> This should be read by every American. After yesterday's tragedy, we all > need a boost in spirit. This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing. > > 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: > > America: The Good Neighbor. > "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." http://www.sunbelt-software.com/ntsysadmin_list_charter.htm