Edward Champion forwarded us note of BART's new 'awareness' campaign and it's, um, yeah. In the words of Lynette Sweet, a member of the BART board and the security comittee chair, "What makes the new BART campaign bold is its simplicity, yet directness. It uses words we probably wouldn't have used several years ago." But don't worry -- "BART officials stress there is no credible information that BART is threatened. They are taking anti-terrorism steps as a precaution and to reassure riders." So be afraid, and reassured. But mostly afraid.

So who or what should you be watching for? Let's check out the brochure [PDF]:

• Visible signs of nervousness
• Video taping/taking pictures
• Excessive sweating
• Clenched hands
• Strange chemical odor
• Inappropriate clothing that is excessively baggy or too heavy in warm weather
• Talking to themselves

Well, that describes pretty much everyone along Market street. Why do we have a feeling that they're going to be questioning a lot of drunks and meth heads? Other measures include adding more video cameras to the system and having administrative employees help with patrolling, but the rider guide assures us that "Everyone agrees that it is not possible to check every person who enters the system." We tried to contact Ms. Sweet to confirm that no New York-style bag searches were being considered. But there was no way to leave a message and we were cut off instead of forwarded to a representative. Glad we didn't have anything suspicious to report.