The 9-12 Project

Squawk radio and TV host Glenn Beck has a website going that has this in its stated goals:
The 9-12 Project is designed to bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001.

We want to get everyone thinking like it is September 12th, 2001 again.
Involved with this mission is the embracing of nine principles and twelve values. Here are the principles:
  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.
I frankly struggle over number 1 on the list. In the past we have not been so good.. just ask Native Americans.. or African Americans.. or persecuted union organizers.. and others that hoped in vain for our goodness. When it comes to our government I think that our "good" is sometimes a reflection of protectionism or just good policy done in our own self-interest. But sometimes we are good.. we are a major force in world relief and charitable efforts.. so maybe #1 might say something different about out country.. any ideas?

I am not sure that number 2 represents the place we were on 9/12/01.. I think that most Americans do not center on God.. I might be wrong. I am not sure that many of the other principles.. while good in themselves.. are uniquely American. I feel the same way about the 12 values that they present.

What do you think? Do you think that a website like this one makes a difference?
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7 comments:

  1. karenMarch 16, 2009 at 6:48:00 PM CDT

    My face was on that photo mural, so you'll know where I stand.
    America IS good. We have people battling to get in from all sides.
    The majority of Americans believe in a Source. Maybe not in Jesus, but in a Divine Creator.
    I'm glad someone who "squawks" is doing something positive.(Olbermann, Maddow, and Matthews aren't "squawkers" right?). The days after 9-11 brought us together. He's trying to do something positive.

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  2. roadrunnerMarch 16, 2009 at 7:48:00 PM CDT

    Glenn Beck follows the teachings of the false prophet Joseph Smith. Nothing he says should be taken seriously. America is an evil nation it is everything that Christ was against.

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  3. Ed G.March 17, 2009 at 10:28:00 AM CDT

    I just wonder how Beck identified these "9/12" values. Seems to me he is taking what he believes now and is simply packaging them in a sense of "nostalgia" to give them added weight.

    Not to pass any judgment on whether these are good values or not... but my recollection being in NYC on 9/12/01 is that #7 does not reflect the mood that day (everyone was looking for everyone, including government, to be charitable) and certainly not #8 (anyone who spoke badly of US government was given dirty looks).

    Personally, I agree with Beck on #8 and don't understand what he is trying to say on #7.

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  4. KenMarch 17, 2009 at 2:11:00 PM CDT

    Okay ... I kind of get it, but I'm not in love with it. These feel like 'fighting words'. We have too many fighting words couched in some ideology or another. What we need are words of inspiration. I'm not hearing too many of them from any quarter - including the White House.

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  5. jrchaardMarch 17, 2009 at 9:18:00 PM CDT

    On the spectrum of all nations of good to evil, meaning every nation has to fit on that spectrum, I would say our nation as a whole would fall on the good side.

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  6. AnonymousMarch 18, 2009 at 12:37:00 PM CDT

    1) America is as good as its people.
    2) Don't have a problem with this one.
    3) Don't have a problem with this one.
    4) Is the family sacred? I'll say, The family is important. God is the ultimate authority and established the government.
    5) Not much room in here for grace?
    6) This is true, but ignores the fact that if you handicap someone then they may not get access to those rights.
    7) When a government uses your tax dollars to help others, that's not charity.
    8) Absolutely, so long as you are respectful.
    9) Not entirely true. Mostly true though.

    I agree that this all sounds rather combative. Considering the source and who he works for that's not surprising.

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  7. SarahMarch 18, 2009 at 4:19:00 PM CDT

    Bothers me that God is #2, and America is #1. That doesn't reflect my faith at all. As a result of God being #1 for me - I do not "otherize" people who aren't American (us vs. them) because Jesus wouldn't. He was always contradicting that kind of mentality. Luke 4:25-27 is a good example.

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