"The use of geospatial information from military intelligence satellites may turn out to be a valuable tool in protecting the homeland." -- in a letter from the House Homeland Security Committee
The "homeland"? WTF? Americans don't refer to "the homeland"-- only people in Washington use this word, apparently.
I'll tell you what bugs me about it, beneath the fold...
Not only does the use of this word illustrate the disconnect between Washington and the rest of America, but it also implies an imperialist world-view, in which power radiates out from the "homeland". If you think the word has fascist overtones, perhaps that is because it was commonly used by the Nazis. Of course, we already knew that Washington has no problem using the terminology of tyranny, as they frequently celebrate some of the most brutal tyrants in history: the Czars ("War Czar", "Drug Czar", "IT Czar", "Privacy Czar", etc.).
Oddly enough, I agree with Peggy Noonan (via Wikipedia) on this point. The only thing that I can say to excuse myself is that my line of reasoning is completely different than hers. She is (was) simply interested in selling the DHS to the American people. Thankfully, I am not like her in that respect: she is the cynical Washington insider; I am the "regular American" who she is trying to sell things to.
Update: I'd like to clarify why I think this term has an imperialist ring to it. The term "Homeland" refers to the original location of a nation. It doesn't make any sense unless that nation has become dispersed, such that the diaspora can look back to the homeland. This is a non-threatening cultural reference when used in reference to immigrants, and has fairly standard nationalist connotations if the homeland has been conquered by another nation (e.g. Israel and the former Soviet Republics). However, when it is used by a nation that still controls its homeland, it suggests that the nation views its possessions to extend beyond its own country. What bothers me is that this is seeping into our language (especially among the Washington elite), and is no longer just some government agency with a weird name.