I'm skeerit, y'all. SKEERIT shitless. Here's why:

Events of the past week:

1.) President George Bush is quoted as saying, "Dick Cheney could be President," in response to a question asked about how Cheney would measure up to John Edwards.
That simple quote shot an arc of magma-hot terror though my soul. God help us all if Providence sees fit to put that evil, money-hungry, heartless (almost literally!) bastard in the Oval Office.

2.) Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge puts the nation on alert after "intelligence" reveals that an attack much like that which happened four months ago in Spain is likely to happen here. In America. AT ELECTION TIME. This announcement is made the day after John Kerry's approval ratings spike in the wake of his selection of John Edwards as his running mate, consequently overtaking George Bush. Regardless of the supposed impending threat, the terror level is not raised and holds at "Elevated." We can assume that just before election time, it will be bumped up to "High: High Risk of Terrorist Attack."

3.) Today the Pentagon admits that military payroll records, which could have better explained the supposed gaps in George Bush's military service, were inadvertently destroyed in 1996-97. Apparently, the Pentagon "engaged with limited success in a project to salvage deteriorating microfilm." However, "the microfilm payroll records of numerous service members were damaged" resulting in "the inadvertent destruction of microfilm containing certain National Guard payroll records."

Dude.

These three factors, along with smaller happenings like this: http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/politics/9109691.htm?1c

have really served to throw me into the panicked state of mind that no matter what we do, or how we vote in November; no matter how many swings states we hold, no matter how many southern states Edwards presence on the ticket is able to carry...forces already exist, contingency plans are already in place to make absolute certain that for four more years our civil liberties will be breached, our dollar will continue to weaken, our reputation will continue to tarnish, our soldiers will continue to die, our gas prices will continue to rise, our poor will continue to be poor, our teachers will remain underpaid, our elderly will go broke buying prescription drugs, our uninsured will remain uninsured and be refused medical care, our rich will get richer, every military, intelligence, and governmental branch will continue to point fingers regarding who was at fault for 9/11, whistleblowers will continue to be silenced, the White House will continue to fight dirty, and my country's actions will continue to shame me.