice an hour for 21 hours a day since Dec. 16, 2011. …
… The full-color LED screen on which NVIC’s ad is appearing is located near the Times Square Information Center in the heart of the Broadway district and is one of the largest digital display screens in the Times Square area. An estimated one million people pack the Times Square area during New Year’s Eve and the celebration is viewed on television by billions of people around the world…

It seems that, once again, the ads are already running, but what’s worse is the clear planning that went into this by the NVIC to gain maximum exposure by displaying the ad in such a manner that potentially billions of people could see it all over the world. That means the NVIC doesn’t just want to discourage (or eliminate) vaccination in the United States (where the population is relatively healthy) but also in developing nations and other places where deadly diseases are much more of a problem than in the developed world. Folks, this is just sickening.

What can you do? Well, for starters, here’s a change.org petition for you to sign, asking ABC to pull the ad.

Oh, yeah, a verse–from last April:

Oh, look! A helpful message on
The giant Times Square Jumbotron,
Reminding us to “get the facts”
And think again, before we vax.

I found out, after several queries,
It’s but the first in quite a series—
They’ll run a few more giant ads
To help inform the moms and dads:

For instance—think about demands
That doctors make, to “wash your hands”
A helpful ad will tell you “Think!
Before you rush to use your sink!”

(On thinking, you’ll recall, they hope,
Big Pharma’s ties to Giant Soap—
It’s nature’s way, and cannot hurt,
For hands to cake with germs and dirt)

Another ad suggests you eat
More spoiled eggs and rancid meat;
To throw them out is such a waste—
Bacteria just add more taste!

(The FDA, whom we abhor,
Says throw it out and buy some more;
They frame concerns about your health,
But care about the farmers’ wealth)

So get the facts, and take control!
Empowerment should be your goal!
You tell the experts where to go—
Cos really… what do doctors know?