A Canadian response...Please read

[Dave2112]

I work with International mail and Publications, so I have been privy to a lot of the world's reaction in print. This is from a Canadian newspaper and is worth sharing.......
> >
> >America: The Good Neighbor.
> >Widespread but only partial news coverage was given recently to a
> >remarkable dictorial broadcast from Toronto by Gordon Sinclair, a
> >Canadian television commentator. What follows is the full text of his
> >broadcast.
> >
> >"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

 

[slacker2114]

Someone had sent me that in an e-mail yesterday. I've e-mailed it to everyone on my address list and printed out a bunch of copies to give to those who don't have pc's. Generally, I think everyone felt a lot better about themselves and the state of the world, not to mention their country, after reading it. It's good to know that even we as a country have true friends like our northern neighbors.

 

[MistressMia]

I'm really pleased to see fellow members post meaningful pieces such as this. Thank you Dave. It means a lot (at least to me).😉

 

[qjakal]

Canada.....yup

Always did appreciate Canada when I lived in Buffalo. Toronto is a fine example of what a large city can become with some thought and care.....wish the rest of the world was of the same caliber as our northern neighbors! Q

 

[Shem the Penman]

I'd also like to recommend everyone take a few minutes to go look at www.poenews.com. There's nothing to copy and paste, since it's all graphics, but it's well worth looking at.

 

[MN Tikl]

Palestine?!!

Am I the only one to notice that, on the poenews.com site, there are 2 shots of Palestinians, with one shot actually titled "Palestine" (technically, there is no recognized independent state or country of "Palestine"), but not one shot of Israelis. It strikes me as nothing less than INCREDIBLE that, despite an obvious effort to represent many different countries, the creators of this web site chose Palestinians to represent Israel. (!!)

Palestinian radicals regularly engage in suicide bombings against innocent Israeli civilians, so it seems to me that Israel would be the FIRST ones to sympathize with our tragedy. I simply cannot believe that Israeli jews did not hold prayer vigils, given their fight against this common enemy (Radical Islaamic Fundementalists), as well as their close family ties to Americans, in many instances. Yet not a single picture of an Israeli Jew mourning our tragedy!

To me, the exclusion of Israeli Jews is a conspicuous omission. Could it be that we (and by 'we' I mean the world community), now have more in common with Israel's day-to-day struggle than we care to admit? I often hear commentators bashing Israel for over-responding to terrorism -- or dragging Israel down by attempting to lump its state policies in with those they are at war with. I think this anti-Israel (read "Anti-jew") mentality needs to be re-examined in light of recent events.

P.S. I noticed that, incredibly, Yassar Arafat's picture appears in the background of one of the pictures! Don't the web site creators realize that the organization which Arafat purports to run -- the PLO -- stands in AWE and ADMIRATION of the recent atrocities committed against innocent Americans?! The only reason Arafat has denounced these attacks is that it is politically expedient for him to do so. Let's not forget who our real friends (and real enemies) are in the world.

 

[TMF Jeff]

Personally I found the POE page deeply moving.

 

[slacker2114]

Not sure if this is true or not, MN, but I heard that Israel DID hold a prayer vigil for us.....and shot 9 palestinians while doing it. Sounds as if they really do support us.

 

[dig dug dog]

Hey MN Tikl--

Much thanks and gratitude to you for expressing those important thoughts:

--Of course Israel mourned, immediately and deeply, along with the US. Even before America declared a national day of mourning, Israel declared one for itself (Wednesday).

--Perhaps at this time Americans will begin to understand what Israel has been going through fighting Arab nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism. There has always been so much criticism of Israel's legitimate military responses to Palestinian terrorism.

--Israel is always faced with people trying to draw a moral equivalence between terrorists and those who defend against terror. It would be like someone now saying to us here: Well, Osama bin Laden does have some real grievances and America has oppressed them economically and culturally, so we shouldn't attack them back because that will just continue the "cycle of violence"....

--When thinking about Israel and it's actions, we should always remember what President Bush said about "Making no distinction between terrorists and those who harbor them".

--It is true that Yassir Arafat and the PLO are one of the modern world's founders of terrorist methods--going as far back as 1964. Remember the slaughter of 11 Israeli athletes in Munich? And it is true, as of yet, there is no "Palestine".

Thanks MN (Minnesota people are usually quite wise....)

dig dug dog

 

[MN Tikl]

slacker/dig dug

Thank you, dig dug, for your kind and supportive response. Interesting that Israel's policy of targeted assasination, so often condemned by the US and the rest of the world, is what many are now calling for in response to this situation. Guess one's opinion of what's "right" and "wrong" *does* have a bit to do with whose ox is being gored.

Slacker, your post responding to mine has me a bit puzzled. Do I detect an anti-Israel sentiment, masquerading as sarcasm? If so, come right out and state how you feel. You're entitled to your opinion, so own it - be proud of it - shout it loud. Besides, being straightforward adds to constructive discourse. I don't want to put words in your mouth, though, and I don't want to respond in a serious way to something that may simply be an off-handed joke. And apologies in advance if I mispercieved your post.

