A Canadian Appreciation
- Subject: A Canadian Appreciation
- From: C* D*
- Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 21:24:25 -0700
A year ago, a friend of mine sent me an editorial written by
a Canadian. It seems appropriate to repeat it now. And when you have
read it, stand up. and be proud. We are a great people and we
don't flaunt it.
I hope our friends in other countries will appreciate it too
and won't mind if I send it to them as well. Please remember, it was
written by a Canadian. ---Chas---
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 least appreciated people
on all the earth.
Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy
were lifted out of the debirs 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, 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 war-mongering Americns.
I'd like to see just one of those countries that is gloating
over the erosion of the United States dollar build their 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 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 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 Candaian 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."
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It's possible to disagree without being disagreeable.
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Charles E. Dills 1371 Avalon San Luis Obispo CA 93405
[Mac G4] cdills@charter.net 805-544-1731 cdills@fix.net
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I can be forgetful. If I fail to do something I promised, tell me!
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