From: Betty-AT-pseud.pseud
Subject: M-INTRO: in response to "Why America is Hated"
Date: Sat, 15 Sep 2001 15:16:52 -0600


In response to the British article that Hans offerred, I would like to 
contribute the following.  The author is Gordon Sinclair, a Canadian writer 
who wrote this after the U.S. pulled out of the Vietnamese War.  However, I 
believe that his points are still valid today.  Although I realize that the 
United States has done some horrible things in other countries, it has done 
some incredible things as well.  In times like these, I am comforted to 
remember the good.

A TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES
> > > >America: The Good Neighbor. > >Here is 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." > >Stand 
>proud, America!

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