Yours in tickle-dom.

 

[PiperGK1]

Well, I hadn't seen that before.

I guess I can think of a lot of things to say about it, and about other countries and their attitudes toward us, but that's not important right now.

I know it might sound stupid, possibly, and frankly I'm not at all an emotional guy, or someone who stands up and cheers when I hear Lee Greenwood singing "I'm proud to be an American," but that speech is actually the first thing in a long time that made me cry. Not bawl or howl, just cry.

I think the way I feel about America is the same way I see myself: sure there's some things wrong with me, and I've certainly had my share of problems to go along with the high points; and even though I THINK I'm always right (ha!), sometimes I'm not, but I at least believe in what I have to say; and at the heart of it all, I know that I'm a fundamentally good person. As an American, and a person who has travelled all over the country for many years, I can tell you that regardless of how different people are from place to place, the FUNDAMENTAL GOODNESS of this country as a whole remains the same. That's something that nobody can take away from us. It's not written on a piece of paper, or built in the town square; you can't crush it or burn it or even touch it. America isn't a "place" at all, but the intangible goodness that resides in our hearts and our beliefs.

 

[slacker2114]

No prob, MN. Actually, I was just stating that I had heard this story. My response of them really supporting us was a bad attempt at a joke by saying that they are supporting us by shooting palestines. I have nothing against the Israeli's or anyone who supports us in our time of need. Believe me, I'm just as hurt and angered by what happened on Tuesday as anyone else is, and I don't intend on hurting anyone's sensibilities during this tragic period.

 

[red indian]

Dont know where to start!!!

Well dave 2112 i really DONT know where to start, but I will have a go. My views on the current devastating events in the US are well documented else where on this site and my support for the US along with the rest of the UK is solid. However the editorial rant you place before me can not go unchallenged.I am outraged to find this article lumping the UK together with Nazi germany and the other axis countries of ww2. Britain stood alone for some time against the nazis without canada or the u.s. and the high tide of the third reich was turned before the u.s or canada was involved, with victories in the air (battle of britain) and on the ground ( alamein). As regards debt repayments I think the UK spent a long time paying the u.s. back for their war materials, ever heard of "lend lease"? the UK willingly gave up a great deal for u.s. help in ww2, and the u.s. grew fat on the proceeds. Regarding the articles statements about negative press coverage I have not seen anything in this country which resembles the description given.....and I read a lot. The rubbish about aircraft is UNBELIEVABLE!!!! has he ever heard of Rolls Royce engines? who invented the jet engine? ever heard of concord? Then we get to the space race, the guy who headed the american space programme afer the war was a german nazi....(contd)

 

[red indian]

contd

Then he moves on to the u.s. putting their scandals "in the shop window" what DOES he mean? did nixon put water gate in the shop window for us all to see? how about regan and the contras? The next thing is draft dodgers, I seem to remember a fairly high profile sportsman sentanced to prison and robbed of the best years of his career for this offence. Then he says "name one time" when we supported the u.s.? well how about the gulf war? how about bosnia? and dont forget the u.s left usout to dry at suez. Finally i can assure this un educated ill informed clown that no one in the UK is gloating about this appalling tragedy, so.....sorry dave but gordon sinclair needs a few basic history lessons.

 

[qjakal]

Rolls Royce....

Aaaah...a happy thought for these dark days! Very good engineering indeed! As for the Canadian article, I think we should take it in the spirit it was intended, as "supportive" for the US and not critical of the UK or any other nation really. The sentiment is good, and it should have stopped there, agreed. The history of MANY other countries are proud indeed, and we are fortunate to have a community of nations that in general (we ALL have had our bad periods) can at least say they have tried to uphold human dignity for the most part. The "war" ahead is going to be stressful enough for all of us, for this problem is a big weed with roots nearly everywhere in the world. As I stated on another thread, it is our shame that we waited this long and had to be hammered like this before we took up arms and began to eradicate this poisonous bunch of lunatics. Human advancements have been the result of many peoples "piling" their work on top of those who have gone before them, and having said that, let's see if we can push that pile a bit in the upcoming days ourselves, okay? Q

 

[Strelnikov]

Probable Origin of Dave's Post

I remember seeing this article, or one very similar, about 1975. Read it in the context of that time and it makes better sense. The draft dodgers are described as young slackers sponging off Mom and Dad; no one has been drafted here since 1973, and President Carter pardoned the dodgers in 1977. The "scandal in the shop window" was the well publicized Congressional investigation of Watergate.

I also recall hearing of a Canadian Prime Minister (Brian Mulroney? Too bad I suffer from CRAFT Syndrome) who, at a UN conference, tired of hearing the USA called a warlike aggressor. He said, "Nonsense! (or something stronger - accounts differ.) We've shared a 3000 mile border with them for over 200 years, and there hasn't been a shot fired across it since 1815."

I haven't been to Toronto in years, but Q is right about the place. At first glance it resembles Atlanta with frostbite, a place that grew too fast. On closer examination it's much more civilized and livable (for 6 months out of the year, at least.)

Strelnikov