A Conversation with the United Kingdom

Self

[Think free or die]

Fellow Freepers -

I greet you all in the stunned sadness of yet another day that has proceeded from that dastardly attack. By way of introduction, I am the husband of Think Free or Die and I work for a large trans-national firm where a number of my UK co-workers have sent such kind and caring notes to us here at our US locations. Many of the notes have been so moving, so personal and so inspiring. I would like to share with you just one these, and the subsequent conversation we shared via e-mail. Jacqui is from the UK and had sent me the famous Gordon Sinclair article that I've seen posted here before... it had been passed around her office and she had wanted me to me and the others in the US to understand how our English friends were thinking as well. Please indulge me, I will repeat the article as it is germane to the conversation between Jacqui and I, and I apologise for offering my own personal editorial.

I thank my lovely wife for allowing me to post this under her ID (Thanks, honey!)

God Bless America!

In The Defense Of Liberty

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Thank you, Jacqui, for sending this to me.

I appreciate your sentiments and the sentiments of the writer, Canadian journalist Gordon Sinclair, and agree with many of the things he said in this article. Although it may seem to be a somewhat dated or even nostalgic article now, having been written (I believe) in response to reports that the American Red Cross was nearing bankruptcy in 1973, it reflects upon many things which still bear remembering today. My own father and mother were both officers in the US military during and after WWII. My mother was on Gen. George S. Patton's staff, and was with his troops as they advanced from Algiers through Sicily, Rome and into Frankfurt, freeing North Africa, Italy and Western Europe. My father was with the troops that captured Hitler's bunker in Berchtesgaden, and my mom and dad were both involved in the massive Berlin Airlift - indeed, the Army Corps of Engineers crews under my father's command helped build many of the temporary airports employed in that effort. My own family has been living in America since 1652 and my direct descendants were among the first representatives who founded the government of our young and uncertain nation. My family fought in all the wars defending our own country, in wars defending the freedom of peoples throughout the world, and even in our own terrible Civil War. I love America dearly, just as I am sure you love your beautiful England, and I feel attacks such as these on our people - my people - so very deeply, so very personally.

I had seen the Mr. Sinclair's article reprinted on a conservative news site the other day, but as far as I know none of the major media sites here are posting or mentioning it. Unfortunately, our media is more interested in "investigative reporting" - exposing flaws and finding misdeeds - than in selflessly raising up the spirit of our great land. They prefer to use this event in a most heinous way - they milk the horrible footage by replaying it endlessly for the sensationalisim and shock value (to the glee of our enemies) and they focus on the sad stories and pathos to puff up their programs and make a false show of compassion, all in a not-too-thinly veiled effort to increase their cherished viewership. Almost incredulously, in the midst of all this horror, they even see fit to report their viewer 'ratings battle' figures. Sadly, our media's addiction to 'hype' seems far greater than that which is generated by even the most powerful heroin or cocaine.

In addition, our press have not learned the lessons of another age, that loose lips do indeed sink ships, taking precious lives along with them. They continue to report on the whereabouts of our President and Vice-President and expose the location of their safe houses, none of which I really want or need to know, and I certainly don't want our foes to know. They quite happily reported when the Pentagon was attacked 'it was not hit in the most critical spot... the most critical spot was on the opposite side!' - surely I don't need to know this, but our enemies yearn for such crucial intellegence. And finally, the press continue to interview our fine leaders with a direction of exposing wrong-doing, assignment of blame, or in a manner fostering the re-division of our various factions.

I do hope that we as Americans can rise to the tragedy, putting behind us the backbiting, racism and divisive politics of the past and moving forward as a re-united people. It occurred to me, as I watched the sorrowful procession of humanity escaping the horror of this terrible destruction, that they were all exactly the same color - all uniform in their color, covered with choking grey dust and debris... their precious blood ran in the same red color down their limbs and their sacred tears all ran white in the dust of their faces. You could not see if they were Jew or Arab, Christian or Catholic, Islamic or Hindu or Buddhist - there was no difference among women or men - in sadness, fear, resolution and determination, they were at once, one people. Hopefully perhaps one of our great leaders will take note of this and finally unite what has, for all too many years, been a deeply divided and fractious land.

Yours in hope -
Kevin
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Kevin-

I'm glad you are all OK, I have to admit I haven't been watching too much of the news shown over here. I'm not as hardened to life is I'd thought - I find it just too distressing and I know that if I started to cry I wouldn't be able to stop. Both men and women that I've spoken to have said that the news this week has made them cry like babies. Man's inhumanity to man is something I've always found difficult to comprehend and I don't feel any nearer to understanding it now.

I hope that we, in the rest of the 'civilised' world, can just be there to show support and provide any help needed through this terrible time. I thought you would like to see what we here in the UK have been thinking, and I think the article below says it all.

Best wishes,
Jacqui
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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!

Wear it proudly!!

[In The Defense of Liberty]

Thanks again, honey.. it appears to have worked. Comments to me please, folks.

[Think free or die]

I never thought I'd see the day when Dick Gephardt refused to say anything divisive and partisan when queried by a reporter. It does seem that some of the divisions within our nation have been subdued, albeit at a horrible cost.