How the Media Is Treating the 912 Project

Tampa 912 Project Members,

The headline currently on the Drudge Report links to a Washington Post article regarding the Restore Honor Rally this weekend in DC. According to Glenn, the article is a "relatively fair" account of the rally...relative given it is coming from the Washington Post. That comment inspired me to write what follows.

The Tampa 912 Project was inspired by Glenn's vision of a post 9/11 attitude and the sense that our country was being shaken off it's foundation and we needed to connect with like-minded Americans to empower ourselves to restore it to its root principles and values. The philosophy we undertake, like America's founders, is that we are endowed with our Creator with rights; inalienable rights meaning that these are our birthright and cannot nor should not be taken from us by our government. The government exists to preserve those rights against tyranny. While Glenn inspired the 912 movement, there is no structure in place for him to dictate or control our group or any others.

I was interviewed on the phone for 15 minutes Monday by a Politico Reporter responsible for this anti-Beck article. It was clear by his pointed questions that his article was going to portray the 912 movement and the rally and its motivations negatively and he was not searching for the truth.

His first question was how was Beck orchestrating getting us up to the rally. I told him that we are all inspired to get up there on our own without any assistance from Glenn or his staff; we hold to the value of personal responsibility. It was one of our members who stepped forward and coordinated filling five buses totally on his own! I advised the reporter that our group and 912 groups across the nation are independent groups. He then tried to bait an argument that many 912 organizers are upset that Glenn isn't controlling our group more. I responded that I and other organizers I have spoken with prefer to not have a national structure that can be easily defeated by destroying it's top tier. We prefer local leadership that is branded with it's own character and can fit the needs of our community more aptly. I continued that we stress education first and the result of our education is grassroots lobbying primarily on issues, both nationally and locally, that make a difference.

The point of all this is that my remarks didn't fit the reporter's pre-conceived template of his story so he chose to ignore them altogether and dig around until he could find a disgruntled "anonymous" person with which to predicate his story on. There was no mention that over 150 of our members have committed to attend this rally to simply honor those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our freedoms. The missed story was why are so many people compelled to take the time to go to DC en masse?

Tampa 912 Organizer