A day or two ago I predicted that from now to November we will all be assaulted with references to terrorism from the government like never before. This is necessary, I said, because terrorism is seen as bush’s strong suit, so they need to keep it top of mind from now through the elections. It has to drown out Iraq and the economy.

So I’m not surprised (though I am sickened) to see how Tom Ridge and his Department of Re-election Security plan to further inculcate us with a renewed dosage of terrorism hysteria just in time for the RNC.

The Homeland Security Department is enlisting allies in its effort to prepare the nation for another terrorist attack: your kids and your boss.

Starting next month, children in grades 4 though 8 and employers nationwide will be asked to help get families and companies better prepared to respond to a crisis.

In schools, on the Internet and in TV and radio ads, youngsters will be introduced to a new Homeland Security mascot: a dog (an American shepherd) that will be named in a contest. The campaign, using the dog and a set of Ad Council advertisements, will encourage families to develop an emergency plan and talk about where kids should go, who will pick them up and how they will make contact.

Let’s see, September 11 was nearly three years ago. And now, 11 weeks before the election, they’re going to start brainwashing our kiddies with “Duck and Cover”-style bullshit about terror, as though we all need to be thinking about terror all the time.

Don’t get me wrong; we all need to have our eyes opened and be vigilant. But to start indoctrinating the kids like this in a subject over which they have very little control, and to do so at such a politically strategic time — well, suffice it to say I’m just a tad skeptical and cynical about the whole thing, and it fits hand in glove with my prediction of a sharp uptick in “terror awareness” (as if we aren’t already OD’ing on it).

And it’s going to get dramatically worse prior to November. They’ll stop at literally nothing, and there’s little Kerry can do lest he appear unpatriotic and unconcerned with terrorism, the buzzword of our age. Luckily, it’s not working so far, as people continue to cite the economy as by far their No. 1 concern when they step into the voting booth. And by playing fast and loose with the terrorism alerts, and by proving our ineptitude by outing a vital al Qaeda double agent who’d come over to our side, bush isn’t doing such a great job this week convincing us he’s the best answer to terrorism.

[Link via All Spin Zone.]