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About
The 9/12 Project was a conservative protest movement and civic activism initiative founded and launched by American media personality Glenn Beck on March 13, 2009, through his Fox News Channel program. The name refers to the day after the September 11 attacks, seeking to recapture the sense of national unity and shared values perceived in the immediate aftermath. The movement was built upon 9 Principles and 12 Values intended to guide individual conduct and government oversight, derived from what Beck described as the Founding Fathers' original 28 principles. The principles emphasized America's goodness, belief in God, family as sacred, strict punishment for law-breaking, rejection of equal outcomes, opposition to forced charity, right to dissent, and government accountability to citizens. The 12 Values included honesty, reverence, hope, thrift, humility, charity, sincerity, moderation, hard work, courage, personal responsibility, and gratitude. It functioned as a decentralized network of local chapters and was heavily associated with the Tea Party movement, though Beck later stated it had been set up in opposition to it, focusing more on individual character and local community engagement. Key activities included the Taxpayer March on Washington (September 12, 2009), which drew an estimated 75,000 to over 300,000 participants to protest government spending, the Affordable Care Act, and bailouts, organized alongside FreedomWorks, Americans for Prosperity, and the National Taxpayers Union; the Restoring Honor Rally (August 28, 2010) at the Lincoln Memorial, which drew approximately 87,000 attendees according to scientific estimates, raised funds for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and featured speakers including Sarah Palin and Alveda King; and local governance monitoring of school boards and city councils to ensure alignment with conservative constitutional interpretations. The project became central to the IRS targeting controversy when a 2013 Treasury Inspector General report revealed that IRS agents flagged applications with 'Tea Party,' 'Patriot,' or '9/12 Project' in their names for additional scrutiny beginning as early as 2010. Senior IRS official Lois Lerner learned of the targeting in June 2011 and instructed agents to change criteria, though the practice continued. IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman testified before Congress in March 2012 denying any targeting, a statement contradicted by internal timelines. The scandal prompted multiple congressional investigations and led to Lerner's resignation. The organization became largely defunct, with its website ceasing updates by February 2014 and being taken offline by June 2017.