Notes: This Memorial Day weekend the nation is under a code orange terror alert. Yet, I don't know anyone in the general public who's doing anything different because of the increased alert. And that's even though the holiday follows closely on the heels the of the terror bombings in Saudi Arabia and Morroco.

The point that the cartoon makes is two-fold. First, the color-coded, terror alert system for the general public is a gimmick that's not working. We've become numbed to the color-coded warnings that come without specificity. Moreover, warnings could be given without the somewhat silly color-coded system.

That brings me to the second point which is that other dangers to the public such as the SARS virus and mad cow disease don't have a color-coded warning system. Good. One gimmicky warning system is enough. 05.25.03