This from the Cincinnati Post -- looks close to martial law to me, in some ways anyway. I don't know if Bush/Cheney/Ashcroft, etc. have intentions to use level red to strip the public of its rights....but let's face it, the changes implemented with the Patrict Act, when combined with a declared threat level red, would certainly make it quite feasible to do so. Apparently there is a Patriot Act II in the works...see <A HREF="www.aclu.org">www.aclu.org</A>.
Bryan By Michael Collins Post Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- National landmarks like the Washington Monument, Ellis Island and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis could be shut down. Planes could be grounded, trains could stop running, and bridges and tunnels could be closed. U.S. borders might be sealed off, and roadblocks might be set up on interstates and other major highways. The United States is prepared to go into lock-down mode if the government should raise the nation's terror alert to Code Red, the highest threat level for terrorism. Code Red means there is a severe risk of terrorist attack, or that an attack is imminent or may already be under way. "It essentially means you stop doing everything except protecting yourself," said Dave McIntyre, deputy director of the ANSER Institute for Homeland Security, a nonprofit research group in Arlington, Va. Homeland security officials have put Americans on notice to brace for the possibility of terrorist attacks while the country is at war with Iraq. The threat level was raised to orange, the second highest, just two days before the war began last week.