Hijacking Sept. 11

Remembering September 11, 2001

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Many stories involving tragedy begin something along the lines of, “It was a day like any other,” and proceed from there. When I think about the events of Sept. 11, 2001, however, I don’t think to myself, “That day started like any other day.” Because it didn’t.

The reason I know that day didn’t start like any other was because it was one of the first things I saw after I woke up. I was in 8th grade at the time and I had been awake for all of 5 minutes before I turned on the news and saw a plume of smoke billowing from one of the towers. And then the second plane hit.

I won’t recount the rest of the events of that awful day because everyone already knows what happened. I’m certain those searing memories will remain painful for the rest of our generation’s lives. What concerns me is what has happened to the memory of Sept. 11 since that time.

During the waning days of this past summer, an old friend of mine (who coincidentally was in my 8th grade class on Sept. 11) showed me a clip on YouTube of Fox News commentator Glenn Beck. The clip showed Beck talking about a new campaign he had created he called “The 9/12 project.” “The 9/12 project,” in Beck’s words, is an attempt to bring our country together similar to what happened in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks. It’s based on nine principles and 12 values that Beck believes will lead our country to a better future.

Clever, huh? Except that it’s all bogus. The “9/12 project” is just another conservative propaganda machine headed up by Beck. Instead of promoting togetherness or progress, Beck’s Web site (www.the912project.com) is another forum for him and his cohorts to spew their bile for the Republican masses to lap up. Like many conservative critics, Beck is content to continue to harp on old campaign issues like ACORN and trash healthcare reform efforts instead of talking about the relevant issues of the day.

Where is the compassion and unity for our fellow man that characterized the days and weeks after Sept. 11?

This is disgusting to me. Every time I happen to stumble upon Beck and his smug grin I feel an irreconcilable rage boil up in my stomach. Beck has blatantly hijacked the memory of a national tragedy and turned it into a bloody shirt to wave and use to promote his agenda.

While he is not the only pundit to have done this (Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly are guilty of similarly despicable acts), Beck is the worst offender. Anyone who lost a friend or family member in the World Trade Center attacks should feel outrage at what he has done.

But the outrage isn’t there. Beck’s show has, according to many reports, been making steady gains in ratings for months now. He has apparently found an audience who shares his sick, twisted mentality and is willing to debase themselves and pervert the memory of a horrific terrorist attack for their own political gain.

This is not how we as a nation should remember the events of Sept. 11, 2001. What we should remember is what we lost that day: family, friends, co-workers and fellow Americans. On this day, we as a country and as human beings should be united in remembrance of what we lost, not divided by what we have to gain.

Contact CU Independent Entertainment Editor Rob Ryan at rryan@colorado.edu