October 8, 2001: The Beginning of "Homeland Security"

It is understandable that the attacks of 9/11 lead to a great change in American defense. President George W. Bush, then still a newcomer, had to act fast, and he did. After a month of semi-diligent work on the issue, he realized that he was going to need another hand for the job. Consequently, on October eighth 2001, the office of homeland security was activated. Only a year later, that position was expanded into an entire division of the government, the now hated Department of Homeland Security.

Historically, the impact of the OHS (Office of Homeland Security) was huge. Not only did it set the tone for the DHS (Department of Homeland Security), it also set a precedent for autocratic domestic power. The abilities of the OHS and the DHS include, but are not limited to, immigration, customs, border control, and most importantly, communications interception. All of this is backed up with their ability to control the coast guard and secret service. Its conception, while good in its intentions, ultimately turned out to do more harm than good. It gave the government powers that can only be compared to George Orwell's enigmatic and oppressive figure, Big Brother.

Although the OHS was met with much less media than the formal declaration of war with Afghanistan that had come the day before, it is likely to have been a more important event in the long run. Because it affects us as a nation rather than as a member of the world, we as the people of America are going to be uniquely the worse for it.