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Artist Blasts DHS For Using His Painting Without Permission—And They Even Tried To Change The Title
"Remember your Homeland’s Heritage."
"New Life in a New Land - Morgan Weistling"
On X, the DHS post received added context, the actual title, from X users.
Weistling also used social media to respond to DHS using art they didn't buy the rights to or get permission to use in an official government campaign.
In a since deleted Instagram post, the artist wrote:
"For those who are wondering, I DID NOT GIVE PERMISSION AND DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THE DHS USING MY PAINTING IN A POST YESTERDAY ON ALL THEIR PLATFORMS."
"IT IS A VIOLATION OF MY COPYRIGHT ON THE PAINTING AND I AM LOOKING INTO WHAT TO DO NEXT"
With the caption:
"I am amazed that they thought they could randomly post an artist's painting without permission. They even re-titled it."
@weistling/Instagram
How did DHS find and select this specific painting?
Noem's office may have assumed Weistling would be sympathetic to the Trump administration's racist and xenophobic agenda because of the company he keeps.
The internet sleuths on Reddit found that Weistling licenses and sells his art through right wing anti-LGBTQ+, anti-reproductive freedom, pro-Christian nationalism Evangelical Christian "church," Focus on the Family.
store.focusonthefamily.com/morgan-weistling
Considered a parachurch due to having no actual church or services, founder James Dobson declared Focus on the Family a tax exempt church, claiming it is "primarily to protect the confidentiality of our donors."
Reminiscent of Noem's memoir title, this isn't her first rodeo pilfering artwork.
Earlier this month, DHS pinched a painting from late artist Thomas Kinkade. This time the call to action was to "Protect the (1950s White suburban) Homeland" depicted in the painting.
People are getting the message loud and clear, but felt DHS missed a few details.
@DHSgov/X
Department of Homeland Security/Facebook
Department of Homeland Security/Facebook
Department of Homeland Security/Facebook
Department of Homeland Security/Facebook
Department of Homeland Security/Facebook
Department of Homeland Security/Facebook
Department of Homeland Security/Facebook
DHS's White nationalist propaganda is also being called out online for its inaccurate portrayal of how the United States was colonized and settled.
Ignoring the fact their "Homeland Heritage" excludes almost all Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latino, and Middle Eastern citizens of the United States, it also excludes most White people.
Like most Christian nationalist, White supremacist, and White nationalist rhetoric and propaganda, the "Remember your Homeland’s Heritage" caption touches on a romanticized, inaccurate history of the United States that's mostly Hollywood Heritage.
Covered wagons and westward expansion made for great TV shows and movies, but only a fraction of American citizens have any direct connection to those settlers because there were very few of them. Historically speaking, the wagon train era was little more than a blip on the national radar, having little to no overall impact outside of the fiction inspired by it.
The period of wagon trains lasted only about 40 years, from 1840 to 1880, with most settlers either stopping at established communities like Cincinnati, St. Louis, Kansas City, and Minneapolis instead of on the open plains.
And many settlers were only passing through on their way to the Pacific coast where gold had been discovered—a journey already possible by ship and by 1869, possible by the intercontinental railroad.
From 1880 to 1930 is when European settlers first made their presence known as permanent residents on the prairies depicted in Weistling's painting, thanks largely to rail and then automotive travel, after covered wagons were obsolete. Between 1950 and 2007, the Great Plains region's population more than doubled from 4.9 million to 9.9 million people, which is still sparse at best.
One thing DHS's chosen moment can boast is it was a path undertaken almost exclusively by White Christians.
Perhaps that's the message from the Trump administration—that only White Christian history should be recognized as our Homeland’s Heritage.
TikToker Sparks Debate After Having Flight Attendant Make Life Or Death Nut Allergy Announcement On Flight
Though the airline stopped selling peanuts years ago and asks passengers not to bring nut-containing snacks onboard, Kelly still alerts cabin crews about his allergy, which he says can be triggered by airborne nut particles.
Kelly also asked if the crew could make an announcement to passengers, requesting a nut-free flight for his safety. The friendly flight attendant asked where he was seated—6B—and whether he had any EpiPens, before sending him on his way, worry-free.
Text overlaid on the clip reads:
"Why does it rattle so many people when I ask the airline to do an announcement?"
You can see the video below.
Kelly's page focuses on raising awareness and promoting understanding of allergy-related issues. His videos often include demonstrations of proper EpiPen use and personal insights into navigating dating while living with a serious allergy.
But people had mixed responses to his efforts, with some saying he shouldn't expect the entire plane to accommodate him.
@itsbaxterrn/TikTok
@canadian1999/TikTok
@arbee/TikTok
@ezra119/TikTok
@vickyb/TikTok
@emilyshortshortreads/TikTok
@thegoldenwick/TikTok
In an interview with Newsweek, Kelly said he has "had a severe nut allergy since I was 5," adding that "it impacts my daily life constantly; living with the fear of a reaction is exhausting, and it's even more intense when traveling abroad."
He also stressed how dangerous the allergy can be even with just minor exposure, noting that "if someone eats nuts, doesn't wash their hands, then touches me—that could trigger it."
TikToker Praises Target For Swiftly Pulling Toy That Killed Her Cat From Shelves After Hearing Her Story
TikToker and passionate pet mom @mazie.kayee shared a series of TikTok videos in which she explained the heartbreaking and sudden loss of her cat, Blue, after he accidentally ate the tassel off of a dangling cat toy that she had purchased from Target as part of an Easter gift.
Her beloved cat had to be hospitalized after swallowing part of the toy, and soon died from complications. There were negative reviews online, highlighting how easily the toy broke apart, which she wished she had read before making her purchase.
She wanted to caution fellow pet parents about purchasing toys with tassels and to do their due diligence and keep an eye on their pets whenever they were allowed to play with the toys.
She also reached out to Target, where she purchased the toy, to explain what had happened and to voice her concern about them continuing to sell the toys to other pet parents.
Fortunately, the TikToker's concerns were heard, and she shared in a "storytime" TikTok that Target had removed the toys from the shelves and were in the process of redesigning them.
She even shared a brief video to celebrate that the toy wasn't available anymore.
"Yes, my cat is still gone. Nothing is going to change that. But Target is taking this very seriously, and that’s all they can do now."
"Toys SHOULD be safe for pets already, but they’re not. I’m making the best out of one of the worst situations. I’m spreading awareness so people don’t make the same mistake as me."
"Last I checked, 1.1 million people now know Blue’s name, and they’re making changes to their cats' lives as well so this doesn’t happen again."
To further caution pet parents who may have already purchased the toy, the TikToker shared an image of the toy.
Some were shocked that they had the same toy, and were grateful for the advice.
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
Others empathized with the cat mom and wished her well while she continued to mourn her lost pet.
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
Some were grateful the TikToker was spreading awareness, and shared additional advice.
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
@mazie.kayee/TikTok
It's beyond heartbreaking that this TikToker had to go through this and have a "learning experience" instead of her beloved Blue still happily in her home.
With her continued advocacy, she can save other pet parents and their beloved pets from the same trauma.