David Gwilliam
Well-Known Member
I have for some time been sending American friends a Thanksgiving message called Thank You America. More recently I sent another which was not specifically American. When I offered to send this to people who were interested as private messages it was suggested that I post it here. So I will post the Thank You America one first and then do a second post with the more general message. Apologies for the prejudices shown and for how long it is. The message was, of course, originally intended for American readers.
THANK YOU AMERICA
Thank you America
For Sonny Liston, Mohammed Ali, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano and so many more great fighters but not for Mike Tyson
For Elvis
For Gene Vincent, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis
For Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet and Buddy Greco
For all those country singers in small American towns who have no real talent but are really enjoyable - America is truly the land of song
For writers like Janet Evanovich, Raymond Chandler and Ray Bradbury
For Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Groucho Marx who made the world laugh
For private eyes like Sam Spade, Jim Rockford and above all Philip Marlowe
For bounty hunters - now that takes real guts
For Jack Daniels and Jim Bean
For Philly Steaks and Subway sandwiches but not the weak American coffee
For American magicians who make British ones look amateurish
For those wonderful cookies - the best biscuits in the world
For John Wayne, James Stewart and Clint Eastwood but not those cissy De Caprio types
For Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy and Gabby Hayes who were so important to boys growing up in the 1950s
For the songs by Frankie Laine that went with the westerns
For Maureen O'Hara, Jane Russell and Rhonda Fleming
For neoclassical buildings like the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial but not those bloody skyscrapers
For the Arlington war memorials which are far more impressive than the ones in Europe
For Generals Pershing, Eisenhower and Bradley but not General Patton
For Republicans like Ronald Reagan, Calvin Coolidge and Henry Kissinger
For Democrats like Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Robert Kennedy
For Jackie Kennedy who should have been royal and Grace Kelly who became royal
For Jed Bartlett (West Wing) and Professor Kingsfield (Paper Chase)
For the people who hung the paintings at the Smithsonian; the Louvre could learn a lot from them
For the Museum of American History which was a model of how a museum should be.
For biscuits in gravy which sound so dull but taste delicious.
For truckers breakfasts and Country Buffets
For Vegas showgirls – we need some in Aylestone Village
For America's astronauts and everyone at NASA - History will admire you when todays celebrities are long forgotten.
For small towns in places like South Dakota and Wyoming
For Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and Zion National Park
Above all for the Grand Canyon.
For whoever invented the idea of National Parks - a truly great idea
For coyotes and chipmunks
For all those who have saved the buffalo
For all those trying to save the wolf
For those Americans who came to Britain in World War Two - some never went home again
To those Americans who have visited Britain and fallen in love with our monarchy, cathedrals and castles
To all those American friends who have shared my love of history and architecture on our European tours
To all those waitresses, taxi drivers, hotel workers and casual strangers who made an Englishman so welcome on my trips to America.
THANK YOU AMERICA
Thank you America
For Sonny Liston, Mohammed Ali, Jack Dempsey, Rocky Marciano and so many more great fighters but not for Mike Tyson
For Elvis
For Gene Vincent, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis
For Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennet and Buddy Greco
For all those country singers in small American towns who have no real talent but are really enjoyable - America is truly the land of song
For writers like Janet Evanovich, Raymond Chandler and Ray Bradbury
For Bob Hope, Jack Benny and Groucho Marx who made the world laugh
For private eyes like Sam Spade, Jim Rockford and above all Philip Marlowe
For bounty hunters - now that takes real guts
For Jack Daniels and Jim Bean
For Philly Steaks and Subway sandwiches but not the weak American coffee
For American magicians who make British ones look amateurish
For those wonderful cookies - the best biscuits in the world
For John Wayne, James Stewart and Clint Eastwood but not those cissy De Caprio types
For Roy Rogers, Hopalong Cassidy and Gabby Hayes who were so important to boys growing up in the 1950s
For the songs by Frankie Laine that went with the westerns
For Maureen O'Hara, Jane Russell and Rhonda Fleming
For neoclassical buildings like the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial but not those bloody skyscrapers
For the Arlington war memorials which are far more impressive than the ones in Europe
For Generals Pershing, Eisenhower and Bradley but not General Patton
For Republicans like Ronald Reagan, Calvin Coolidge and Henry Kissinger
For Democrats like Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman and Robert Kennedy
For Jackie Kennedy who should have been royal and Grace Kelly who became royal
For Jed Bartlett (West Wing) and Professor Kingsfield (Paper Chase)
For the people who hung the paintings at the Smithsonian; the Louvre could learn a lot from them
For the Museum of American History which was a model of how a museum should be.
For biscuits in gravy which sound so dull but taste delicious.
For truckers breakfasts and Country Buffets
For Vegas showgirls – we need some in Aylestone Village
For America's astronauts and everyone at NASA - History will admire you when todays celebrities are long forgotten.
For small towns in places like South Dakota and Wyoming
For Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and Zion National Park
Above all for the Grand Canyon.
For whoever invented the idea of National Parks - a truly great idea
For coyotes and chipmunks
For all those who have saved the buffalo
For all those trying to save the wolf
For those Americans who came to Britain in World War Two - some never went home again
To those Americans who have visited Britain and fallen in love with our monarchy, cathedrals and castles
To all those American friends who have shared my love of history and architecture on our European tours
To all those waitresses, taxi drivers, hotel workers and casual strangers who made an Englishman so welcome on my trips to America.
