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Homeland Security In Fiction

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TiggersAreGreat Since: Mar, 2011
#1: Apr 27th 2012 at 12:34:12 PM

As You Know, the FBI and the CIA appear a lot in fictional works. Then there is Homeland Security, a group that is supposed to protect the USA from terrorist attacks. Despite this, HS has not made many appearances in fictional works. Why?

Yeah, I can only think of two examples that have HS in them.

  • In Death series: Divided In Death introduces the Homeland Security Organization. Oddly enough, it seems to act a lot like the CIA, and the CIA has not made a single appearance in the series. Perhaps HS and the CIA merged together as one group at some point in the series' history.
  • Sisterhood series by Fern Michaels: Homeland Security makes a couple appearances, but it's portrayed as irresponsible and inept. In fact, the President of the United States ordered the directors of the FBI, CIA, and HS to work together to bring down a terrorist named Henry "Hank" Jellicoe. The HS director decides to just up and leave to be with his family right then and there, leaving the other two directors to hold the bag!

Does anyone else know about some fictional works that feature HS in one form or another?

edited 27th Apr '12 12:34:55 PM by TiggersAreGreat

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majoraoftime (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
#2: Apr 27th 2012 at 7:17:50 PM

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow has them as opressive government agents. One of my favourite books.

Talby Since: Jun, 2009
#3: Apr 27th 2012 at 8:07:12 PM

Homeland Security was featured prominently in season 5 of 24, where Homeland was brought in to take over CTU after a major screwup on their part.

edited 27th Apr '12 8:08:17 PM by Talby

Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#4: Apr 27th 2012 at 8:12:09 PM

I get the feeling a lot of writers are leery of putting them in by virtue of:

  • Pretty much no way to portray them positively and remotely accurately
  • The DHS being infamously scattershot and bipolar about what they consider a threat worthy of invasive surveillance, thus not wanting to draw their attention with a negative portrayal

Parable Since: Aug, 2009
#5: Apr 27th 2012 at 8:22:14 PM

A lot of the organizations that fall under the DHS umbrella have long been independent of it and are better known. Why use the whole Homeland Security Department when the Secret Service or the Coast Guard are more recognizable?

whaleofyournightmare Decemberist from contemplation Since: Jul, 2011
Decemberist
#6: Apr 28th 2012 at 12:08:38 PM

Didn't Stargate have a Dept of Homeworld security instead?

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Pykrete NOT THE BEES from Viridian Forest Since: Sep, 2009
NOT THE BEES
#7: Apr 28th 2012 at 2:02:34 PM

Yes, but I think they predated the real DHS.

And the Stargate program was, y'know, competent.

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