>> yes, totally ridiculous. despite the latest right-wing meme about amber alert system suspend ford political purposes it is actually up and running and has been throughout the government shutdown. the website listing alerts was suspended with department of justice web sites not the amber alerts. that is not to say there aren't crazy things shutting down right now. each day brings something new. because effects of the government shutdown are not static. this is important to realize. every day there are new impacts. because different programs have different funding streams that are running out of cash at different points. which means the shutdown will get progressively worse day by day by day. here are some of the government services suspended or severely affected by the shutdown. clean-up on 62% of toxic waste super fund sites halted. assistance for needy families in arizona, for 5,000 families. and food banks could lose meals. furloughs affect deliveries. college sexual assault