Sometimes, on some issues, the Canadian Broadcasting Company is a sweet relief from the empty punditization that comes with American cable television. The plight of the Syrian refugees is one of those issues. Down here, if we aren't getting the likes of Chris Christie (newly endorsed by New Hampshire's most influential newspaper) proclaiming his fear of exploding terrorist toddlers, it's every one-star who ever bought a donut in the Pentagon coffee shop popping up on CNN to monger some fear and to monger some war.

On the CBC, we get Fatima al-Lawoz.

Fatima, just shy of her teenage years, was scarred when she witnessed the death of her best friend in Syria three years ago. She worried that if she made new friends, she'd see them die too. "It's hard for me to forget. I saw so many bad things in Syria," Fatima said. She's unsure whether it was a sniper's bullet that killed her friend—the memories are still painful for Fatima. She was walking with the girl to the market to fetch food for her family in Homs, a Syrian city devastated by the country's civil war. Fatima went into a shop, heard a noise behind her, and when she turned around she saw her friend lying dead in the street.

Now, the new Canadian government also is trying to be careful about which refugees it lets in; for the moment, single men are apparently out of luck. Nevertheless, at least the Canadian media hasn't lost the plot the way our own media has. Back when it was just the Good Guys Against Assad, there wasn't a story about Syria that didn't lead with what a massive humanitarian catastrophe the situation there was. Now, however, because of the Paris attacks, and because of what sells in the United States, especially in an election year in which one political party is out of its mind, the stories invariably begin with the "crisis" in vetting the piddling number of refugees the United States is agreeing to bring in. Meanwhile, the city of Calgary has put up a page on its website dedicated to how Calgarians can help the refugees expected to land there. The tiny town of Prince Albert in Saskatchewan is preparing to settle 210 refugees.

The level of suffering for Syrian refugees, however, may create some unique challenges for McLean's team. The country has been devastated by civil war, and civilians have not been immune from the death and destruction. Many of the refugees have been on the move for some time and living in camps, on the streets and in crowded apartments. "We are concerned about the potential for PTSD and things like that," said McLean. The other unique challenge, McLean worries, is the media spotlight that may be cast on Syrian refugees arriving in the city. McLean's team will do its best to shield newcomers from intense mainstream and social media attention. "More so that they have the privacy and respect they deserve as individuals." McLean said that when refugees arrive in Prince Albert, they will likely find temporary lodging in hotels. Among the first priorities will be helping them apply for social insurance numbers and health cards.

Meanwhile, in the world's most advanced democracy, the GOP flavor-of-the-week has thrown his own state into a brawl over one Syrian family that was scheduled to settle in northern New Jersey.

In a letter sent to President Barack Obama this month, Mr. Christie said he had directed the state's Department of Human Services to not resettle any Syrian refugees in New Jersey and that nonprofit organizations were to notify the state of any Syrian placements in New Jersey. The practical meaning of the governor's position isn't clear. The U.S. Department of State oversees the screening and resettlement of refugees. States, however, have a role in passing federal dollars to local charities working on the efforts. The Christie administration began a preliminary assessment of how much authority the state has in providing federal assistance to refugee groups but hasn't made a final determination, senior officials said. Regardless, local religious leaders and activists are expecting a family of seven from Syria to arrive Monday in northern New Jersey, one of the first to come since the Nov. 13 terror attacks in Paris.



The true North remains, with some exceptions, strong and free. New Jersey? Not so much.

Charles P. Pierce Charles P Pierce is the author of four books, most recently Idiot America, and has been a working journalist since 1976.

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