Free Republic

Seventy years after the Katyn Massacre, the president of Poland — and many other Poles — have died on Russian soil. “It is a damned place,” commented Aleksander Kwasniewski, the former Polish president and communist-turned-social democrat. It’s difficult to disagree. Katyn, the forest near the western border of Russia, which in 1940 became a mass grave for some 4,000 Polish Army officers and community leaders out of 20,000 first interned by the Soviet government following the 1939 Ribbentrop-Molotov carve-up of Poland and then subsequently murdered by the KGB’s predecessor on Stalin’s orders, has tragically claimed more Polish victims almost exactly...

Russia to hold day of mourning after Polish president's death 18:1210/04/2010 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced on Saturday a national day of mourning after President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and an official delegation of senior officials were killed in a plane crash in western Russia. "On behalf of the Russian people, I express the deepest, most heartfelt condolences to the Polish people, and compassion and support to the relatives and friends of the victims," Medvedev said, addressing the Polish people. "On Monday, April 12, Russia will hold a national day of mourning." Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Russian Prime...

High ranking officials are gathering in Russia’s Smolensk region following the tragic crash of the plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski and many of the Polish political elite, with no passengers surviving. Following the crash, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry opened a crisis hot line for relatives of the victims. English speaking emergency specialists can be reached at +7 (495) 626 37 07. The Smolensk region has set up a separate hot line: +7 (800) 100 19 01. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has arrived in Smolensk to personally supervise the investigation. According to Polish media reports, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk...

Former President George W. Bush released a statement today expressing how deeply he is saddened by the news of Polish President Lech Kaczynski's tragic death. President Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush have fond memories of visits with Kaczynski and his wife and want to express their condolences to the families of all the people killed in the crash. The archived George W. Bush White House web-site contains over 96 news entrees of meetings between the two Presidents. Poland is one of the US closest allies. It is a different story with the new US President. Obama's White House...

I never thought I’d be writing anything like this, ever. The Polish president and a long long list of top Polish officials died in an airplane crash near Smolensk in western Russia. This is a turning point in Poland’s history, one of its biggest tragedies. Whatever people’s thought of President Lech Kaczynski, regardless of whether someone agreed or disagreed, the nation, I’m sure, will be united in its shock and pain now that the president and so many others have been killed, and so tragically.

To our Polish friends.

Polish president's body 'found' in crash wreckage - source 18:0510/04/2010 The body of Polish President Lech Kaczynski may have been found in the wreckage of the plane that crashed earlier on Saturday in western Russia, a highly-placed police source told RIA Novosti. Speaking from the scene of the clean-up operation, the source said however that "additional tests, including DNA," would be needed to identify many of the bodies. All 97 people on board died when a plane carrying Kaczynski, his wife, and a delegation of senior officials crashed in thick fog while attempting to land at Smolensk airport. Kaczynski was...

President Obama says the loss of Polish President Kaczynski is ‘devastating’ April 10th, 2010 - 8:15 pm WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEWS) — President Obama on Saturday released the following statement after Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and other senior government figures were killed in a plane crash in western Russia. “Today, I called Polish Prime Minister Tusk to express Michelle’s and my deepest condolences to the people of Poland on the tragic deaths this morning of President Lech Kaczynski, First Lady Maria Kaczynski, and all who were traveling with them to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre....

Pilot error blamed as witnesses report three or four attempts to land in thick fog Poland in mourning as Prime Minister calls emergency meeting Polish president Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria have been killed after their plane crashed on approach to Smolensk airport in western Russia. There were conflicting reports today of the number of people on board the flight. Russian news agencies reported at least 88 people died in the crash near Smolensk airport in western Russia, citing the Russian Emergencies Ministry. They reported 132 people were aboard the Tupolev Tu-154. But Polish officials said 88 people were...

Russia says Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will personally head the investigation into an aeroplane crash that killed Poland's president. A total of 96 people were on board the plane that crashed near the western Russian city of Smolensk, all of whom are believed to be dead. Polish president Lech Kaczynski was on board the Russian-built Tupolev 154 jet when it went down in heavy fog near a military airport. Russian authorities have already said they suspect pilot error in the crash, near Smolensk, in Western Russia. There are reports the jet made several attempted landings before the crash. Also on...

