America

[gfoyle]

I was reading papers from all over the world this morning, angry at many of the calous and hateful articles I found. When I couldn't take anymore (right after reading the lebonan paper) I checked my email and read this. It came from a friend in Canada, I hope it can lift your spirits as it did mine during this horrible, unbearable time:

A 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!

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

My....it is heart-warming to see that we have friends and allies among the world. I thank this writer for saying this. I have to admit that it opened up my eyes a bit to how bashed we are by the world....but we still go on.

Ah....we will get through this....but this time it seems we have help.

[Dante Bunny]

Dang right!!! We love this country, not only for me, friends, and other people, but for the people who had live, die and die fighting for this country. for 19 years I spend in this country, it's like home for me, my mom, dad, and my brother. We will love, live, and fight for this country.

God Bless America

[happyheathen]

once again, this is a (sloppy) re-write of a circa-1970 recording called 'The Americans'

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Glurge! Glurge! Glurge!

Now I have a new word to play with, thanks to BELCH.

[gfoyle]

In the end, it's the terrorists who will mourn
by Leonard Pitts Jr.
Columnist, Miami Herald

They pay me to tease shades of meaning from social and cultural issues, to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American Soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seems to fit, must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering. You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard. What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed. Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together. Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrellsome family, a family rent by racial, cultural, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cutural minutiae, a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse.
We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though--peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the
overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God. Some people, you perhaps, think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by aresenals. Yes, we are in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't a plot the development in some Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of it's ambition and the probable final death toll, your acts are likely to go down as the worse acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and indeed, the history of the world.
You've bloodied us as we've never been bloodied before. But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length in the pursuit of justice. I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with fear of the future. In days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined. You see, there is steel beneath this velvet. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans we will rise in defense of all that we cherish. Still, I keep wondering what it was you hoped to teach us. It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're about. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Hm. I guess we should understand that we are very angry right now, so obviously the quality of mainstream writing will inevitably drop.

[gfoyle]

My hope is that you have a singular wit.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Wasn't directed at you. I don't know what your issue is with me.

[gfoyle]

http://a188.g.akamaitech.net/f/188/920/1h/www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I22951-2001Sep13

Very different and very sad.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Merely quibbles with the article in particular. Not you. If you want to attack me personally, do it through private mail.

[gfoyle]

Not a personal attack, just a hope that your humor was not shared by many.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I wasn't joking. There are a few things in it that offended me somewhat. I am not going to go into it here, but I do not like the article. If you want to discuss, do it through private.

[gfoyle]

It's very easy to insult something without providing substanative argument against it. I only pointed out my hope that your humor was not widely shared. If you post your objections to the article I will be happy to read them with an open mind. Asking me not to respond to your flippant remark which you posted in public on the board is quite strange.

[happyheathen]

the following is jingoistic crap:





Originally posted by gfoyle
. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined. You see, there is steel beneath this velvet. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans we will rise in defense of all that we cherish. Still, I keep wondering what it was you hoped to teach us. It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're about. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I do not believe I asked you not to respond. I only asked what issue you had with me for brushing aside the article. Like I said, I do not want to post my thoughts on an open board, and if you want, I will tell you through private mail.

And though it seemed "flippant," there was no humour in it, as I said. I meant what I said. It is a poor article in my eyes.

The original post clearly implies that my quibble is with the article.

"My hope is that you have a singular wit," is a personal attack. I don't know you, and your responses, while personal attacks, have not shaped my judgement of you. Therefore I will not attack you personally.

[gfoyle]

Not that was almost a real post. It may be in poor taste to use such language on a board that is frequented by children, but it expresses an opinion that can be argued. Though it is still vague and contains no substanative facts, grammatical evidence or supportive statements to prove it's claim that "the following is jingoistic crap: " it is still an honest attempt at a real post. Considering the level of our education system today, this is a good effort and I applaud it.

[gfoyle]

As was the intent of my original statement, I agree that there was no humor in your remarks. If you believe that "My hope is that you have a singular wit," is a personal attack. Then you have a radically different opinion than I. As far as "I don't know you, and your responses, while personal attacks, have not shaped my judgement of you. Therefore I will not attack you personally." goes, well that's good, since I have never attacked anyone personally on this board or any other and will continue that policy.

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by gfoyle
Not that was almost a real post. It may be in poor taste to use such language on a board that is frequented by children, but it expresses an opinion that can be argued. Though it is still vague and contains no substanative facts, grammatical evidence or supportive statements to prove it's claim that "the following is jingoistic crap: " it is still an honest attempt at a real post. Considering the level of our education system today, this is a good effort and I applaud it.

we seem to have a literate Sven here!

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

All, right-I'm not a mod, but we don't need anarchy here.

Gfolye, we all have the right to post here at the message boards and Jojo was simply saying his remark at the article, not you. Also, you yourself HAVE broken your policy of not attacking anyone with your 'singular wit' post.

Let's not desend into a flame war when we have so much going on already. We have thoughtful discussions on this incident (after the intial shock of it, of course, which I'll admit to being guilty of letting myself go), and I wish for the talks to continue like that....

[gfoyle]

While I do not agree that I made a personal attack, I was only responding to his post as he did mine, I agree that there are far more pressing problems in this world than this. If you were mistakenly offended Jojo, I apologize. I've posted on this board for over 5 years now, not as often since the format change occurred, and all the moderators know me and my record. I wish you would have responded to my private requests (as you said you would) so I could have discussed the article with you, but I can see that this most be a very emotion issue for you. I was only passing on a national article for your consumption and hoping for an intelligent discussion to take my mind of the current events. I'll take my leave and attend to far more important things.