I'm not sure how 9/11 became a Republican occasion, but I can think of about a thousand other occasions I'd rather be associated with than the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil ever. Nevertheless, the Republican fetish for 9/11 is now becoming an all out effort to brand it as a for-profit endeavor.
ThinkProgress has the rundown:
– This weekend, Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck are hosting a rally in Anchorage, Alaska to mark the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Ticket prices range from $73.75 per person (including taxes and fees) to a high of $225. As the Hill newspaper reports, “there was no indication as to whom or what the proceeds will go.”
– Disgraced lobbyist Ralph Reed is using his consulting firm Century Strategies to host a “Faith and Freedom Conference and Strategy Briefing” with an assortment of conservatives, including Brent Bozell, Tony Perkins, Rich Lowry, Tucker Carlson, Grover Norquist, Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA), Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), Erick Erickson, and others. The event is on September 10th-11th, and costs $95 for early registration.
– Newt Gingrich is using the September 11th anniversary to unveil a new movie called “America At Risk,” which Gingrich says will drive the “national dialogue” about President Obama’s failure to address the rise of “Radical Islam” and its attempt to impose Sharia law on the United States. Gingrich’s website notes that the public can “pre-order your copy now for just $19.95 plus $4 shipping.”
These people ought to be ashamed on themselves. Unless the proceeds are going to the families of the victims (who Glenn Beck hates), I can't think of anything more gratuitous and shameless -- other than, perhaps, a "genuine slivers of Ground Zero" mail order business.