ORANGE?

According to MSNBC, the powers-that-be are considering raising the terrorist threat level to ORANGE.

This raises some obvious questions:

1.) Orange?! That’s not a very scary color–except in the case of the new Mets practice jerseys or the old Houston Astros unies. But it’s the second highest level. Why not, say, black? Or red? Those are traditionally scary colors. Orange is the color of dreamsicles and the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (OK, that’s a little scary, too, come to think of it. But still.) and

2) What exactly are we supposed to do about it as citizens? Be on “heightened alert”? It’s not like we can man our battle stations or anything. Basically, we will go on living our lives as in the past, but presumably with a little less spring in our collective steps. What good does that do?

FILED UNDER: Terrorism,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.