Two cautionary notes on the current European refugee crisis

Terrible things are happening in Europe right now, and there’s a lot of desperate human need.

My instincts, like those of most decent people, make me very strongly inclined to help, and to support government actions that will help — and perhaps all the more so because I’ve spent a large chunk of my life either in or reading, thinking, and writing about some of the areas concerned.  Not merely in the Middle East but in Europe.

But sentiment and emotion need to be confined with reflection and rigorous thinking.

Here are two pieces to toss into the mix, important because they suggest that we mustn’t let our emotions and our very human desire to help completely overcome our rational judgment, and that we should seek to understand the situation accurately as well as to respond to it.

My generally appreciative attitude toward Professor Phillip Jenkins has taken a substantial hit over the past few months, but this is an important article:

Germany’s Coming Demographic Revolution

And this piece by Jonah Goldberg sounds an important note, too.