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"Refugee Blues" and "First They Came": Warnings from the Past, Lessons for the Present

Wednesday, March 12, 2025 - Filed in: General Interest
Refugees
W. H. Auden’s Refugee Blues (1939) and Pastor Martin Niemöller’s First They Came (1946) stand as poetic testaments to the dangers of indifference and the consequences of unchecked xenophobia. Though written in the aftermath of different moments in history—Auden’s poem just before the Second World War and Niemöller’s reflection on its horrors after the fact—both pieces warn of the ease with which societies can abandon the persecuted.

Their warnings feel eerily relevant today, as immigration policies in the United States and parts of Europe become more exclusionary, and far-right movements gain traction by exploiting fears about migrants and refugees. In contrast, Canada has so far resisted this trend, though it, too, faces challenges in maintaining an open and humanitarian approach. Read More...

Claude Malhuret’s Warning: The Tragedy of the Free World and Canada’s Urgent Choice

Monday, March 10, 2025 - Filed in: General Interest
Crossroads
French Senator Claude Malhuret’s speech on March 5, 2025, was more than a warning about Ukraine, Europe, and NATO—it was a devastating indictment of what is happening in the United States. While many in the West are focused on how Trump’s policies endanger allies, Malhuret pointed out a deeper truth:

 “It is first and foremost a tragedy for the United States.”

Trump’s message is clear:

• There is no point in being his ally. He will not defend you and may treat you worse than his enemies.
• He will impose more customs duties on allies than on rivals and even threaten to seize their territories.
• He supports dictatorships that invade their neighbors while abandoning democracies that fight for survival.

This is not just an abandonment of NATO or Ukraine—it is an abandonment of the very principles that have held the free world together for decades. Read More...