Look on the bright side: You’re more likely to be crushed to death by your wobbly bureau overstuffed with cheap clothes from China or that giant television set, where you’re glued to watching the gory details of the Nice attack, than you are to be killed by a radical Islamic terrorist from Syria.

And that sigh of relief you just heard in my voice? Statistics showing the unlikelihood of meeting my maker thanks to the Islamic State don’t entirely explain it. You see, once I uttered the words “radical Islamic terrorist” out loud, I felt better, apparently. Try it yourself at home with your family. It’s quick, cheap and easy, and if you act now you can be terror-free to play Pokemon Go, eat burgers and enjoy your summer like the members of Congress who just left the Capitol for a seven-week recess.

They didn’t fund legislation to address the opioid crisis or the Zika virus, mind you, and they didn’t do anything to provide clean water to the children of Flint, Michigan, or pass common-sense laws to reduce gun violence. Republicans in Congress refuse even to declare war on or vote to authorize military force against the Islamic State, but at least they say “radical Islamic terrorism” out loud and with conviction.

Now only if only President Obama would say it. We would feel better and could get back to the presidential campaign and the riveting selection process Donald Trump used to choose Indiana Gov. Mike Pence over other identical-looking doughboys for his running mate.

About Nice and Obama, Trump said to FOX News: “It’s probably, possibly, but if it is, if it is indeed radical Islamic terrorism, it’s about time that he would say so, OK. It’s about time. Because you are never going to solve this problem unless you can define it, and it would be about time.

“People would sigh with relief if he would say it but he doesn’t want to say it,” Trump said.

And it’s we the people he’s talking about. As president, Trump would say “radical Islamic terrorism” for us because what do we know? We’re the ones who decided after 9/11 that flying was too dangerous, so we drove our cars instead – and guess what? More people died in automobile accidents as a result than those killed in the attacks on the Twin Towers.

Of course Francois Hollande, France’s president, said “radical Islamic terrorism” after the attacks on Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 and Paris in November 2015. And then Nice happened Thursday. A truck loaded with ammunition was used as a bomb by a demented criminal to kill and maim innocent families out celebrating Bastille Day.

Maybe we need more than just lip service to fight terrorism. Maybe – OK, definitely – we need an intelligence surge. When it comes to fighting terrorism – and the politics of fighting terrorism – we need an upgrade from elected leaders and those running for office. Sputtering magical incantations and threatening to kill terrorists families isn’t going to cut it. Building a wall isn’t going to protect us from terrorists. We need a plan by a commander in chief who has relationships with world leaders and a Congress willing and able to work and take legislative action.

Hillary Clinton also called in to FOX News after the Nice attacks. “We are at war against radical jihadists who use Islam to recruit and radicalize others in order to pursue their evil agenda,” Clinton said. “It’s not so important what we call these people as to what we do about them.

“Clearly, what is happening is terrorist groups are seeing that they have opportunities inside France for both home-grown terrorism and importing terrorists. I have proposed a series of measures to combat these kinds of attacks, including launching an intelligence surge and the French and our European friends through the EU, through NATO, individual nations, have to be willing to work with us to try to get better intelligence that will help them and also help us prevent attacks.”

Serious measures are indeed in order, as is clear thinking and an iron will that victory is possible – that the future is as inevitable as it is bright. It’s foolhardy to think we are ever going back, and America can’t afford a president who does not believe our best days are ahead.

“Persévérance, secret de tous les triomphes,” said Victor Hugo, which translated is “perseverance, secret of all triumphs.”

Americans will not be defeated by terrorism, but we risk becoming so profoundly afraid of it that we lose our judgment and suffer unnecessarily as a result. Choosing to drive because terrorists used planes as bombs on Sept. 11 wasn’t a wise reaction; it was one driven by fear. Choosing to isolate ourselves from NATO, Muslims, Mexicans – the world – with walls and words isn’t smart, either.

Cynthia Dill is a civil rights lawyer and former state senator. She can be contacted at:

dillesquire@gmail.com

Twitter: dillesquire