9/11: Blood Money
Has the IAFF forgotten?
Firefighter families and others gathered at Donald Trump’s New Jersey golf course to protest his decision to take Saudi money as part of the LIV golf franchise.
Trump once proclaimed the Saudis as responsible for the 2001 attacks which killed nearly 3,000 people, including 343 firefighters.
(15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.)
A recently released FBI report details a closer relationship between Saudi officials, including one with diplomatic status, than previously known.
NPR reports that, “[Saudi diplomat] Thumairy “tasked” an associate to help the hijackers when they arrived in Los Angeles and told the associate the hijackers were “two very significant people” more than a year before the attacks.”
“How much money does it take to turn your back on your country, on the American people?” said Juliette Scauso, who was 4 years old when her father, the firefighter Dennis Scauso, perished in the attacks. (NYT)
Standing with 9/11 families, in other words, never forgetting, means showing up, whenever and wherever needed.
Our IAFF couldn’t even muster a press release in support, much less a visit from President Ed Kelly or Jim Slevin, VP.
Granted, some photo ops are more important than others.
Amidst all the Kelly talk of firefighter sacrifice and honor the IAFF 9/11 legacy rings hollow.
