-- THE POPE'S ENTIRE HOMILY FROM ST. PETER'S SQUARE: "We have not listened to your calls, we have not been shaken by wars and injustices around the world, we have not heard the cry of the poor and our gravely ill planet." https://deon.pl/kosciol/serwis-papieski/papiez-na-pustym-placu-sw-piotra-przyjmijmy-boga-aby-przyjac-nadzieje,819729 -- REFLECTIONS OF THE PRIMATE OF POLAND DURING THE STATIONS OF THE CROSS IN A PRIVATE CHAPEL: https://deon.pl/wiara/duchowosc/droga-krzyzowa-z-prymasem-polski-na-czas-koronawirusa,813765 ***** -- WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY: The Sejm, by a vote of 9, introduced an amendment to the electoral law as part of the anti-crisis shield act during the night. Reactions: WKK, HOŁOWNIA, PLATFORM, AND THE CALENDAR OF FURTHER WORK OUTLINED BY THE MARSHAL OF THE SENATE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/03/28/ -- VOTING RESULTS: 8 SEJM DEPUTIES FROM PO, INCLUDING MKB, DID NOT VOTE, 2 MADE MISTAKES, 8 SEJM DEPUTIES FROM PIS MADE MISTAKES - VOTING RESULTS PRINT: https://www.sejm.gov.pl/Sejm9.nsf/agent.xsp?symbol=glosowania&NrKadencji=9&NrPosiedzenia=8&NrGlosowania=54 -- EXCHANGE OF WORDS BETWEEN DEPUTY NITRAS AND MARSHAL WITEK: "At one point, Sławomir Nitras turned to Jarosław Kaczyński. - You know what, I have a proposal: what if you change the next law so that the Polish People's Republic, that Poland is called. Because that's where it's heading. What do you say to that? I'm waiting for an answer." https://tvn24.pl/polska/koronawirus-w-polsce-nocne-obrady-robicie-z-tego-sejmu-cyrk-slawomir-nitras-upomniany-4516732 ***** -- MARIUSZ TRELIŃSKI TURNS 58 TODAY. -- TEATR WIELKI SHARES A RECORDING OF HALKA BY MONIUSZKO, DIRECTED BY TRELIŃSKI - SUNDAY 5:50 PM, TVP KULTURA. -- WHAT DOROTA SZWARCMAN WROTE ABOUT TRELIŃSKI'S HALKA: https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/kultura/teatr/1942456,1,recenzja-spektaklu-halka-rez-mariusz-trelinski.read -- AND TODAY AT 7:00 PM ON THE TEATR WIELKI OPERA NARODOWA YOUTUBE CHANNEL, A RECORDING OF CARMEN DIRECTED BY ANDRZEJ CHYRA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSHAAZFi_eI ***** -- AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF EUROPE, POLISH LEADERS ARE NOT DOING BADLY. I DEEPLY REGRET THAT MANY COLLEAGUES FROM MY CIRCLE CANNOT ADMIT THIS - PROF. JERZY OSIATYŃSKI in an interview with Eliza Olczyk in RZ: “Against the backdrop of Europe, Polish leaders are not doing badly. I deeply regret that many colleagues from my political circle cannot admit this. There is too much emphasis on our differences and assurances that 'we would do better,' and still too few concrete proposals and calls for everyone to join this fight – sewing masks, supporting restaurateurs delivering food to hospitals, etc. And how we can do it. This is truly a state of war threat, not a political party struggle.” -- DURING WAR, NO ONE WORRIES ABOUT THE DEFICIT - OSIATYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Perhaps only until the war. After all, this is a war, though not one with armored vehicles, bombs, etc. But the country looks as if it were under constant bombardment, and we, hidden in our apartment shelters, try not to leave due to our own safety, that of our loved ones and others. Only services responsible for the relatively normal functioning of the state are operating. In these quasi-war conditions, when I hear some debates about what will happen with the budget deficit, public debt, etc., I think that during World War II, no one worried about such matters. All resources were allocated to fighting the war, and then to rebuilding the country. Today, we also need to save people, the economy, infrastructure, and social relations. Fortunately, in Poland, the coronavirus epidemic has not reached the scale seen in other European countries. We are three weeks after the first infection, and fortunately, contrary to early forecasts, the number of infected is still at a relatively low level. What's more, it seems to me that we are close to slowing down the rate of increase in infections.” -- OSIATYŃSKI RIDICULES THE CLAIMS OF LEFT-WING POLITICIANS THAT WE OWE EVERYTHING TO THE SLD GOVERNMENTS - A LITTLE MODESTY, COMRADES: “Lately, I've been hearing a new chorus. It turns out that we owe everything to the SLD: membership in NATO and the European Union, and the constitution too! There is no longer the preamble of Mazowiecki or other provisions by Geremek and others from 'our' side of the National Assembly. There is no Wałęsa, who broke through