[CH] OT -- FW: Yesterday
T. Matthew Evans (matt.evans@ce.gatech.edu)
Thu, 13 Sep 2001 08:15:13 -0400
I just received this and thought you might find it interesting. It was
written in Canada.
> 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!