Incidentally, I believe Lloyd's of London paid for much of the insurance
for the 1905 S.F. Earthquake.
------- Forwarded Message
> Canadian's thoughts on America
> >
> >Interesting - a defense of America from someone else.
> >
> >This comes from a Canadian newspaper about America. 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 the franc 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 DC-10? If so, why don't they fly
> >them? Why do all the Inter- national Airlines 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 American 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, Americans!"
>
------- End of Forwarded Message
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