The US has been out on a limb alone so often, not to mention
> plain *wrong* sometimes, it is good to know that we still have others
> who wish us well in a difficult time. Again, thanks and EOT).
This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
America: The Good Neighbor.
Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recentlyto a remarkable
editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television
commentator. What follows is the full text of his trenchant remarks as
printed in the Congressional Record:
"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most
generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of
the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and
forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying
even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States. When France
was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it
up,and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris.
I was there. I saw it. When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United
States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were
flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped. The Marshall Plan and the Truman
Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers
in those countries are writing about the decadent,warmongering Americans.I'd
like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of
the United States dollar build its own airplane.Does any other country in
the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star,
or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the
International lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other and
on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about
Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy,
and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find
men on the moon - not once, but several times - and safely home again. You
talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window
for everybody to look at. Even their draft-dodgers are not pursued and
hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are
breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home
to spend here. When the railways of France, Germany and India were
breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the
Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned
them an old caboose. Both are still broke. I can name you 5000 times when
the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me
even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don't
think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our
neighbors have faced it one, and I'm one Canadian who is damned tired of
hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with
their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at
the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is
not one of those."
Stand proud, America!This is one of the best editorials that I have ever
read regarding the United States. It is nice that one man realizes it. I
only wish that the rest of the world would realize it. We are always blamed
for everything, and never even get a thank you for the things we do. I would
hope that each of you would send this to as many people as you can and
emphasize that they should send it to as many of their friends until this
letter is sent to every person on the web. I am just a single American/U.S.
citizen that has read this. I SURE HOPE THAT A LOT MORE READ IT SOON.
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