Raising the Flag

What follows is Black's response to a message in the web forum questioning the worth of humanity.

If there is any deity, he most certainly should not have exterminated the human race many years ago.

The human race is a beautiful one, and I hope no one mistakes this for sarcasm. After today's events, there should be no question of the good that lies in the hearts of men.

Perhaps there are a few bad apples in every bunch, and there certainly were in ours, but it saddens me to hear that people believe the entire human race is rotten.

There are in the ballpark of 250 police officers and fire fighters unaccounted for, most of which are probably dead. It's a sad truth, but truth none the less. These men died because they went into the Trade Center even after a plane had crashed into it. They knew the dangers that were involved. They knew that at any moment the towers could collapse. They knew. They knew this while they were outside and safe on the streets. But they still went in and helped to get people out of the buildings. They gave their lives to save others.

American citizens everywhere are doing whatever they can to assist in this tragedy. We've heard the stories from Xanas and Nightsong about how long the lines to donate blood are. People are donating money and supplies to the Red Cross to help the survivors of yesterday's tragedy.

And then there are the heroic passengers on Flight 93. The men voted to overtake the hijackers. Even though they risked their lives, and lost them, they courageously stood up to these terrorists and saved Camp David. They sacrificed themselves to keep further damages to a minimum.

This is humanity at its finest. This is the human race working together to overcome this terrible event. It's not just the American race, but countries all over the world are pledging support. You must look past the dark hearts of a few terrorits and into the good of the people that sacrificed themselves yesterday and the people who are helping the survivors today. That is what humanity is about and it's a glorious thing.

I'm sad that it took a tragedy like yesterday's to make me realize that, but I'm glad I have realized it, and everyone else needs to as well.

~Black


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!