Stars, stripes and terror searches on Fourth of July: “…(A)ter an increase in intercepted al-Qaeda communications in recent days, President Bush’s national security advisers considered raising it to orange.

That, in effect, would have cancelled the July 4 festivities by mobilising the Armed Forces and restricting access to public events.

Instead, it has resorted to security measures that are only marginally less draconian; as Americans gear up for a defiant celebration of their founding principles, they are surrounded by reminders of the threat to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness…” Times of London