The birth of "The Homeland"

[The Blue Flower]

On this day 21 years ago, we first heard our nation referred to as The Homeland. To me, it grated on the ear. It sounded so blatantly old-world fascistic. Now we've all become used to hearing it. There's even an entire security apparatus named for it. It still believe that name should never have entered our national lexicon. It still grates on me.

[Walleye]

1. I'm with you on this one. To Americans a homeland is where their ancestors came from

I didn’t like it when W came up with it I still don’t like it It sounded market tested and vaguely biblical

[Biophilic]

2. I agree. It's always felt jingoistic and off color.

Even saying it is difficult.

[halfulglas]

3. Yes. Me too. It resounds like the fascistic "Fatherland" of Nazi Germany.

Or like the central country with many colonies.

[Aristus]

4. The graphic novel and TV series "The Boys" feature a superhero

called Homelander. He’s basically an evil Superman with over-the-top nationalist trappings like an American flag for a cape, and pauldrons in the image of the bald eagle.

The franchise is a highly-unsubtle satire of right-wing nationalism and corporate greed.

[edhopper]

5. I am with you

it is a fascistic name. And for a nation of immigrants, it rings hollow.

[Conjuay]

6. Has a totalitarian

ring to it, doesn’t it?

[peppertree]

15. Stands to reason, since the idea was allegedly Karl Rove's - himself the son of a Norwegian Nazi

And we all remember how Bush's grandfather made his fortune.

"Hitler's banker," they called him.

[mopinko]

9. it grated then, it grates more now.

esp as that vaunted agency failed to prevent or even contain j6.

[lark]

10. I'm with you all the way.

I cringe everytime I see or hear that word - so very fascist.

[llmart]

11. I'm with you 100%.

When I first heard it used I was sickened. I'm also still sickened by the "you're either with us or against us". W sure was full of b.s.

[Archetypist]

12. Totally

It sounded wrong then and still does.

[SharonAnn]

13. I still hate that term. Dept. of Domestic Security would have been better.

Remember that Joe Lieberman was pushing that name and consolidation of agencies.

[niyad]

14. Absolutely agree!

[Karadeniz]

16. I agree... one degree closer to a fascist mentality.

[Mozeltov Cocktail]

17. Totally 💯

As everyone else is saying, I immediately think of Germany or 1984...

9-11 was the first times I noticed the peculiar republican norm of "failing upward"...Condoleezza Rice was an abject failure, and she was promoted to Secretary of State as a result.

[PatrickforB]

18. Yeah, the problem here is that we created this National Homeland Security Agency,

but we didn't consolidate the others into it - CIA, FBI, DEA, ATF and so on.

Funny...FDR had the Alphabet Soup programs in the New Deal, which were about HELPING PEOPLE.

Now, we have the National Security Alphabet Soup programs, which are most definitely ABOUT BOOSTING SHAREHOLDER PROFITS FOR THE MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL AND PRISON-INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES.

So...Washington's thrust in 1935 was about PEOPLE over PROFITS.

Now, in 2022, Washington's thrust is mainly (not all, because most Democrats believe in helping people) about PROFITS over PEOPLE.

Interesting how that public policy has evolved. Could it have something to do with the 1971 Powell Manifesto? Reagan killing the Fairness Doctrine? The 1919 MI Supreme Court ruling against Henry Ford? The rise of the Military- and Prison-Industrial complexes, beginning with the Bush family's profiteering as early as WWI? The killing of JFK and LBJ subsequently diluting the Great Society by sending 500,000 troops to Viet Nam? Nixon's War on Drugs, which is STILL going on? Chicago School Supply-Side Economics and irresponsible tax cuts?

I've said this before, but whenever you lift the rock of capitalism and look at this disgusting things wriggling underneath, those things are invariably old, white, liver-spotted, male hands grasping for more profits. No kidding.

Human greed is destroying the very habitability of our Earth, and this national security apparatus is very much about greed and shareholder profits under the false flag of nationalism.

[Ford_Prefect]

19. The concept of Homeland Security is ultimately racist in form and derivation.

While it presumes a jingoistic relevance it asserts a unique and exceptional derivation of our heritage. Much as if America were an origin point for a culture equal to Greece, Babylon, Niger, or Peru. It has overtones of racism in the name alone. When it was first proposed observers noted it seems a very direct reference to Nazi Germany's Aryan mythology.

The Neo-Cons who formulated it were fans of Nazi-era German autocracy and had long planned to subvert the Constitutional separation of powers through such an overriding control of state, military and police authority.