A Polish Funeral And President Trump's Warsaw Speech

Don Thieme, War On The Rocks: The Historical Resonance Of Trump's Speech In Poland

There is an old saying in Poland, that the country represents the walls of Christianity. Certainly Jan Sobieski III met this standard in 1683, defeating the Turkish armies outside the gates of Vienna. Since then, history has imbued Poland and its people with a host of symbolic meanings, including that of a bastion against Nazi Germany and Soviet Communism. This symbolism was readily apparent when President Donald Trump spoke in Warsaw on his way to the G-20 summit last week. Trump could have flown directly to Hamburg, or stopped in any other European city on the way, but he chose to speak in Poland before going to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin. While the president’s words were important, in many ways the symbolism he conveyed through his schedule and the location he chose was even more consequential.

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WNU Editor: I have been wanting to write a commentary on President Trump's Warsaw speech for the past few weeks .... but other events and priorities got in the way. But today is a special day for me .... and a perfect time to write this opinion piece. I attended the funeral of a very close family friend this morning .... someone that my family has known for decades. He is a Pole who fled to the Soviet Union when the Germans invaded in 1939. He was 15 years old ... and somehow he got to know my family in the chaos that followed. In the years that followed .... with war engulfing all of Europe .... he joined a volunteer Polish unit that eventually found its way to the Battle of Monte Cassino. He was wounded in that battle .... and spent the rest of the war in hospitals .... eventually convalescing in London where he stayed and eventually married a Danish refugee who wanted to immigrate to Canada. They .... like many refugees .... did find their way to Canada .... making Montreal their home. Fortunately .... he and my family always kept contact .... even during the dark days of the Cold War. When I .... and later my parents .... eventually made Montreal our home .... this deep friendship was only reinforced ... because we were no longer communicating by letter. Through him I benefited tremendously because I got exposed to how strong the Polish spirit is, how history has made them who they are today, and how their faith in God gives them the strength to persevere.

As for President Trump's speech .... which IMHO is probably his best speech .... kudos to him and kudos to Don Thieme and his above analysis .... especially his observation that President Trump (with his speech) put himself in the middle of Germany and Russia .... much to the delight to the tens of millions who live between both countries. What I also liked about President Trump's speech is that he captured the essence of what it means to be Polish .... and how we can learn from their history to better ourselves. And while I do know that many have criticised his Warsaw speech .... especially when he made comments like this .... “Let us all fight like the Poles—for family, for freedom, for country, and for God” .... being one who is from Eastern Europe .... I only know too well that it is those principles that eventually destroyed the tyranny and poverty that much of the 20th century brought to the populations of Eastern Europe. As I have mentioned more than once in this blog, the Cold War was primarily an ideological conflict .... and principles are important. I think this is why leaders like Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II, Margaret Thatcher, etc. are still admired in Eastern Europe .... they focused on these core beliefs ... and fortunately .... family, freedom, country, and God did win in the end.

Flash forward to today .... we are in a similar but different ideological war .... where we are confronting radical Islam with its millions of followers who want to impose their religious tyranny on millions who do not want to follow their faith. And our leaders in the West are .... like they were in the past .... having trouble in understanding what the threat is, why it is dangerous, and how to respond to it. We should not be surprised .... most EU leaders are like German Chancellor Merkel ..... inconsistent in defending Western values, intolerant of opposing points of view, and oblivious to the damage that their polices are producing. We do not have a Reagan or Pope John Paul II in our midst today .... who can articulate why this is an ideological battle .... and why we must win. And even if we did ..... I doubt that many in the West would listen .... their focused is on stories of victimisation, grievances, and entitlement .... while insulting/threatening/or deriding those who do not share their point of view.

This is quite a contrast to the man that we buried today today. He was a refugee, soldier, immigrant, a leader and pioneer in Canada's telecommunications industry, teacher, husband, father, and grandfather. He never swore or insulted anyone .... always articulating his point of view with no malice or disrespect. The world is a poorer place today because he is no longer here .... and I will miss him.

Here is a short clip of him from last Christmas singing a Russian-Polish song to my mother and my friend's wife (sorry for the quality .... the link is here).