by Nomad
Let's take a look back twelve years to the time when the Khan family lost their son. What kind of sacrifices was Trump making at that time? What kind of hard work was he actually doing?
When Muslim-American Khizr Khan, father of the dead US serviceman, spoke speech at the DNC, he claimed that Republican nominee Donald Trump had made no sacrifices for his country.
Trump indignantly claimed that this was grossly inaccurate. He had made a lot of sacrifices.
He told an interviewer:
"I think I've made a lot of sacrifices. I work very, very hard."
Out of curiosity, I decided to go back to the spring of 2004. when US Army Captain Humayun Khan was killed in Iraq. What heroic and sacrificial things was the real estate mogul doing around this time?
Two months before Khan was killed, Trump was indeed working hard. There's no question about that. After being the butt of jokes for some long, Trump agreed to host a Saturday Night Live show.
In one sketch Trump appears on stage, wearing a lemon colored shirt and a banana
colored tie. He dad-danced with SNL players dressed in chicken costumes.
A clip of this particular sketch was not included in the DVD box set, but here are some screen captures.
In one sketch Trump appears on stage, wearing a lemon colored shirt and a bananacolored tie. He dad-danced with SNL players dressed in chicken costumes.
A clip of this particular sketch was not included in the DVD box set, but here are some screen captures. Not too surprisingly, he seems to be enjoying the attention and applause.
This must have about the same time (May 9) that Capt. Khan from Iraq called his mother back home for Mother’s Day. Ghazala Khan would later tell a Washington Post reporter
"Whenever I talked to him, I started to cry..He always said to me, 'Don't worry. I'm safe.' "
It was to be the last time she spoke to her 27-year-old son.
According to the celebrity columns, Trump and his then-fiancee Melania Knauss attended the Billionaire Birthday Bash. It was in his honor and held in The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Back in Iraq, there were no celebrity gala events for billionaires. There was only dust and danger. By that time, Capt. Khan had already completed a four-year tour.
In 2004, he was assigned to Iraq indefinitely. There, he hired Iraqi civilians to help patrol the streets of Baqubah for $5 an hour. In addition, he was an unofficial counselor for mentally troubled soldiers.
In 2004, he was assigned to Iraq indefinitely. There, he hired Iraqi civilians to help patrol the streets of Baqubah for $5 an hour. In addition, he was an unofficial counselor for mentally troubled soldiers.
The Washington Post article provides us with this description of the incident.On June 8, Khan died in a suicide car bombing at the main gates of his base. Khan, an ordnance officer with the Germany-based 201st Forward Support Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, had watched as several of his soldiers prepared to do a routine vehicle inspection. His unit was charged with the day-to-day security and maintenance of the camp.
On that last day, something about an orange-colored taxi driving toward his inspection point caused Khan to react instinctively. He shouted to his soldiers to "hit the dirt."
Khan walked toward the car, motioning for it to stop, his father said. A makeshift bomb inside it exploded, killing him and two Iraqi civilians in addition to the two suicide bombers. Ten soldiers and six Iraqi citizens were also wounded, the Army said.
Eleven days later, Donald Trump's desperate need for media attention had still not been sated. He was surrounded by reporters as he carried the Olympic Flame on New York's Fifth Avenue during day 15 of the 2004 Athens Torch Relay.
A week later, Trump fired off an angry letter to the mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg. He was upset because street vendors were “rapidly destroying” the ambiance of Fifth Avenue. Fifth Avenue is famous around the world as an unrivaled shopping street in Manhattan. (Hint: you and I cannot afford to shop there.)
In that letter, he claimed that vendors of pretending to be military veterans so they can peddle their wares on the high-rent street.
In that letter, he claimed that vendors of pretending to be military veterans so they can peddle their wares on the high-rent street.
According to special regulations, New York gave veterans somewhat more leeway than other vendors. This too did not please Donald Trump.
He wrote:
He wrote:
“Whether they are veterans or not, they [the vendors] should not be allowed to sell on this most important and prestigious shopping street.”
It was clear -even then- how much he cared for US vets.
In the weeks that a Muslim-American US serviceman died in Iraq, Trump was, as he has said, working hard.
In the weeks that a Muslim-American US serviceman died in Iraq, Trump was, as he has said, working hard.
The question is how does Trump define the word "work."
He hosted a TV comedy show, attended a ritzy celebrity bash for himself, cavorting with some of the most beautiful women in the world and some of the most powerful men.
Later, he worked up a sweat carrying the Olympic torch to the delight of swarms of paparazzi. And finally, to round off his tough schedule, he dictated a letter in which he complained about street vending veterans who were ruining the ambiance of his city.
He hosted a TV comedy show, attended a ritzy celebrity bash for himself, cavorting with some of the most beautiful women in the world and some of the most powerful men.
Later, he worked up a sweat carrying the Olympic torch to the delight of swarms of paparazzi. And finally, to round off his tough schedule, he dictated a letter in which he complained about street vending veterans who were ruining the ambiance of his city.
