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!
> I would hope that each of you would send this to as many people
> as you can and emphasize that they should send it to as many
> of their friends until this letter is sent to every person on the web. |
