-then and now-


GRAY MATTER


LEONARD GRAY Ph.D.


This coming Columbus day, Oct. 9, is a holiday celebrated in many countries in the Americas, commemorating Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. It was first observed in 1866 in New York City, by Italian-Americans in celebration of Italian-American heritage. The first state celebration was in Colorado in 1905. In 1937, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt set it aside as a holiday in the United States. Since 1971, it has been commemorated in the U.S. on the second Monday in October.

Many things have been done, and said, in and about America since 1492. Some them were good, some were bad. Of the many things written about us, I thought you would feel good about a tribute written by the late Gordan Sinclair, a Canadian television commentator, as a tribute to the United States after the Vietnam War. It was printed in a Toronto newspaper following disturbing terrorist attacks. His article says:

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 the 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 event 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 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 crosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does another country in the world have a plane equal to 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 technology, and you get radios. You talk about German technology, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technology, 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 during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I'm one Canadian who is tired of hearing them get kicked around.

They will come out of this 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.

Have a happy Columbus Day!

Leonard Gray is a retired foreign missionary and now serves as associate minister with the Tipton Church of Christ. If you would like to talk with him about this or any other religion related subject, call him at 580-667-5363.