“For it isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
“When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it? ”
—Submitted by Iambe via engel
What a real president would have said. Delivered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on January 6, 1941
“The first is freedom of speech and expression –everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way– everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants –everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor –anywhere in the wold.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called “new order” of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.
To that new order we oppose the greater conception –the moral order. A good society is able to face schemes of world domination and foreign revolutions alike without fear. Since the beginning of our American history we have been engaged in change, in a perpetual, peaceful revolution, a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly, adjusting itself to changing conditions without the concentration camp or the quicklime in the ditch. The world order which we seek is the cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized society.”
What a real president would have said. Delivered by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on January 6, 1941
“The first is freedom of speech and expression –everywhere in the world.
The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way– everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want, which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants –everywhere in the world.
The fourth is freedom from fear, which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor –anywhere in the wold.
That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called “new order” of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb.
To that new order we oppose the greater conception –the moral order. A good society is able to face schemes of world domination and foreign revolutions alike without fear. Since the beginning of our American history we have been engaged in change, in a perpetual, peaceful revolution, a revolution which goes on steadily, quietly, adjusting itself to changing conditions without the concentration camp or the quicklime in the ditch. The world order which we seek is the cooperation of free countries, working together in a friendly, civilized society.”
commentary I like
“America, to put it bluntly, is a basically a collective badass. The kind of country that, even when some ass-weasel sneaks up and clobbers her from behind with a lead pipe, stands back up. Spits out a bloody tooth. Rolls up her sleeves and shows everybody what she’s made of.”
commentary I like
“America, to put it bluntly, is a basically a collective badass. The kind of country that, even when some ass-weasel sneaks up and clobbers her from behind with a lead pipe, stands back up. Spits out a bloody tooth. Rolls up her sleeves and shows everybody what she’s made of.”
“The War Prayer” by Mark Twain
“The War Prayer” by Mark Twain
A Hello Kitty Primer! on kuro5hin
Moshi-moshi! I believe that we need to know about something that makes people very happy! And the happiest thing around is Hello Kitty!
A Hello Kitty Primer! on kuro5hin
Moshi-moshi! I believe that we need to know about something that makes people very happy! And the happiest thing around is Hello Kitty!
America: The Good Neighbor.
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!
Well, it turns out that this article was originally written and broadcast by Gordon Sinclair on CFRB, Toronto, Ontario, on JUNE 5, 1973!
Many have sent me the text, one before 9/11 but many after. It is indead true and just as valid today as in 1973.