Red alert, red alert

A national emergency of which I was unaware continued Monday:

Because these terrorist activities continue to threaten the Middle East peace process and to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, the national emergency declared on January 23, 1995, as expanded on August 20, 1998, and the measures adopted on those dates to deal with that emergency must continue in effect beyond January 23, 2008.

It sounds hokey, of course, but of course, certain people benefit when there's an emergency on...