Hey all,
SQUONK wrote:
"I am not American.
> I don't like American values and there is very little culture in it.
>
> America has just about had it as a cultural entity; the last great
cultural
> phenomenon was modern jazz, and that is rooted in European and African
> traditions.
>
> To state that America is the greatest nation on Earth shows an ignorance
of
> history, culture, and values of an astonishingly arrogant nature; a nature
> which has helped lead us to where we are today.
>
> I talked of the tragic character in an earlier posting; now the tragic
> character of the American holds the safety of the world in it's hands.
> That is a most depressing thought."
RICK:
You sir, are an ignorant ass...
Consider this...this, from a Canadian newspaper.
America: The Good Neighbor.
by Gordon Sinclair
"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 or 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."
RICK:
Everyone (even Squonk) is entitled to their own opinion, but all opinions
are not created equally. And (if the MoQ teaches us anything) all opinions
are not all of equal value.
I would urge Squonk to consider that there are human acheivements far, far
greater than Jazz music and America is responsible for many if not most of
them. If I need point out to you what these things are, (Freedom of speech;
freedom of assembly, of travel; of religion, of the press, trial by jury;
habeas corpus; government by consent), or how American values have made
these things and great things in nations all over the world possible... you
are completely hopeless.
rick
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