The American brand and DHS

Good article below, which begs the question--what is the USA brand today?

Overview » FutureBrand: "A strong country brand is more than the sum of its attributes: in total, it must make people’s lives better. FutureBrand assesses the strength of a country brand in much the same way as any other brand, measuring awareness, familiarity, preference, consideration, advocacy and active decisions to visit or interact with a place. But the most important factors – the aspects that truly differentiate a country brand – are its associations and attributes across five key dimensions: Value System, Quality of Life, Good for Business, Heritage and Culture and Tourism."

For example, does the Department of Homeland Security add to, or diminish, the American brand? Does DHS represent the dark side of government--arbitrary, unaccountable, opaque, power seeking, intrusive, overbearing, threatening? Is DHS a prime example of the continuing governmental intrusions upon civil liberties? Does it incorporate what is best about America, or is it merely a Bush-era over-reaction to radical Islam terrorism? A bureaucratic nightmare to both liberty and the American brand?

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