Brits, you are a cut above

I’ve just been told that for the first time in history, Buckingham Palace is going to forgo the changing of the guard, and play the Star-Spangled Banner, in honor of the WTC and Pentagon victims.

Think about that for a moment. Our anthem. The anthem of a country that they tried every which way to keep from forming. An anthem that was written about a battle we fought against them.

Mr. Blair, or Mrs. Windsor or whoever made this decision, I cannot express my gratitude. I can barely type this through my tears. Rule Brittania right back at ya.

As parent and child, as friend and companion, as ally and defender there is now, and always will be that “special relationship” unique among nations.

God save the Queen!

Tris

Yep, the British are great friends. When this whole thing went down, the only country that I was 100% sure would be behind us all the way was the UK. And Tony Blair is doing a heck of a job in leading the world response.

Thanks to the British.

Playing the National Anthemn was appreciated. Now if the Brits could just get there asses out of Ireland.

A special thank you to all of Britian, and sad condolences for your losses as well. I have been viewing a lot via the BBC site and I see that they have the British casualty count to at least 100.

The flowers left at consulates and embassies throughout the world is moving beyond words.

When I saw Tony Blair’s speech on T.V. my first thought was “Where’s the friggin’ Kleenex?!” My second thought was “That is the kindest, most heartwarming thing I could ever hope to hear from another nation about this.”

One step at a time. Although an American boot in those asses might help speed them along. But let’s accept their good wishes and maybe use their temporary sympathy…

OTOH, they are out of Ireland. I believe you are trying to get them out of a separate area which contains, and has for centuries, a large group of their citizens who don’t want them to leave.

Temporary sympathy? Tell me you are joking and do it quickly.

There’s a whole bunch o’ Canadians here waiting for you to expand that statement a bit…

…and a hang of a lot of New Zealanders …

Guys, it’s not a competition. I think we can take it for granted for now that we all offer our support and it’s all appreciated.

I found this in my mailbox this morning and would like to thank those Canadians for their support.

"While some other countries are celebrating the horrors that have befallen the American people, think about the following from a CANADIAN newspaper.

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, 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 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!"

Please don’t take my confidence in the British as a lack of confidence in the Canadians. A compliment to the UK is not an insult to Canada. I think the Canadians are wonderful, too. Why didn’t I think of Canada first? I don’t know. If you want to discuss it, then open a new thread, and I’ll gladly participate.

In the meantime, let’s get back to our Anglophilia.

That wasn’t phrased right. Perhaps I should have said something about taking advantage of the currently even warmer than usual relations between our countries to nudge the British government in the direction of independence for the North, if that’s what the population there wants. Although I am an Irish American I can see and respect both sides of this issue.

I don’t think I’ve ever known what it was like to cry from happiness, but I’m close to tears now. To the Brits, the Canadians, the New Zealanders, the Dutch, to everyone else offering their support - thank you from the bottom of my heart and on behalf of my country. We Americans get a lot of grief all around the world for being loud, obnoxious, arrogant, etc. - and we usually pretty much deserve it. But you can’t imagine what it means at a time like this to know that we have friends.

God bless America. God save the Queen.

With regards to the OP:
That is a very touching tribute. Thank you Britain.

(And thank you to all other parts of the world who support the U.S. There are lots of you, everywhere. Thank you.)

Exactly. I did cry and I don’t care who knows it.

Anyone have a transcript of his speech? I heard it and I swore I’d remember a line, but now cannot recall if for the sake of me.

The word of support from other countries is truly touching.

Yes, because it really is that simple, isn’t it?

Problem is, the population wants it both ways, so blaming the current British government doesn’t really help much.

Sounds like you and I could start a lively debate over this. However, all things considered, including not wanting to hijack this thread, I think I’d like to put it off to a more appropriate time. :slight_smile: