Had this image pop up on my facebook this morning advertising the Pennington County Lincoln Day dinner on September 11, accompanied by the following text:
“Almost 3,000 people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks… Come join us for the 9/11 – 20th anniversary at Pennington County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner.”
I’m not quite sure what to say about that.
Back during the 2002 campaign for Governor in South Dakota, when I was working on the Rounds campaign, I know we shut down all campaigning on 9/11. And reached out to advertising venues to make sure nothing ran on that day to the best of our ability.
As recently as the presidential campaigns in 2016 and again in 2020, I don’t believe the campaigns were active that day, and all the candidates, including President Donald Trump as well as his Democrat opponents suspended campaign activities to mark the anniversary of the event as a solemn occasion.
Now with the attack on our country 20 years past this year, 20 years after an attack that was directed at our fellow countrymen as well as our military, have we reached the point where it’s a picnicking occasion?
I’m not sure we ever have reached that with Pearl Harbor day, which resides in our nation’s collective memory as a day of infamy. Should 9/11 be similarly off limits?
What are your thoughts?
And this is a little different. It’s not just a political event that happens to be on the anniversary. They are explicitly advertising it as being on the anniversary. I don’t know if that’s better or worse but it’s a little different.
Much of our society has lost a sense of respect, reverence and introspection.
I expect the Republican Party and its organizations to not reflect our worst attributes but our best.
The State Party should call them and tell them to cancel. If they go forward, Senators Thune, Governor Noem, Congressman Johnson, and all the state-wide candidates should not attend but instead attend events which better exemplify our best attributes.
There is a new Republican ethos that doesn’t fret about the optics.
I’m still contemplating how this applies to boycotting anything or anyone.
Just because you would disagree with them is no reason to cancel them (this is a sad thing that happened in our culture that should be rooted out).
I would wait until it’s settle whether it was islamic or zionists (according to Bill Cooper) before making a go of it.
Here’s the author of Behold a Pale Horse.
Go read for yourself:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_William_Cooper
I’d like to encourage everyone to read more.
John, I don’t care much about optics but substance.
To hold a partisan political event on the anniversary (20th no less) of the most deadly attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor is objectively divisive, irreverent, and disrespectful.
I find this more offensive than kneeling during the national anthem. BTW, I haven’t watched a major sport (including a single Twins pitch when I used to watch 125 games a year since they decided to allow kneeling). They go ahead with this and yet protest kneeling during the national anthem, I will discern they are collectively substantive hypocritical pieces of crap.
P.S. What is offensive is Colin, LeBron et. al. have the gall to expropriate the meaning of the national anthem for their personal priorities/agenda. The Pennington County GOP blatantly is expropriating this national day of mourning for their partisan priority/agenda.
Being offensive has consequences. I’d be appalled if any officeholder would be so disrespectful to those who died that day or veterans who fought in Iraq or Afghanistan Wars which are by-products of this attack.
Didn’t they have their Lincoln Day Dinner on September 11th last year too?
The attacks on September 11, 2001 were horrible, as thousands of lives were tragically ended.
For a while after those attacks we stopped being Republicans, Democrats, Librarians and Independents. We dropped the modifiers to ‘American’
We became Americans, united and resolute to bring those responsible to justice.
It is my guess, it is this spirit of being united that the event will focus on. It would also be a good time to honor our first responders, those that ran in when everyone was running out.
It’s beyond bad taste, but par for the course for the Pennington County GOP. State party should shut it down, but I suspect Pennington County will press on regardless of what the state apparatus says.
How dare you question Ed’s judgement! 💥
FOR THE RECORD, Mr. Anonymous 5:19 pm, Ed had nothing to do with the selection of the date of the Pennington Co. Lincoln Day Dinner. That date was selected by the Chairman of the Pennington Co. Republican Party. Perhaps you should check your facts first before vomiting your hopes and dreams.
I find it insulting and cowardly for you to attack me here while cowering behind the arras of anonymity.
Mr. Randazzo is insaner than most, as demonstrated when he helped Mr. Howie go into overgod mode on everybody and, like grudznick, became a prominent author from Mr. Howie’s bloggings.
FOR THE RECORD, Anonymous 5:21pm, Ed was NOT a part of the Gordon Howie campaign for Governor. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a “prominent author.
However, I have ALWAYS signed and taken responsibility for anything I have written. Have you?
💥
How were the September 11 attacks not a threat to our democracy? Did no one become more hesitant to publicly criticize Islam or individual Muslims? Can the victims of multiple mass muders still vote?
I think it works in Pennington County in a Toby Keith “Courtesy of the Red,White and Blue” kind of way.
The message is : we’re still here, and we’re still pissed.
The choice of 9/11 for our Lincoln Day Dinner was made to honor those who responded so bravely during those tragic moments. The first responders, law enforcement, fire fighters, medical personnel and many others, whose images are so vivid in our memories. We honored those brave individuals last year and will do the same this year. We also honored our military from WWII, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf Wars and Afghanistan last year and will do the same this year.
A few in this thread of responses perceived the choice of 9/11 correctly. We seek to honor and unite. As a 34 year Army veteran, those two goals are worthy objectives. We must never forget.
Very Respectfully,
Jeff Holbrook
Chair, Pennington County GOP
Holocaust remembrance day is January 27, in case you miss December 7 for the next event.
Honor and unite are not the first words that come to mind when I think of Pennington County Republicans.