From a Canadian newspaper:
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:
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"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!"
This is one of the best editorials that I have ever read regarding the
United States. It is nice that one man realizes it. I only wish that the
rest of the world would realize it. We are always blamed for everything,
and never even get a thankyou for the things we do.
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. I am just a single American that has read this.
To Mr. Bill Gilberg and all Americas:
Just for clarification the gentleman who wrote this, wrote it
approximately 25 years ago relating to another time when
Americas were being kicked. I would like to say as one Canadian I feel
that this was true then and unfortunately it is still true today. To my
American friends just try to look at it as envy. The very large majority
of Canadians are very proud to be your neighbor and we realize how lucky
we are to have you. Be strong and proud and one more time show the world
why you are #1.
One of Many Canadian Friends
Dave Graham
Whitby Canada
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