"Kabuki theatre" / DHS, etymology of "Heimatschutz" since Goeebels

Begin forwarded message:

From: Erich M <[email protected]>
Date: October 2, 2006 5:20:17 PM EDT
To: [email protected]
Subject: "Kabuki theatre" / DHS, etymology of "Heimatschutz" since  
Goeebels

Dave,

Here is the article published this morning at orf.at Website.

US-Heimatschutz als "Kabuki-Theater"
http://futurezone.orf.at/it/stories/140470/

As to the title of the story I feel compelled to add a comment or two  
by a
native speaker of German. When the "Departement of Homeland Security"  
in the
USA was founded German speaking journalists faced a dilemma. How  
could we
possibly translate that?

Correctly that would be "Ministerium fuer Heimatsicherheit".

In Austrian and German ears that sounds 100 percent Goebbels.  
Additionallly
the secret service "Stasi" of communist Germany was an acronym of the
"Ministerium fuer Staatssicherheit".

We can't do that the "Ami" [as Americans are commonly named here],  
was the
gist of the discussion. They may sometimes behave, especially  
currently, like
elephants in a microprocessor factory, but they do not deserve that
translation.

What else? "Heimatlandsicherheit"? Says the same and sounds clumsy.

So more or less all German speaking journalists decided to go for  
"Ministerium
fuer Heimatschutz". This is still the shortest and least pejorative
translation for DHS one can find. Not as aggressive as the other, but
denoting something like "home-made, rugged, hillbilly style" in  
addition.
 From 1934 untill 1938 when Austria was ruled by a homegrown clerical/ 
fascist
regime dominated by Catholic fanatics the word "Heimatschutz" was  
much used.

Again, when the Nazis were at their ende and the war was soon over.

Ahem yes, no offense meant. This is a real life matter.

Good night from Vienna
Erich M.










US-Heimatschutz als "Kabuki-Theater"

http://futurezone.orf.at/it/stories/140470/
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