A plane carrying Polish president Lech Kaczynski and his wife crashed on Saturday on approach to Smolensk airport in western Russia. There are no survivors. SMOLENSK, RUSSIA: A plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife from Warsaw has crashed on approach to Smolensk airport in western Russia, a Polish government official at the airport told Reuters on Saturday. There were no survivors in the crash, said the regional governor of Smolensk where it happened. Russian news agencies reported 87 people died in the crash, citing the Russian Emergencies Ministry. They said the plane was a Tupolev Tu-154. The...

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has set up a government commission that will investigate the crash in the Russian city of Smolensk, in which most likely is killed the Polish president Lech Kaczynski. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will personally monitor the investigation, RIA Novosti reported as citing a press release of the Kremlin. According to the governor of Smolensk region Sergey Antyufeev there are no survivors in the crash. According to data from the Russian authorities there were 132 people on board the plane from Warsaw to Smolensk.

Breaking News. Headline is all that's in so far.

Polish president dies in air crash A plane carrying Lech Kaczynski, the Polish president, has crashed near Smolensk airport in western Russia, killing all on board, Russian officials have reported. Polish officials confirmed on Saturday that Kaczynski was on board the flight with his wife, as well as Slawomir Skrzypek, the president of Poland's central bank, Andrzej Kremer, the deputy foreign minister and the army chief of staff. The crash occurred about 1.5km from Smolensk airport in foggy conditions.

Back Breaking News China Now the U.S. Clearinghouse Bush-Clinton Crime Family Syndicate Remains Out of Control by Tom Heneghan International Intelligence Expert Saturday October 31, 2009 UNITED STATES of America - It can now be reported that the Obama Administration has negotiated a TREASONOUS deal with the People's Republic of China that will allow China to continue to finance the massive U.S. debt tied to QUAD TRILLIONS of dollars of toxic derivatives that remain parked in U.S. banks and threaten to bring down the entire world economy. HIGH TREASON TRAITORS AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE left pic Rahm Emanuel, Greg Craig;...

WARSAW (Reuters) - Polish President Lech Kaczynski will sign the European Union's Lisbon Treaty into law on Sunday October 11, a presidential aide said on Thursday. Poland and the Czech Republic are the only countries in the 27-member EU still to ratify the treaty after Irish voters overwhelmingly backed the document in a referendum last Friday. The treaty aims to streamline EU decision-making. It has to be ratified by all 27 member states to come into force. "The president keeps his word. He said he will sign the treaty with no delays if the Irish say 'yes'. On Sunday he...

Is the right responsible for inspiring murder, such as that of late-term abortionist George Tiller by Kansas native Scott Roeder?  Some certainly seem to think so.  For instance, the Friday before last Bill O'Reilly had as a guest on his show Joan Walsh, the editor of leftist news site Salon.com.  She appeared because she had criticized O'Reilly for engaging in what she called a "jihad" against Tiller.  Her thesis is that O'Reilly and, presumably, the rest of us who are passionately pro-life are culpable Tiller's death. Of course, this isn't a novel idea among the left.  If there is any...

Poland protests after D-Day celebrations snub 01.06.2009 09:51 A spokesman for President Lech Kaczynski has said that the lack of invitation for the Polish head of state to the D-Day celebrations in France on June 6 has left a “nasty taste in the mouth”. Polish politicians have said that it is highly regrettable that President Lech Kaczynski has not been invited to the celebrations of the 65th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, marked the allied western offensive which ultimately helped airing to an end WW II. Head of the presidential National Security Bureau Aleksander Szczydło said that Poland...

Spaniards call Kaczynski evil 22.05.2009 11:52 Spanish socialists claim that Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski is one of the most evil politicians in the world and Poles are over-zealous Catholics. Running up to the European Parliament elections, the Socialists’ Party of Catalonia (PSC) has released a poster showing top right-wing politicians from Europe and the US. It depicts former president of France Jacques Chirac, former president of the US George Bush, former PM of Spain Jose Maria Aznar, PM of Italy Silvio Berlusconi and president of Poland Lech Kaczynski. The slogan on the red poster reads “They also want to change...