A Tribute to America

[Colin]

I know I haven't made any comments on the board about the recent incident in New York. I have my reasons. But please understand that I'm as upset and mad as everyone else. I believe the people who did this need more than just death... they need a terrible death a hundred...no a thousand times over. But alas, this has been two of the most confusing days in my life. All of yesterday was spent wondering... "How am I supposed to react to something like this?" It's not something I thought I'd ever see in my lifetime... When the towers came down upon themselves I was sickened... but at the same time I watched in awe at how perfectly the towers toppled in on themselves. Anyway... the purpose of this post is to not discuss the events, but to instead post something a friend sent me in an email, was written by a Canadian journalist... it's very moving.


TRIBUTE TO THE UNITED STATES

This, from a Canadian newspaper, is worth reading and 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, war-mongering 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!

[Keeper]

Touching at first, perhaps, but when you think about it, that is highly inaccurate, and downright offensive to the rest of the world.

The UK could've put a man on the moon too if they'd decided to hire the Nazi rocket scientist whose V-2 flying bombs killed so many innocent people, Wernher von Braun.

Many airlines around the world don't use American-built planes. They use French-built planes. Ever heard of Airbus Industries? Even American airlines are using that company's aircraft these days. The French and British built the Concorde, as well, remember. Ill-fated though it was, it was a triumph of engineering for a very long time.

Many nations around the world respond to disasters. The U.S. can do more because the U.S. has a ton of money. The U.S. is too proud to request help in most of its disasters, but that doesn't nations from offering it. The U.S. is just better at advertising what it does.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Now that I read it, it does seem rather overdone and a tad phony. And as mentioned before, it's basically pulled from a Canadian editorial from the 1970s--so the loss of originality bumps this piece down even lower.

[happyheathen]

Quick Quiz (again)!

Why were US 'draft dodgers' (anybody know what a 'draft dodger' is?) on Canadian soil?

ah, the 60's...

[gfoyle]

A sad testament to the proliferation of poor education.

[Sharklady]

> anybody know what a 'draft dodger' is? <

I do- as I think I've mentioned, I'm old enough to remember the sixties.

And that item *does* date the piece. President Carter pardoned all the draft dodgers in 1977- if any of 'em are still walking the Canadian streets, it's by choice.

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by Sharklady
> anybody know what a 'draft dodger' is? <

I do- as I think I've mentioned, I'm old enough to remember the sixties.

And that item *does* date the piece. President Carter pardoned all the draft dodgers in 1977- if any of 'em are still walking the Canadian streets, it's by choice.

CORRECT!

Now - why Canada?

Hint:

legalities...

[BourgeoisBuffoon]

Okay, dumb guess-the draft dogers simply didn't have to wait for admittance into Canada, since it's a free border to cross into any time...
...gotta brush up on history again...hope I'm right!

[Psycho Fox]

Originally posted by BourgeoisBuffoon
Okay, dumb guess-the draft dogers simply didn't have to wait for admittance into Canada, since it's a free border to cross into any time...
...gotta brush up on history again...hope I'm right!

That and Canada's troops in Vietnam was purly volunteer

[happyheathen]

Originally posted by BourgeoisBuffoon
Okay, dumb guess-the draft dogers simply didn't have to wait for admittance into Canada, since it's a free border to cross into any time...
...gotta brush up on history again...hope I'm right!

a 'draft dodger' was one who refused mandatory induction under the 'Selective Service' (draft) laws. This action was/is illegal in the US.

Because the US/Canadian extradition treaty is of the 'reciprocal' nature (extradition will occur only if both countries consider the action illegal), and because Cananda had/has no draft, Canada has no law prohibiting 'draft dodging'.

short form: Canada will not extradite a 'draft dodger' because there is no such thing as 'draft dodging' in Canada.

and yes, Carter's amnesty was about 5 years too late - by 1977, the folks had made homes in Canada, and few saw reason to move.