[JoAnneM]

" Polish President Lech Kaczynski and some of the country's highest military and civilian leaders died on Saturday when the presidential plane crashed as it came in for a landing in thick fog in western Russia, killing 97, officials said"

To those from Poland my deepest sympathy.

[PassedOut]

Yes, this is horribly tragic. From what I read, it was really too dangerous to land under the weather conditions at the time. I hope they can figure out what went wrong to require such a dangerous landing.

[Jlall]

Wow, that's horrible.

[mike777]

This had a huge impact on the Northwest Chicago Polish community on Saturday. The place was draped in Polish flags. Flags flew from homes, stores and from many cars on the street.

[Fluffy]

I couldn't believe it when I read it. I read the goverment has been beheaded so much that there is a big lack of power now in the country. They will make new elections very soon.

[y66]

From Roger Cohen's column in today's NYT:

Quote

It is too early to say where Warsaw-Moscow relations are headed but not too early to say that 96 lost souls would be dishonored if Polish and Russian leaders do not make of this tragedy a solemn bond. As Tusk told Putin, “A word of truth can mobilize two peoples looking for the road to reconciliation. Are we capable of transforming a lie into reconciliation? We must believe we can.”

Poland should shame every nation that believes peace and reconciliation are impossible, every state that believes the sacrifice of new generations is needed to avenge the grievances of history. The thing about competitive victimhood, a favorite Middle Eastern pastime, is that it condemns the children of today to join the long list of the dead.

For scarcely any nation has suffered since 1939 as Poland, carved up by the Hitler-Stalin nonaggression pact, transformed by the Nazis into the epicenter of their program to annihilate European Jewry, land of Auschwitz and Majdanek, killing field for millions of Christian Poles and millions of Polish Jews, brave home to the Warsaw Uprising, Soviet pawn, lonely Solidarity-led leader of post-Yalta Europe’s fight for freedom, a place where, as one of its great poets, Wislawa Szymborska, wrote, “History counts its skeletons in round numbers” — 20,000 of them at Katyn.

It is this Poland that is now at peace with its neighbors and stable. It is this Poland that has joined Germany in the European Union. It is this Poland that has just seen the very symbols of its tumultuous history (including the Gdansk dock worker Anna Walentynowicz and former president-in-exile Ryszard Kaczorowski) go down in a Soviet-made jet and responded with dignity, according to the rule of law.

So do not tell me that cruel history cannot be overcome. Do not tell me that Israelis and Palestinians can never make peace. Do not tell me that the people in the streets of Bangkok and Bishkek and Tehran dream in vain of freedom and democracy. Do not tell me that lies can stand forever.

Ask the Poles. They know.

[blackshoe]

Russia would like nothing better than to bring Poland back into their sphere of influence.

[vuroth]

blackshoe, on Apr 14 2010, 07:50 AM, said:

Russia would like nothing better than to bring Poland back into their sphere of influence.

While I get the idea, I think there ARE things Russia would like better.

Like kittens. Who doesn't like kittens?

[helene_t]

blackshoe, on Apr 14 2010, 01:50 PM, said:

Russia would like nothing better than to bring Poland back into their sphere of influence.

I think the average Russian has more important things to worry about.

But maybe it holds true for the big cheeses in politics and military.

[jjbrr]

vuroth, on Apr 14 2010, 08:20 AM, said:

blackshoe, on Apr 14 2010, 07:50 AM, said:

Russia would like nothing better than to bring Poland back into their sphere of influence.

While I get the idea, I think there ARE things Russia would like better.

Like kittens. Who doesn't like kittens?

I don't like kittens.

[655321]

jjbrr, on Apr 14 2010, 09:41 AM, said:

I don't like kittens.

[jdonn]

I would like to preemptively "uncomplain" to inquiry about that to cancel out at least one of the complaints that will come and allow it to remain.

Edit: It was removed (and now my above comment makes no sense, gee thanks) I guess I had to send it to uday not inquiry lol.

[blackshoe]

helene_t, on Apr 14 2010, 10:29 AM, said:

blackshoe, on Apr 14 2010, 01:50 PM, said:

Russia would like nothing better than to bring Poland back into their sphere of influence.

I think the average Russian has more important things to worry about.

But maybe it holds true for the big cheeses in politics and military.

The average citizen of any country "has more important things to worry about" than his country's foreign policy. Doesn't mean the government won't do whatever it can to further what it sees as good for the country.

[Jlall]

jdonn, on Apr 14 2010, 11:10 AM, said:

I would like to preemptively "uncomplain" to inquiry about that to cancel out at least one of the complaints that will come and allow it to remain.

You really think there's nothing wrong with a picture of a former president biting/eating a kitten in a thread about a president just dying?

I don't care about politics or that it's a picture of george bush, I just think there is a time and a place for some things and the thread about a president dying is not one of them.

Imagine if Obama died in a plane crash, what would be going on right now, and what people would think of kittens in the thread (especially a president eating kittens). It's just insensitive to any Polish people.

[diana_eva]

Except for the fact that a tragedy took place and there is a gap of power, the president himself wasnt exactly a popular person there... my guess is that average polish would grief the death of their Illuminati and have not much against bush biting kittens.

[matmat]

the BBC covered situations like this many years ago.

[Al_U_Card]

Looked like a cub to me....and the headline "Bush bites cub" might have elicited a reaction from the Boy Scouts of America....