Michel and others,
While I am disappointed that anyone would feel offended by my post, I think that you may have misunderstood its intended purpose. In my view, the salient message from Sinclair's essay is simply this: for all its trials & tribulations, America is a great land with many positive attributes. It is a country that has very often come to the aid of others, and many times paid a heavy price (financial or otherwise) for its willingness to help. America will be challenged by recent events, and it will rise to that challenge.
This is the element of Sinclair's words that I feel is completely appropriate to the moment (though admittedly OT). I did not mean to suggest from the post that other nations have not offered their kind words of support or assistance in this tragedy (indeed, most have - and I think it fair to say that it is well appreciated by all Americans). For a better perspective on the meaning of the essay please see the original, complete text from 1973 - the link was provided earlier today.
I'll shut up now, as this was OT to begin with.
Regards,
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: anymail@... [mailto:anymail@...]
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 4:00 PM
To: motm@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [motm] Re: FW: [OT] Canadian Editorial
This didn't work the first time, so here again:
Dear Mike,
I don't find this the right moment to respond in detail to your
message (nr.12836). I only wish to say that it is out of place and
even offending. I can't speak for all the countries which are
mentioned, but the text from the Canadian newspaper is highly
tendentious and untrue in many ways. Almost everybody in Europe is
sharing his of her thoughts and emotions to the American people in
this period as a result to the strong sympathic feeling we have
towards the American people. Help in whatever way was almost
immediately offered. I'm sorry that my personal sign of sympathy to
the American people which I posted two days ago in this group didn't
make the web somehow.
Michel Havenith, The Netherlands
--- In motm@y..., "Mike B. Fisher" <mbfisher@i...> wrote:
> Apologies for the OT nature of this post, but I feel that this is an
> appropriate time to share these sentiments. If you agree, please
pass these
> words along to others.
>
> Mike
>
>
> > TRIBUTE TO AMERICA
> >
> > The following, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
> >
> > Its subject is "America: The Good Neighbor"
> >
> > Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a
> > remarkable editorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a
> > 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!
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