America: The Good Neighbor

["Russell, Josh (JC)" <jcrussell@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

hi all,

thought i'd share something that may help the american on this list feel a
little better after the tragic events. it's from canada. one of my close
friends just moved to NYC a month ago to accept a position in a top modern
dance troop.  they were rehearing in the WTC.  i'm pretty sure she didn't
have anything to do with " all the attrocities (sp) amerika has committed
against the countries" mr. sjb.  she was an amazing dancer and good friend
though. the world isn't black or white...it's full of people doing their
best.

josh
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"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."