The Sun Journal received a copy of a letter from Mitchell Langbert, a professor of business and economics at Brooklyn College in New York.

Langbert’s letter was originally published in the New York Sun in response to a story about how homeland security funding has been distributed among states.

“Given the positions of Sen. Collins, a Republican of Maine, and Rep. Michael Michaud, a Democrat of Maine, on rational allocation of terror funds, and their selfish view that this is but another opportunity for pork, New Yorkers would be well advised to avoid vacationing in Maine. … If the people of Maine wish to risk our lives to indulge their selfish whims, why on earth would we want to visit their state?”

Federal funding for homeland security is a tricky subject. Collins has worked to make sure that small states, like Maine, receive adequate money for self-preservation. There is no argument that prime target areas, such as New York, Los Angeles and Washington, should receive the lion’s share of homeland security money. And, largely, they do.

But, as the task force study of homeland security in Maine has found, being prepared for disaster means more than just being ready for and trying to prevent a terrorist attack. From Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and our own experience with crippling ice storms, to the threat of an avian flu pandemic, Maine – and every place else – must take an “all hazards” approach to security. That means concentrating on those improvements that better prepare the state for catastrophe, regardless of its nature.

While no one would put Portland, Lewiston or Auburn at the top of any terror target list, New Yorkers shouldn’t forget that national holes in security allowed the attacks of 9/11. Terrorist Mohammed Atta started his attack on New York by catching a plane in Portland.

Maine has a long, unprotected border with Canada, 3,500 miles of coast and an important commercial port.

Congress must protect high-risk targets first, but weaknesses in preparedness anywhere can quickly translate into danger elsewhere.

Selfish whims? Pork? There are many examples buried in congressional spending bills – like graffiti eradication in the Bronx or a $200,000 deer-avoidance system for New York. Inside the pork-laden transportation bill was $5 million for roadwork near the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.

Langbert and other New Yorkers are welcome in Maine, and while they’re here, we’ll do our best to make sure they’re safe and have a good time. Some places face more risk than others, but ultimately the entire country is bound together.

A major disaster in New York, Washington, New Orleans or even Maine doesn’t touch just one community, it touches all of them.