Re: Fw: Tribute to the United States

[Guest guest]

Just an FYI

From another list.........

Dee Daley, PT

*************

I think I found the source. What is interesting, is that this was written

almost 30 years ago. It is still relevant today.

Chad

from http://www.snopes2.com/quotes/sinclair.htm

Origins: On June 5 1973, Canadian radio commentator Gordon Sinclair

decided he'd had enough of the stream of criticism and negative press

recently directed at the United States of America by foreign journalists

(primarily over America's long military involvement in Vietnam, which had

ended with the signing of the Paris Peace Accords six months earlier). When

he arrived at radio station CFRB in Toronto that morning, he spent twenty

minutes dashing off a two-page editorial defending the USA against its

carping critics which he then delivered in a defiant, indignant tone during

his " Let's Be Personal " spot at 11:45 AM that day.

The unusualness of any foreign correspondent -- even one from a country with

such close ties to the USA as Canada -- delivering such a caustic commentary

about those who would dare to criticize the USA is best demonstrated by the

fact that even thirty years later, many Americans doubt that this piece

(which has been circulating on the Internet in the slightly-altered form

quoted above as something " recently " printed in a Toronto newspaper) is

real. It is real, and it received a great deal of attention in its day.

After Sinclair's editorial was rebroadcast by a few American radio stations,

it spread like wildfire all over the country. It was played again and again

(often superimposed over a piece of inspirational music such as " Battle Hymn

of the Republic " or " Bridge Over Troubled Waters " ), read into the

Congressional Record multiple times, and finally released on a record

(titled " The Americans " ), with all royalties donated to the American Red

Cross. (A Detroit radio broadcaster named Byron MacGregor recorded and

released an unauthorized version of the piece which hit the record stores

before Sinclair's official version; an infringement suit was avoided when

MacGregor agreed to donate his profits to the Red Cross as well).

Sinclair passed away in 1984, but he will long be remembered on both sides

of the U.S.-Canadian border -- both for his contributions to journalism, and

for his loudly proclaiming what no one else at the time would stand up and

say.

> > >

> >> >

> >> > 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:

> >> >