Hey kids! How'd you like to be a Ready Deputy!

Ready Deputies work with the America Prepared Campaign to keep us all safe. And, we're holding a contest! Your school could win Tom Ridge as your Principal for a Day!

No, it's not a joke. Not only is there such an organization, and not only are they offering up Tom Ridge as Principal for a Day, but they seem to have taken a trip into the near future and come back. From their PDF:

The likelihood of this Campaign failing is high-so high, in fact, that only its potential to save thousands of live makes it worth trying.

Everything the Campaign does will have to overcome the obstacles of complacency, cynicism and ridicule.

It's kind of hard not to be cynical when I see the stellar cast who make up this organization. Sure, it's fairly balanced: they not only have Mary Matalin, they have James Carville. They've got Miramax' Harvey Weinstein and Fox' Bill O'Reilly. They've even got the Editor in Chief of Good Housekeeping.

But, they also use phrases like "civilian population" and say things like: "Marketing Efforts To Put Preparedness Materials In Citizens' Homes" and "The Campaign will create preparedness materials for distribution in consumer magazines, outdoor venues, such as buses and billboards, and broad-based websites." And, they promise to produce 15 to 30 second PSAs telling us (yet again) what to do and what not to do. And, they're using kids to infect their parents with the Preparedness bug.

It's just the same old same old from the same old faces. Perhaps they should trying something a bit more real next time.

UPDATE: I think a winning idea for the APC could be Preparedness Camps. Each child, starting at age 5, will be required to attend a state-sponsored Preparedness Camp for two weeks per year. The Camp could teach the citizen-child about safety tips and other fun stuff.