You can hear the full message read by the writer at
http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/schools/rta/ccf/news/unique/am_text.html (thanks
to Jeff Boatwright for the link). Also interesting is the background info
for this editorial at
http://www.rcc.ryerson.ca/schools/rta/ccf/news/unique/american.html
Note that this was written in June 1973, shortly after the US wihdrew from
Vietnam and was floundering in the world market.
David Waldmann
Chester, VT
----- Original Message -----
From: <Dwbradbury@ra.rockwell.com>
To: "Jag List" <xj@jag-lovers.org>; "mgs List" <mgs@autox.team.net>;
"Triumph List" <triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 9:03 AM
Subject: Stand Proud America - non LBC
> This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
>
> America: The Good Neighbour.
> 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.
>
> 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 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.
>
> 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 neighbours 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!
>
> 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 Canadian that has read this.
> I SURE HOPE THAT A LOT MORE READ IT SOON.
///
/// mgs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// (If they are dupes, this trailer may also catch them.)
|