This is one of the best editorials
that I have ever read regarding the United States. It is nice that one man
realizes it and has shared his views with the rest of the world. I would
like to thank him for his kind words about the United States and encourage you
to share this with everyone you know.
-Todd
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 flythem? 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 talkabout 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, unlessthey 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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