This is life as the US knows it

LED cartoon characters on a board considered suspicious, causes road and bridge closures, traffic chaos. Men responsible for installing the signs face five years in jail.

I take this to mean that any artists hoping to stage controversial street installations are kinda fucked. Guerilla marketing advocates come under 24-hour surveillance. Buskers required to submit to permit application and approval processes. The Naked Cowboy gets daily cavity searches.

I have to say, all this paranoia and false alarms probably give nutjobs more ideas.

• 1 Feb 2007