Tribute To The United States

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 (circa 1973):

"This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possible 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 swindeled 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 equal to 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 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 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."

This was an edited version I came accross. For the real deal see www.tysknews.com or search Gordon Sinclair
Mr. Sinclair gave this radio address on June 5, 1973 (Vietnam era)

It's nice to read an "upbeat" piece from time to time even though it may be old. I respected this guy from when I first hear this on a vinyl 45 I bought as a young boy back in the early 70's. Mr. Sinclair is dead now. I wish that the rest of the world would someday realize our contributions. We are always blamed for everything, and we never even get a single thank you for the things we do. It seems as though we are taken advantage of time after time. If you listen to an audio version of this, it may give you goose bumps and make you feel proud to be an American

I have seen this editorial a number of times on the internet, never got the priviledge of hearing it.

But I am so GLAD that a canadian said it, because if one of us said it, WE WOULD BE IN BIG TROUBLE!!

Thanks you for posting it again, it does indeed make me FEEL GOOD and YES, PROUD to be an AMERICAN!!!

Gordon Sinclair gave a radio broadcast like the one above. Later, it turned out to be so popular, it was put on a 45 rpm vinyl record. You can search "Gordon Sinclair" and listen to the actual broadcast. It is stirring.

That article represents a rarity in Canadian thinking. Kinda like the black community in America and the few instances where they actually think differently. I'm sure he's getting hell for that.

While stationed in Korea in the mid '90s, I lived close enough to post that, most days, I would run to post, do PT, run back home, shower, dress and walk back to work. Invariably, I would pass an older Korean gentleman pushing a peddler's cart, who would snap to attention, salute me, and in his best English would say, "Dae Wee (Captain,) thank you." The first time it happened, it caught me off guard. As it became virtually a daily ritual, I would snap to attention myself, and return his salute with with a crispness I reserved for few. The toothy grin that glowed from his golden face was priceless, and I'll remember him 'til the day I die.

As I found out from my wife, about half a year later, he was a local legend, and had been somewhat of a South Korean hero-patriot during the Korean war...

Good Story!

It seems to me like heroes are in short supply now days. We desperately need someone to stand up for the working man/woman and say, "Enough is enough!"

Where is our nation's next hero/heroes? Sports and Movie people generally need not apply.

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