Beck and Palin: Cashing in on 9/11?

(Image credit: Getty)

last updated 8 January 2015

Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin have shed some light on their "secret" 9/11 event: It's a dinner at the Anchorage, Alaska convention center commemorating 9/11 and celebrating the faith-based values that inspired Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally in August. However, unlike the Washington D.C. event, this weekend's dinner comes with a hefty pricetag, with tickets ranging from $72 to $225. Neither Palin nor Beck have confirmed they will receive payment for their attendance, but critics are already accusing them of trying to profit off a tragedy:

This shameful pair will use the troops as an excuse: "How much money are you making this 9/11?" asks Alex Pareene at Salon. Probably not as much as these two. Then again, don't rule out a late-in-the-day dedication to military charities. It wouldn't the first time Beck and Palin "use The Troops to insulate themselves from criticisms for their utter shamelessness."

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There must be a simple explanation for this: This can't be what it seems, says Jeffrey Lord at American Spectator. I don't believe Palin and Beck are dumb enough to open themselves up to "this kind of easily foreseeable left wing criticism." Someone needs to give a rational explanation for this, "pronto." If the money is going to charity — and I hope it is — then whoever failed to let the media know that ought to be "horsewhipped."

Plenty of rightwing leaders are doing the same: Palin and Beck aren't alone, says Lee Fang at Think Progress. "Disgraced lobbyist" Ralph Reed is hosting a "Faith And Freedom" conference on Saturday with an "assortment of conservatives," while Newt Gingrich is using the anniversary to unveil a fear-mongering movie about the rise of Islam, available for "just $19.95." Clearly, for right wing leaders, September 11 is "just another opportunity to enrich themselves."