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9-12 Project

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The 9-12 Project (alternatively 9/12 Project, 912 Project) was a group created by American television and radio personality Glenn Beck. It was launched 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, and several local 9-12 groups formed soon after in cities throughout the United States.[2]

FormationMarch 2009
TypeSelf-described bottom-up organization for non-political values advocacy
Legal statusdefunct
Region served
United States
Administrator
Yvonne Donnelly[1]
WebsiteThe912Project.com

According to Beck, the purpose of the project was "to bring us all back to the place we were on September 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."[3] 9-12 represents the date following the September 11 attacks in 2001, and "9 Principles" and "12 Values" that Beck believes represent the principles and values shared by the Founding Fathers of the United States.[4]

Some of the Tea Party movement was part of the 9-12 Project serving as a sponsor for the Taxpayer March on Washington on September 12, 2009.[2] The 9-12 Project activists claim not to identify with any major political party.[5]

9 Principles and 12 Values

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The name "9-12" symbolized both the day after the September 11, 2001 (written as September 12, or 9-12), and the project's "nine principles and twelve values."[6] According to the website, the 9 Principles and 12 Values were derived from the principles of the Founding Fathers:

At the origin of America, our Founding Fathers built this country on 28 powerful principles. These principles were culled from all over the world and from centuries of great thinkers. We have distilled the original 28 down to the 9 basic principles.[7]

The website listed the 9 Principles, accompanied by quotations from George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The 9 Principles were:

  1. America is good.
  2. I believe in God and He is the center of my life.
  3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
  4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
  5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
  6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
  7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
  8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
  9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

The 12 Values were:

  1. Honesty
  2. Reverence
  3. Hope
  4. Thrift
  5. Humility
  6. Charity
  7. Sincerity
  8. Moderation
  9. Hard work
  10. Courage
  11. Personal Responsibility
  12. Gratitude (originally Friendship)[citation needed]

History

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Protesters walking towards the U.S. Capitol during the Taxpayer March on Washington.
 
A group of protesters hold signs praising Beck at the Taxpayer March on Washington.

The 9-12 Project was created as the result of Beck's "We Surround Them" campaign, a series of segments and specials on Beck's television program in early 2009 which purported to bring back government accountability.[8] Viewers were asked to incorporate these values first in their personal lives, then expect them of those they elected to office and 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 believing these principles. Many of the pictures were used to form a collage that once lined one of the walls in Glenn Beck's Fox News Channel studio.[citation needed] The 9-12 Project grew out of that campaign, as a result of the original call Beck took on his nationally syndicated talk radio show, from "Ed" of New Haven, Connecticut. During that phone call in late January, 2009, "Ed" said that he felt "outnumbered" (as a true conservative in today's political battles). Beck told him that he would figure out a way to prove to him that he is not alone, and that "they," the powers that be, do not surround "us", the American people, but rather, "We Surround Them!"

Following the Taxpayer March on Washington on September 12, 2009, Beck introduced a campaign for the 9-12 project called "Re-found America". The campaign aims to find 56 Re-Founders, who are Congressional politicians who agree to stand against corruption and abuses of power, and become whistle blowers, exposing the evidence of corruption.[9]

As of 2017, the News section on the 9-12 Project website had not been updated since February 2014, and by June 2017 the 9-12 Project Website itself was no longer extant.[10] In an interview before the 2016 US presidential election, Beck stated that while the 9-12 Project had often been conflated with the Tea Party movement, it had actually been set up in opposition to it.[11]

Local organizations

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Individuals in a number of locations in the United States formed organizations and chapters based with the 9-12 Project.[12][13][14][15] The aim of such groups was to get the public active in keeping elected officials accountable to voters and taxpayers.[12][13][16] 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".[15] The event was attended by "more than 325 people".[15] Another event, in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 12, 2009 (9-12-09), featured several speakers, from activists to conservative public officials. Over 2,000 activists were reportedly in attendance[17]

National events

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"9/12ers", as members of the 9/12 movement were sometimes called, also attended 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.[18] The project also had a presence at other September 12, 2009 Tea Party protests in cities all across America, from Tampa to Salt Lake City to Fort Worth.[14][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 a liberal bias in the mainstream media, and called for more honest reporting in journalism.[19][20][21] 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." [citation needed]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Vogel, Kenneth (November 11, 2009). "Beck to announce 'big plan' for 2010". Politico. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Vogul, Kenneth P. (November 20, 2009). "Beck to announce 'big plan' for 2010". Politico. news.yahoo.com. Retrieved February 14, 2010.
  3. ^ [citation 3, Standard Journal]
  4. ^ "Mission Statement : Glenn Beck – the 912 Project". Archived from the original on January 22, 2010. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
  5. ^ Webb, Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr (September 20, 2009). "Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb: Anti-government protests common in U.S. history". Deseret News. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012.
  6. ^ "Nine Principles, Twelve Values". the912project.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2009. Retrieved November 26, 2009.
  7. ^ http://www.the912project.com/the-912-2/mission-statement/ Archived January 22, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , The 9-12 Project: Mission Statement
  8. ^ Butner, Earlesha (September 13, 2009). "Demanding accountability". Hattiesburg American. hattiesburgamerican.com. Retrieved September 22, 2009. [dead link]
  9. ^ "Refound America". 9/12 Project. the912project.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  10. ^ "News & Events". 9-12 Project Website News Page. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  11. ^ "Glenn Beck: A Changed Man? (see transcript)". WNYC. Archived from the original on November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 8, 2016.
  12. ^ a b Pederson, Brad (October 1, 2009). "Local 9.12 project picks up steam". Norwin Star. YourNorwin.com. Retrieved October 9, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ a b Sunderland, Nate (September 15, 2009). "Marchers say no to big government". Standard Journal. Standard Journal Online. Archived from the original on September 12, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  14. ^ a b Batheja, Aman (September 12, 2009). "912 Project Fort Worth protests the federal government". Star-Telegram. star-telegram.com. Retrieved September 22, 2009. [dead link]
  15. ^ a b c Otwell, Dwight (September 1, 2009). "9/12 event draws big attendance". Cherokee Scout. cherokeescout.com. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved September 22, 2009.
  16. ^ "Clark to address 9.12 Project's mayoral candidate forum". Greeley Tribune. GreeleyTribune.com. September 19, 2009. Archived from the original on July 18, 2011. Retrieved October 9, 2009.
  17. ^ Groves, Lana (September 13, 2009). "Comments about '2,000 rally in Utah against federal policies' - Deseret News". Deseret News. Archived from the original on August 15, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  18. ^ a b Burger, David (September 13, 2009). "Glenn Beck's '912 Project' draws a crowd to Capitol". The Salt Lake Tribune. sltrib.org. Archived from the original on September 22, 2009. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
  19. ^ "Group Holds Nationwide Protest Of TV Stations". WYFF 4. October 18, 2009. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  20. ^ "Protesters Accuse Newspaper, Other Media Outlets Of Bias". 69 News WFMZ-TV. October 18, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  21. ^ Sheehan, Daniel (October 18, 2009). "Protesters assail media for perceived leftward lean". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
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