Tribute to USA

For many years, Canada and United States have had  friendly borders,

sincere understandings and respect for the principles and mandates

of each country.  It is my observation, however, that Canadians

know more about our American counterpart than they do about us...

(perhaps because of our extensive travel in US).

A US citizen states, “We are those who live in neighbourhoods and towns who try to

help neighbours who take pride in our country and its ideals and who do our best

every day to maintain the dreams and visions of our forefathers.

We contribute to the world.”

The below transcript of Gordon Sinclair's broadcast June 5, 1973, is as valid today

as yesterday when written and presented.  Gordon Sinclair (from Toronto, Ontario)

was a Canadian television commentator.  What follows is the full text of his

trenchant remarks as printed in the Congressional Record.

Tribute to the United States of America

America...the Good Neighbour!

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 5,000 times when 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 neighbours have faced it

alone … and I am 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 them.

Stand Proud, America!

          Postscript:  Gordon Sinclair passed away in1984, but he will long

          be remembered on both sides of the United States – Canadian border

          for his contributions to journalism and for his loudly proclaiming

          a friendship that few at the time were willing to embrace.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“Pearl of Wisdom”

The world suffers a lot...

  not because of the violence of bad people,

but because of the silence of good people.

(Napoleon)

Merle Baird-Kerr . . . written June 18, 2012

Comments welcome … scroll down (may sign in as “anonymous”)

or e-mail … inezkate@gmail.com