The following reading is exactly why I love to be an American: This is from a Canadian Newspaper. America: the Good Neighbor. Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a remarkable editoral broadcast from Tronto by Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his speach. The remarks as printed in the Congressional Record. "This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most genorous, 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 thier 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 would like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar, build its own plane. 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 dont they fly them? Why do all the International lines except Russia fly American Planes? Why does no other land on earth consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about the 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 thiers right in store window for everybody to look at. Even thier draft-dodgers aren't 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 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 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 thier flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb thier nose at the lands that are gloating over thier present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those. Stand proud, America! |
