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 ofthese 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 lattened 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!
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 ofthese 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 lattened 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!
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