The Americans by Gordon Sinclair

9-15-01

Mary

I am sending you a copy of something that reached my desk just yesterday via a family member. I had seen this in print before but had long ago let it leave me (you probably have read it too). As I again read it, I wondered what events Mr. Sinclair was referring to. I did an Internet search and found a web site telling me about him. I am giving you the website address so if you pass it on and others wonder what he is referring to they can easily read up on Mr. Sinclair and his original piece, entitled "The Americans".

A brief synopsis:

This Mr. Gordon Sinclair, a radio broadcaster of Canada, wrote "The Americans" in June 5, 1973 after hearing (national and international) TV and radio broadcasts and reading newspapers lambasting the U.S. for their Vietnam War participation. It was recorded and several different songs, among them The Battle Hymn of the Republic and Bridge over Troubled Waters, were recorded with it as background music. It was widely distributed at that time.

I, being the youngster I am, (mere 37yrs old!!) do not remember hearing this, but I am sure I did, I just do not recall it. I personally think every American needs to purchase this recording of the background song and elegant speech of Mr. Sinclair and blare it out the windows so everyone else in the world can hear someone praise the Americans. I for one will be out looking
for it and if it is out of print, then it needs to be brought back out. If anyone knows where to get a copy, please let me know.

Info on Gordon Sinclair:
http://unclesam.net/cny/write/amer-1.htm

Info on the The American speech-this link also has an audio for it spoken by Mr. Sinclair.http://www.cfrb.com/archives/american.html

I think all of you will find this interesting and uplifting.

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!"