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Poland Mourns Nation’s Loss, but Begins to Rebuild
NY Times ^ | April 11, 2010 | NICHOLAS KULISH and CLIFFORD J. LEVY

Posted on 04/11/2010 12:46:27 PM PDT by neverdem

WARSAW — As the body of Poland’s president was returned to this traumatized capital on Sunday, a day after he and dozens of top Polish political and military leaders died in a plane crash in western Russia, the country was in mourning but there was already a sense that its young democracy had passed a major test.

The mechanisms to replace the lost officials appeared to be functioning and the political culture was responding with remarkable unity. Senior Polish officials sought to reassure the public that the government would continue to function normally despite the loss.

Military leaders were immediately succeeded on an interim basis by their subordinates. Members of Parliament will be replaced by the next-highest vote winner from the same party in the electoral region.

The first deputy president of the National Bank, Piotr Wiesiolek, assumed the duties of the late president. The bank issued a statement saying it was “functioning without disruption and performing all of the statutory tasks of the central bank.”

Despite the devastation, said Roman Kuzniar, a professor at Warsaw University’s Institute of International Relations, the government and the politicians were performing their...

--snip--

Mr. Kaczynski was elected president in 2005 just as his brother, Jaroslaw, became head of the nationalist-conservative Law and Justice government. He forged close relationships with Ukraine and Georgia and pushed for their accession into NATO, arguing passionately that a stronger NATO would keep Russia from reasserting its influence over Eastern Europe.

He was a major supporter of plans for part of an American antiballistic missile defense system to be based in Poland, infuriating Russia. Although that proposal by President George W. Bush was scaled back by President Obama, Polish officials have said they still plan to host American surface-to-air missiles in northern Poland.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Politics/Elections; Russia
KEYWORDS: kaczynski; katyn; katynforest; katynmassacre; nato; poland; putin

1 posted on 04/11/2010 12:46:28 PM PDT by neverdem
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To: neverdem

Ukraine and Poland just tilted towards Moscow. One by election the other by what appears to be an accident. At this rate I doubt we will see any serious land based interceptor system in place this decade. It’s a shame.


2 posted on 04/11/2010 1:27:38 PM PDT by Eyes Unclouded ("The word bipartisan means some larger-than-usual deception is being carried out." -George Carlin)
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To: Eyes Unclouded

Did you read the same article I did?


3 posted on 04/11/2010 1:33:51 PM PDT by Mmogamer (<This space for lease>)
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To: Mmogamer
Did you read the same article I did?

I'd like to think this was just an accident too.

Economy in tatters, Kyrgyzstan awaits Russian aid

Do you think the Katyn Forest Massacre was an accident?

4 posted on 04/11/2010 2:23:42 PM PDT by neverdem (Xin loi minh oi)
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To: neverdem

This article brings out the news that President Kaczynski was not invited to the Wednesday memorial service at Katyn attended by Putin and Tusk. Had Kaczynski been invited to the Wednesday event, the Saturday tragedy would not have occurred.

There was bad blood between Putin and Kaczynski and one wonders if it was Putin who kept him away on Wednesday.


5 posted on 04/11/2010 3:20:35 PM PDT by Malesherbes (Sauve qui peut)
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To: neverdem

No, obviously not an accident... this might not have been either, I wouldn’t put it past the ruskies to bring the plane down. I don’t think the new Polish gov’t is gonna lean towards the Russians tho.


6 posted on 04/11/2010 3:57:51 PM PDT by Mmogamer (<This space for lease>)
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To: Eyes Unclouded
Ukraine and Poland just tilted towards Moscow.

Maybe Ukraine, but Poland...NEVER!

7 posted on 04/11/2010 3:59:58 PM PDT by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

It depends. If the former Commies in Poland , the Polish socialists, and those who are pro-Russia make a move now, we know why.


8 posted on 04/11/2010 4:16:59 PM PDT by Thunder90 (Fighting for truth and the American way... http://citizensfortruthandtheamericanway.blogspot.com/)
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To: neverdem

My Grandfather left Poland about 100 years ago. He was just a kid when his father put him on a boat to the USA. I feel a connection to the Polish people, and my prayers are with them.


9 posted on 04/11/2010 5:12:28 PM PDT by Just Lori (We're living in a nightmare.)
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To: Mmogamer

All the Russians would have to do to bring the plane down would be to change electronic signals (VFR?) which guide the plane over Russian territory. By varying the signal, it could give false readings on headings, altitude, etc.

Wouldn’t put it past Putin, the KGB killer master, to take out his main enemies in the Ukraine, Georgia and Poland all in one year. So far, he has been succeeding.

The only aircraft accidents in the Soviet Union/Russia were those caused by bad maintenance by Aeroflot (aka Aeroflop).

Also, remember, Liu Shao-chi, Mao’s main competitor in Red China, was killed in a plane crash of suspicious nature.

Where there is precedent, their is a successor use.


10 posted on 04/11/2010 6:25:51 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper
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To: neverdem

I wonder if 0bozo the commie pig had anything to do with this? I would not put anything past our POS traitor usurper 0bozo, the commie pig!


11 posted on 04/11/2010 8:32:30 PM PDT by rcrngroup
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