I don't mind a ban personally, but it's just one day out of the year. I can tolerate it if we are inundated with 9/11 stories, if that is what the collective thinks is relevant.
That isn't what this site is for, and we should be savagely flagging anything that doesn't fit the profile. Or this will turn into another Slashdot/Digg/Reddit/etc that is flooded with non-tech stories. It'll mean another site pops up, and we all migrate there and repeat the business.