Believe it or not, it may have the opposite effect. Despite all the flag waving - and I have one at the front door too - one of the secondary casualties of all this may be unilateralism, the "My Way or the Highway" mentality. I'm seeing numerous reports that our leaders realize the unilateralist approach isn't going to solve the problem. Retaliation is OK, but the immediate plotters are dead and after retaliation what has been gained other than bombing a 1000 BC country back to a 3000 BC country? We need to work with other countries in finding a comprehensive solution to the problem. A Phildelphia Inquirer column on the subject is at: http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/09/14/specials/attack/POLMAN14.h tm Obviously the more multilateralist this country becomes, the more open it will be to metric. Nat PS Paul Krugman is good in today's NY Times on the death of Cheapness - paying airport security personel $6/hour when they could make more working at McDonald's. >>> 2001-09-16 I can't help feeling that the attack on the WTC will have a severe negative effect on any attempt to metricate. From the news and media reports, people are really rallying around the flag to an almost fervent religious level. Despite the fact that people from many countries were killed in the attack, this fact is being ignored as people concentrate on "America first". I feel that any attempt by any citizen and/or organization at this time and in the near future to push for further metrication would result in a serious reaction. Metrication will/is most likely be associated with anti-Americanism. The WTC incident will give rise to any reason to be xenophobic and raise criticism of persons or organizations that support any foreign ideas or concept. This incident will be an effective means for America to assert itself in the world and push American customs and practices further into the world, and condemn as enemies any nation or person that does not support and worship things American. FFU is one of the American gods that demands worship. Over the past few days I have been inundated with all forms of propaganda, much of it being quickly deleted. However the one that I have received numerous copies of, was the article by Gordon Sinclair that appears below. I interspersed some comments and sent it back to the persons who sent it. A cousin of mine who is a journalistic photographer told me the article is 30 years old. You can see that the propaganda looks at Europe as a region that takes from America but never gives back. I'm sure more facts can be added to show how untimely and out-dated the original article really is. I also feel Europeans and others need to stand tall too. They need to rally and make it clear to America and Americans that they are sick and tired of the lies and false propaganda directed at them. That they too live in democracies and can also be called "greatest nation". When I get something with "Pray for America" and/or "God bless America" on it I have been replying to the effect that I hope they are praying for and blessing the other countries affected. Not one response back. John Sent: Thursday, 2001-09-13 08:08 Subject: FW: TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES This was a great article! I do agree with all he has to write! Subject: TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing. America: The Good Neighbor. Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to 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. All of the above was done to prevent the communists from completely taking over Western Europe. Plus, the financing of the recovery of Western Europe through the Marshall plan was meant more to stimulate the American economy at the end of the war then to rebuild Europe. There was a threat at the wars end of a continuation of the depression as factories geared up for war production would be forced to close. The need for building materials to rebuild Western Europe generated jobs in the US that put your fathers and grandfathers in the employment line instead of the bread line. America would not be what it was today if aid for Europe was not provided. 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. Which countries? Renegade Middle Eastern I suppose, but nowhere in Europe. 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? Duh! The dollar is at an all time high against almost all currencies. Even though the Euro has gained some ground in recent months, the dollar is still strong. In fact, many are complaining it is hurting US exports. As for planes, has anyone ever heard of Airbus? Airbus has been very aggressive over the past few years and has more booked orders then Boeing. If so, why don't they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American planes? See above! Almost every carrier worldwide now buys mostly from Airbus. Go to http://www2.airbus.com/ to read more about this company. A statement from Airbus: Airbus wishes to express its deepest sympathy to United and American Airlines, and to offer its sincere condolences to all those who lost loved ones in the appalling events recently suffered by the United States. This tragedy has aggrieved the aerospace industry as a whole and left the entire world in a state of shock and sorrow. Our thoughts are with all our U.S. colleagues, customers, operators and suppliers in this difficult time. Why does no other land 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. Why has America stopped going to the moon? And who really put US on the moon? A GERMAN! Dr. Werner von Braun. He ran NASA from the time he was brought to this country and his death. When he died, NASA went down hill since. Without von Braun and the thousands of German scientists and Engineers who came with him, there would never have been a moon landing. 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. During the economic crisis of the late 1980's, Japanese and German citizens collected money and clothes and other things to give to needy American families as a gesture of thanks for the help they received in the post war years. But, the arrogant American press was "insulted", that the American people had to receive charity from countries considered our inferiors. It made America look bad. The truth is Americans don't want other people's help. They would rather complain that they help the world and the world gives nothing back. Our neighbors have faced it alone, 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! Wear it proudly!! This is one of the best editorials I have 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 that has read this, TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES. An editorial like this belongs in the archives. None of it reflects the reality of the US in the 1990's or the new millenium. Anyone with a third grade education should be able to see this. If you are going to pass around this type of propaganda, make sure it is timely and up to date! Thank You!
