Monday, July 29, 2002 | 8:52 a.m.
For the most part, the Citizen Corps that President Bush began creating after 9/11 is a worthy effort. Regular citizens who join up will be better prepared to swiftly assist police departments, medical teams, and emergency coordinators in the event of another terrorist strike or any calamity. One aspect of the Citizen Corps, however, has come under some intense and deserved criticism and we join that chorus.
Operation TIPS, the Terrorism Information and Prevention System, has the potential of becoming a monster. Most people, since they were kids, have been taught to report suspicious activity to authorities. As originally proposed, Operation TIPS would have converted this individualized, common-sense instinct into a systematic database fed by legions of American workers. Fortunately, the prospect of a database filled largely with reports filed by ordinary citizens against other ordinary citizens led to a barrage of criticism aimed at the lead man on TIPS, Attorney General John Ashcroft. He has now backed off the plan. The American people, no doubt, were complacent before 9/11. But we can't overreact to the point where the sight of the meter reader gives us chills. Operation TIPS can become a good weapon in the fight against terrorism, as long as it doesn't des troy our rights in the process.
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