Candice Miller: We All Mourn With the People of Poland For the Loss of Their Leaders
WASHINGTON – U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller (MI-10) delivered the following remarks on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in remembrance of the Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the 96 other prominent political and military leaders who perished:
“Madame Speaker, this past Saturday, April 10, 2010, the people of Poland suffered an unspeakable tragedy, the world lost a great leader and the United States lost a true friend with the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and much of the Polish leadership in a plane crash in Russia.
“President Kaczynski was a staunch supporter of freedom, and early in his life was a leader in the fight against Communism. As a lawyer in Gdansk, he became an advisor to the Solidarity movement in the late 1970’s. During martial law in 1981, he was jailed because the government thought he was an anti-socialist element.
“When Poland shed the yoke of communism, Lech Kaczynski continued to serve Poland until his death. He served as a Senator. As the Vice Chair of Solidarity. As a member of Parliament. As the Mayor of Warsaw. As the Minister of Justice and Attorney General. And finally, as President of Poland for the last five years.
“He was a true friend of America. He fought corruption because he believed it was an impediment to justice and freedom.
“We all mourn with the people Poland at the loss of this true Polish patriot. May our great friend rest in peace.”
Kondolencje
Kondolencje Rodzinom i najbliższym ofiar Tragedii w Smoleńsku można złożyć w Amerykańsko Polskim Centrum Kulturalnym w Troy. Księga kondolencyjna będzie dostępna do piątku 16 kwietnia.
Poland in grief
It is with the deepest sense of grief that we learned, in the morning hours of April 10th 2010, about one of the most terrible tragedies in the history of Poland. On the way to the commemoration ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre, the President of the Republic of Poland Lech Kaczynski was killed in a plane crash along with the First Lady Maria Kaczynska, the representatives of the country’s highest authorities, high-level military and civilian leaders, official delegation and all the crew.
Due to this air crash tragedy the duties of the Head of State has been temporarily assumed by the Speaker of the Sejm Bronislaw Komorowski who has declared the national mourning in Poland from 10th to 16th of April, 2010.
The Book of Condolences will be displayed at the Consulate General of Poland in New York, located at: 233 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10016 on the following days:
- Monday-Tuesday (April 12-13th) from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
- Wednesday (April 14th) from 12:00-6:00 PM
- Thursday and Friday (15-16th) from 2:00 to 6:00 PM
We would like to offer our deepest sympathies to friends and families of the victims.
To the Editor
To the Editor:
The Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit joins our Polish American friends and neighbors and Polish people worldwide at this time of profound grief. We reach out with hands and hearts over the deaths of President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and so many other Polish leaders. We honor President Kaczynski’s work building and strengthening the friendship between his nation and the United States. We especially are grateful for his efforts to bridge the cultural barrier between Poles and Jews, to heal the scars of the Holocaust, and to develop a special relationship between Poland and Israel.
As a people, Jews know that great tragedy cannot be understood, only endured. We are confident that the Polish people and nation will endure and prosper, and we look forward to facing the future with you together.
May the memory of President Kaczynski, the first lady and the others in his delegation be a blessing for us all.
Richard Nodel, President
Robert Cohen, Executive Director
Jewish Community Relations Council of Metropolitan Detroit
Statement by the Press Secretary on the President Traveling to Poland
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
___________________________________________________________________________
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
April 13, 2010
Statement by the Press Secretary on the President Traveling to Poland
On Saturday evening, the President will travel to Krakow, Poland to attend the State Funeral of President Lech Kaczynski and First Lady Maria Kaczynska on Sunday, April 18th. The President will travel to Krakow to express the depth of our condolences to an important and trusted ally, and our support for the Polish people, on behalf of the American people.
Statement by President Obama on the death of Polish President
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 10, 2010
Statement by President Obama on the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski and those traveling with him.
Today, I called Polish Prime Minister Tusk to express Michelle’s and mydeepest condolences to the people of Poland on the tragic deaths thismorning of President Lech Kaczynski, First Lady Maria Kaczynski, and all whowere traveling with them to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Katynmassacre. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Kaczynski family, the lovedones of those killed in this tragic plane crash, and the Polish nation.
Today’s loss is devastating to Poland, to the United States, and to theworld. President Kaczynski was a distinguished statesman who played a keyrole in the Solidarity movement, and he was widely admired in the UnitedStates as a leader dedicated to advancing freedom and human dignity. Withhim were many of Poland’s most distinguished civilian and military leaderswho have helped to shape Poland’s inspiring democratic transformation. Wejoin all the people of Poland in mourning their passing.
Today, there are heavy hearts across America. The United States cherishesits deep and abiding bonds with the people of Poland. Those bonds arerepresented in the strength of our alliance, the friendships among ourpeople, and the extraordinary contributions of Polish-Americans who havehelped to shape our nation.
It is a testament to the strength of the Polish people that those who werelost were travelling to commemorate a devastating massacre of World War IIas the leaders of a strong, vibrant, and free Poland. That strength willensure that Poland emerges from the depths of this unthinkable tragedy, andthat the legacy of the leaders who died today will be a light that continuesto guide Poland – and the world – in the direction of human progress.
Czas wybielania – Piotr Niemiec
Po 65. latach od zakończenia II wojny światowej niektórzy jej uczestnicy chcą albo definitywnie zapomnieć o mrocznej przeszłości i o swoich bezprecedensowych zbrodniach, albo udowodnić sobie i innym, że straszne czyny popełniały wtedy wszystkie strony światowego konfliktu. Takiej właśnie redefinicji wydarzeń z lat 1939-1945 (a mówiąc wprost – zamiany katów w ofiary) jesteśmy świadkami w trakcie powstawania koncepcji rządowego muzeum wysiedlonych w Berlinie. Doszło do tak wyjątkowej eskalacji złej woli ze strony niemieckich gospodarzy, że z rady naukowej fundacji „Ucieczka, wypędzenie, pojednanie” niedawno odeszli na znak protestu wybitni historycy z Czech i Polski, a bojkot jej prac zapowiedziała Centralna Rada Żydów w Niemczech.
