This is beyond. Maggie Haberman at Politico writes:
I'm one of the New York reporters who was within 10 blocks of ground zero when the second tower fell, and who covered rebuilding at the site for two years after Sept. 11, 2001, as a beat, and then on and off after — and I can say first-hand that there is usually a moratorium on political activity that day that's self-imposed.
So I was a bit surprised to see a rally being hosted by, among others, Pamela Geller, the conservative blogger who basically drove the mosque story off an initial New York Times story last December before the tabloids weighed in, on Sept. 11 this year, near the proposed mosque site.
I'm sorry, can they possibly be serious? 9/11 in lower Manhattan is a day for families and bagpipes. I remember the first anniversary, when a strange swirling wind swept through the city. I woke to the mournful bagpipes early that morning as they marched toward downtown. The memorial ceremony at the site was eerie as the wind swirled and swirled, lifting the dust into the air. The names were called one by one as the heartbroken families stood silent.
Now the rabid right is going to turn this day into a political rally? Where is their alleged reverence for the memory of what happened that day?
Habermen lists the speakers:
The alert says that this is the list of confirmed speakers; 9/11 family members; former U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton; former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich; Dutch Parliamentarian and freedom fighter Geert Wilders; Gary Berntsen, a candidate for the U.S. Senate from New York; Jordan Sekulow of the American Center for Law and Justice, which has filed suit to stop the so-called ground zero mosque; Ginny Thomas, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas's wife; Michael Grimm, a candidate for Congress from New York's 13th district and a Sept. 11 first responder; and blogger Andrew Breitbart.
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UPDATE: Ben Smith has a Gingrich spokesman saying the former House speaker won't attend.
I have edited my comments. Of course they can protest if they like, but I find it offensive and hypocritical to exploit the day, and the site, for political purposes.
Update ridemybike says it perfectly in comments:
this proves that they don't really
believe their own assertion that it's hallowed ground.
the fact that they think it's acceptable to hold a rally on 9.11
instead of spending the day in memoriam...
reprehensible.
Update Ginny Thomas denies she was even invited.