Your orange alert update

In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, a state capital of 49,000 located near the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant, city officials were disgruntled about the cost of extra security that comes with the elevated alert status.

"It's enormously frustrating," said city spokesman Randy King. "All of it costs money, lots of money, and there's no federal reimbursement."

The federal government has been criticized in the past for raising the national threat alert status on four previous occasions, in part because it alarmed people unnecessarily, and because of the strain on state and local law enforcement and on budgets.

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards of North Carolina urged Bush to give state and local communities more money for security.

"If President Bush were truly serious about homeland security, he would do more than increase the threat level; he would increase support for cops and firefighters in our communities," Edwards said.

He'll break the states one way or another. Maybe loan them money or perhaps have them bought out - everything, absolutely everything to private corporations.

Ridge urged people to "be vigilant and be aware, and let the security professionals ... worry about your security."

Well, we did that once. Didn't work out too good.

He appealed to Americans not to succumb to terrorism fears during the busy holiday season, when travelers and shoppers provide a major boost to economic activity.

"If we alter our plans to go visit the family, go visit grandma, if we alter our plans to get on the airplane..., then they have won because they have dislocated activity, they've caused economic loss," Ridge said.

By all means, shop, people, shop. Don't let those bastards win.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.