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| Motto | Demand Answers |
|---|---|
| Formation | March 2009 |
| Region served | United States |
| Website | The912Project.com |
The 9/12 Project (or 912 Project) is a Personal Responsibility Group created by American television and radio personality Glenn Beck. It was first introduced on the March 13, 2009 episode of Glenn Beck, the eponymous talk show on Fox News Channel. A website was launched to promote the group, the 912Project.com, and several local 912 groups formed soon after in cities throughout the United States.[1]
According to Beck, the purpose of the project is "to bring us all back to the place we were on Sept. 12, 2001 ... we were not obsessed with red states, blue states or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the values and principles of the greatest nation ever created."[2] 912 represents to the date following the September 11th Attacks as well as 9 Principles and 12 Values that Beck believes represent the principles and values shared by the Founding Fathers of the United States.[3]
Some of the Tea Party movement is part of the 912 Project serving as a sponsor for the Taxpayer March on Washington on September 12, 2009.[4][5] Like the Tea Party movement, the 912 Project activists do not identify with any major political party, but it is widely considered an American conservative, even anti-big government,[6] movement by political analysts, politicians, and the media.[7][8]
Liberal blogs and political pundits allege that the 912 Project incites hatred and divisiveness, is advocating for theocracy, [9] and exploites the September 11th terrorist attacks for political gain.[10][11]
Contents |
The name "9/12" is symbolic of both the day after September 11, 2001 and the project's "nine principles and twelve values."[12] According to the website, the 9/12 Project, the 9 Principles and 12 Values are derived from the principles of the Founding Fathers:
The website lists the 9 Principles, accompanied by quotations from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The 9 Principles are:
The 12 Values are:
The 9/12 Project was created as the result of Glenn Beck's "We Surround Them" campaign, a series of segments and specials on Beck's television program in early 2009 which claimed to aim to bring back government accountability.[14] Viewers were asked to incorporate these values first in their personal lives then expect them of those they elected to office; holding the elected accountable. At one point during the campaign, viewers were asked to submit pictures if they believed at least seven of the nine founding principles and felt they were alone in beliving these principles. Many of the pictures were used to form a collage that lines one of the walls in Glenn Beck's Fox News Channel studio.[citation needed] The 9/12 Project was created as a result of the campaign and Mercury Radio Arts(Glenn Beck's radio company). launched the first 9/12 Project website.[citation needed]
Following the Taxpayer March on Washington on September 12, 2009, Glenn Beck introduced a campaign for the 9/12 project called "Re-found America". The campaign aims to find 56 Congressional politicians to anonymously stand against government corruption and become whistle blowers, exposing the evidence of corruption.[15]
Individuals in many towns across the United States have formed organizations and chapters based with the 9/12 Project.[16][17][18][19] The aim of such groups is to get the public active in keeping elected officials accountable to voters and taxpayers. [16][17][20] For instance, in Murphy, North Carolina, a meeting of self-proclaimed 9/12 Project members was held on August 29, 2009 "to plan how to elect their own representatives to the U.S. House and decrease the size and control of the federal government over the lives of American people".[19] The event was attended by "more than 325 people".[19]
9/12ers have been known to attend various Tea Party protests; among those are the Tax Day protests on April 15, 2009, the July 4, 2009 Independence Day Tea Party protests, and the September 12, 2009 Taxpayer March on Washington.[21] The project also had a presence at other September 12, 2009 Tea Party protests in cities like Salt Lake City and Fort Worth.[21][18]
Members of certain 9/12 Project chapters held a nationwide protest in front of various news media buildings on October 17, 2009. Dubbed "Operation: Can You Hear Us Now", the project was started with the aim of protesting against perceived liberal bias of the mainstream media, and called for more honest reporting in journalism.[22][23][24] One 9-12 member from Long Island said of the reasons behind this event that, "...news media are not the fourth branch of government. We the people are. News media are the people's established institutions designed to facilitate the flow of information not just from government to the people, but from the people - a self-governing people - to the government we employ."
Comedian Jon Stewart satirized the movement on a November 5, 2009 broadcast of the Daily Show, referring to the "11/3 project", which symbolized "11 principles and 3 herbs and spices". Stewart's satire included several of Beck's trademarks, such as his horn-rimmed glasses, stacks of documents, chalkboard, and Beck's infamous crying. Stewart, impersonating Beck, speculated that it was a plot by Adolf Hitler to steal Glenn Beck's organs. During the skit, Stewart claimed to create the 11/3 project the day Glenn Beck was hospitalized, to remind Americans that the founding fathers believed that our bodies were governed by humors.[25]
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