At this point in my life I don\’t think too much about news saturation, I just consider it a given, put up my personal filters, and don\’t let things get to me. I forget too easily that most people, particularly those who are not or the offline equivalent, are unable to create a solid shell against the onslaught. Particularly vulnerable are those who only recently began to see beyond themselves, such as kids.

I\’ve had the news on the past few days — national, local, world, highly specialized, propaganda spewing, liberal leaning, and more. Most of the time, mini-sprog has been within the vicinity. Since Sunday she has heard countless news reports about the local terror level having been raised to Orange. Last night during the six o\’clock news she made her first comment that showed that she was paying attention — maybe too much attention. \”I\’m afraid of getting blown up\” she said as the news cameras showed the buildings down the street from us. Her dad told it would be fine and that was the last of it last night; we kept the news on. This morning she woke up to relay the dream she had last night: a nightmare of being alone here in DC while terrorists were blowing up the buildings around her, one by one. She finally made it home to us only to find that we were in hand to hand combat with the bad guys. No more news for the little one, apparently. Fortunately for her, tomorrow she leaves to go back to her sheltered and safe world in the deep south and will not have to worry about being trapped in a falling city. Reality, however, dictates that she will continue to fear it even when she is out of it.

This is what it looks like here in DC now:

Streets have been closed off here and there, vehicle security check points enacted in other places. In my mind\’s eye I can see the city barricaded like Beirut, complete with barbed wire and cement ditches. There\’s already enough heavy artillerary outside of the Pentagon, the Capitol and Senate buildings, and now even on the Metro, to make the city look like A Country At War. I suppose that\’s technically because we are, but as it turns out, the information that has lead to this latest crack down dates back to around the time of the WTC tragedy, if not before then. Three years later and three months before the next election, and we have suddenly decided to crack down. Surprise. This is only the start. Even high ranking government officials are questioning the validity of the Department of Homeland Security\’s decision to raise the terror level now.

Maybe it is far fetched and Orwellian, but the recent activities truly look as though Bush and his cronies are pushing our own personal terror levels up on purpose just before the election. Now that Kerry is leading in the polls, the possibility of hearing an announcement from the Bush administration that it\’s far too dangerous to have elections in this climate, and therefore, there will be no election and Bush will continue his reign, is seeming more and more likely. Be afraid? I\’m already afraid, but not of being blown up by terrorists — I\’m afraid of being held a captive in a democracy by the biggest and most notorious terrorist of all. Ruling the country by fear just like your old man, eh, Jr? Asshole. God, I hate this country. When will we have a generation of children who will be raised without the fear of war?