Hope this boosts your spirits a little

[DJ Dubovsky]

TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES

This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth sharing.
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."

Stand proud, America!
Wear it proudly!!

This helped lift my spirits. Thought it might help lift your spirits too. We're not alone this time.
DJ

[T Paul]

A very touching article. DJ thanks for posting it.

-T

[Ed_L]

Thanks Debbie. That was really something to post. I remember a time when we got some help from another country. It was Canada who went in during a time when we had hostages being held. Now it looks as though we are going to get the help of many nations to fight the terrorists. Thank God! The handwriting is on the wall. It's either the terrorists, or the free world. This has been a very hard time, but I think it's beginning to become a little brighter.

Ed

[DJ Dubovsky]

God I hope so Ed. I have one child and he turns 18 in less than a year. That scares me alot. I know you of all people understand that. I know we have to stop this kind of terror but I fear what's to come. I take comfort in that we are not alone in this fight.
DJ

[Vikki]

That really was uplifting. (Although, it brought tears to my eyes.)
It's good to know that some people have good hearts and aren't ashamed to express their feelings.
Thanks for sharing.

[Chris W.]

Thanks so much for posting this DJ,

I had heard this was floating around in some emails but I had not received it and so wanted to read it.

I have made a copy and am keeping it close at hand to read and re-read.

It really does lift spirits in a most distressing time.

Thanks again!

[T Paul]

Here is the origin of that editorial:

Origins: On June 5 1973, Canadian radio commentator Gordon Sinclair decided he'd had enough of the stream of criticism and negative press recently directed at the United States of America by foreign journalists (primarily over America's long military involvement in Vietnam, which had ended with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords six months earlier). When he arrived at radio station CFRB in Toronto that morning, he spent twenty minutes dashing off a two-page editorial defending the USA against its carping critics which he then delivered in a defiant, indignant tone during his "Let's Be Personal" spot at 11:45 AM that day.

The unusualness of any foreign correspondent -- even one from a country with such close ties to the USA as Canada -- delivering such a caustic commentary about those who would dare to criticize the USA is best demonstrated by the fact that even thirty years later, many Americans doubt that this piece (which has been circulating on the Internet in the slightly-altered form quoted above as something "recently" printed in a Toronto newspaper) is real. It is real, and it received a great deal of attention in its day. After Sinclair's editorial was rebroadcast by a few American radio stations, it spread like wildfire all over the country. It was played again and again (often superimposed over a piece of inspirational music such as "Battle Hymn of the Republic" or "Bridge Over Troubled Waters"), read into the Congress Record multiple times, and finally released on a record (titled "The Americans"), with all royalties donated to the American Red Cross. (A Detroit radio broadcaster named Byron MacGregor recorded and released an unauthorized version of the piece that hit the record stores before Sinclair's official version; an infringement suit was avoided when MacGregor agreed to donate his profits to the Red Cross as well).

Sinclair passed away in 1984, but he will long be remembered on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border -- both for his contributions to journalism, and for his loudly proclaiming what no one else at the time would stand up and say.

This page has a real player audio link of the original broadcast.

Original Broadcast

[DJ Dubovsky]

Wow T that was a wonderful explaination of how this editorial came to be. And now that you said that I seem to remember that years back. Yes they did make it seem like it was recently broadcast but even if it wasn't I think the message is what all Americans feel everytime thier hard earned dollars go to helping other countries only to be spit on and hated for thier efforts.

It was a shot in the arm no matter what year it came out. But your historical background on it was great and a reminder that things don't change all that much. Maybe the world is with us today but when conflict starts they will soon forget and pull away their support except for a few very loyal allies like Britian. Thanks again for the history lesson.
DJ

[T Paul]

Actually I can't take the credit. I sent your post to my brother and he sent me the information and link.

-T

[DJ Dubovsky]

Very sneaky T. And here I thought you did so much historical research. Thank your brother then for us.
DJ