Hi all,
I just received this from a former Canadian student that clipped it
from their paper. Thought you might enjoy it.
A 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.
> >
> > 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 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!

Respectfully,
Kyoshi