The only thing to fear

Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano on Wednesday tried to shift the tone of the country’s discussion on terrorism away from the fearmongering of the Bush administration. She also called for more public participation.

In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, she said the public had been treated “as a liability to be protected rather than as an asset to our nation’s collective security.”

“This approach, unfortunately, has allowed confusion, anxiety and fear to linger,” she said.

The Bush administration used fear to argue for the need for a domestic espionage program and the use of torture to interrogate terrorism suspects.

Without discounting the reality of terrorism, Napolitano offered a more reasoned and sensible perspective. She focused on building cooperative networks with foreign countries, local law enforcement and the public. Although she said the nation was better prepared to fight terrorism than it was in 2001, Americans had grown complacent. She said her agency was focused on what she called a “first-order issue” — preparation — and drew a clear distinction between the Bush doctrine of fear and the Obama administration’s view.

“The consequences of living in a state of fear rather than a state of preparedness are enormous,” she said.

Napolitano said the government should do a better job educating and engaging citizens and the private sector. She said people could volunteer to participate in emergency preparedness programs and should be aware of potential threats.

She noted that observant people had led federal authorities to the group of men who were allegedly plotting to kill American soldiers in New Jersey as well as men who were trying to sneak a handgun past airport security in Philadelphia.

We hope Napolitano can ramp up federal preparations and enlist the public’s help. The key will be keeping things in perspective and steering clear of the fear and the reactionary measures of the Bush administration. People shouldn’t go looking for terrorists behind every mailbox. Nor should they be afraid — just aware.