Flare Sci-Fi Forums: Thank, you, Gordon Sinclair!

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Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

I found this posted on another message board. I liked it. Sol, if this turns into a shoot-out, send it off to the Flameboard, please?

Tribute to the U.S.

This comes from a Canadian newspaper.

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 the franc 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 DC-10? 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, Americans.

Thanks! We will (and I, for one, will try to live up to it).

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"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)[B]
Come Hither and Yawn...

Posted by Gepta001 (Member # 231) on :

well then, I guess thanks too! I feel honored to be an American. We're not all good, and sometimes were a bit pushy and rude. But thanks for that article, it was neat.

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funniest TV quote.....

"A small penis is a clean penis"
-Matt Real World Hawaii

Posted by Montgomery (Member # 23) on :

*is reminded of a scene from The Avengers*

Steed: "Er, Rule Brittania?"

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"I cannot live out that life.
That man is bereft of passion... and imagination!
That is not who I am!"

Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :

It's about time.

Yes, we're pushy and arrogant.
But the above is why.
It gets things done.

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Calvin: "No efficiency, no accountability... I tell you, Hobbes, it's a lousy way to run a Universe." -- Bill Watterson

Posted by Epoch (Member # 136) on :

They play the actual radio version of that in my home town during the 4th of july. I think it is pretty neat.

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Death before Dishonor!
However Dishonor has
quite a disputed defintion.

Posted by Elim Garak (Member # 14) on :

The one thing I want to point out is that all this is post-1945, and the U.S., since 1942, has been a great help. Before that, it tended to hinder from time to time.

But I definitely agree with the article all the way. We often pick on the U.S. way too much.

quote:
This comes from a Canadian newspaper.

Out of curiosity, which one, Baloo?

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Elim Garak: "Oh, it's just Garak. Plain, simple Garak. Now, good day to you, Doctor. I'm so glad to have made such an... interesting new friend today." (DS9: "Past Prologue")

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

The guy who posted the article didn't say.

Grumble^²

--Baloo

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"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...

Posted by Baloo (Member # 5) on :

Ah-HA!

Thanks to the SNOPES website, I finally found out when Gordon Sinclair gave his speech!

See for yourself: The Americans.

Hmmm... Looks like it's been a while since he made the speech. I hope most of what he said is still true.

--Baloo

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"Politicians and diapers should be changed regularly, for the same reason."
--(Unknown)
Come Hither and Yawn...