the resistance of President George H.W. Bush, who did not want Poland in NATO. There are no efforts by Jan Krzysztof Bielecki, who so effectively began the great battle for our membership in the European Union. When I first heard that we owe our constitution to the SLD, I thought: 'Perhaps the one from 1952, because not the one from 1997.' Well, a little modesty, comrades, a little modesty!” https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/303279980-Jerzy-Osiatynski-Na-tle-Europy-polscy-przywodcy-nie-wypadaja-zle.html?cid -- KACZYŃSKI RISKS HUMAN SYMPATHY - PIOTR ZAREMBA in RZ: “Jarosław Kaczyński probably doesn't even realize that by announcing the forceful pushing of these elections at all costs (on RMF radio) in a not very empathetic manner, he has risked perhaps more than ever before – primarily human sympathy. Although his fear of postponing these elections can be understood politically. Leaders of wartime are often punished by the public in elections after the war ends, as they associate them with inconveniences and unpopular decisions.” -- AUTHORITARIAN SOLUTIONS ARE STILL ABSENT, BUT I WOULD NOT UNDERESTIMATE ANY THREAT - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “The concept of European solidarity is losing its meaning. There is also a concern that in conditions of chaos, authoritarian solutions and institutions enjoy greater acceptance. For now, there is no march in this direction in Poland, and the announcements of radical opposition figures like Jan Hartman, that we are heading towards fascism, should be considered an expression of poor well-being. Besides, it's devalued by what we've heard from such people before. But I would not underestimate any threat either. Authoritarian solutions are still absent, but out of understandable fear that we won't cope without them, that safety is more important than freedom, authoritarian attitudes conducive to taking shortcuts are re-emerging.” -- I'M AFRAID SHORTCUTS WILL BECOME HABIT, LET'S EXPECT MAXIMUM LEGALITY - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “I read with distaste about young people being legitimized because they were 'hanging around supermarkets.' These actions had no legal basis. Although I understood the temptation of such shortcuts in a panic. However, I fear that this will become a habit, and in much more serious matters. Therefore, the government must be expected to uphold maximum legality. Making decisions that already significantly restrict civil rights based on clearly indicated legal grounds. This matters, even if it temporarily seems like excessive scruples. Tricks to avoid these grounds, because one wants to conduct elections at the same time, are a dangerous juggling of our freedom. https://www.rp.pl/Plus-Minus/303279996-Dylematy-czasu-epidemii-Czy-calkowity-paraliz-moze-byc-wstepem-do-odrodzenia.html -- IT MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE TO HOLD ELECTIONS IN MAY, BUT THIS OPTION MUST BE KEPT OPEN AT LEAST UNTIL EASTER - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “Can the elections be held in May? Perhaps not. But we certainly cannot agree to a dictate on this matter. This option must be kept open for as long as possible, at least until Easter.” -- MAY ELECTIONS WOULD LEAD TO A REMODELING OF THE SCENE - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: "We are entering an interesting time. In this sense, May elections could lead to a significant remodeling of the political scene on the opposition side. Their postponement is currently in the interest of the Civic Coalition, and not the entire coalition, because those who are with Kidawa-Błońska today will pay a high price for her withdrawal from the race. Postponed elections, on the other hand, are not in the interest of the Left or PSL. Unless they have become so steeped in totality that they are thinking in terms of the Civic Coalition's interests.” -- KIDAW A'S DRAMATIC CANDIDACY, BUDKA'S WEAK LEADERSHIP - KARNOWSKI CONTINUES: “Firstly, Kidawa-Błońska's dramatically weak candidacy, which is now being undermined by the same Schetyna who in September announced: 'I don't know how we didn't think of this earlier.' The weakness of the Civic Coalition's candidate opens very promising prospects, primarily for Kosiniak-Kamysz. Secondly, the rather weak leadership of Borys Budka, who not only cannot control the factions but also cannot give his party any new dynamics.” https://wpolityce.pl/m/polityka/493241-presja-na-przelozenie-wyborow-ma-uratowac-tonaca-platforme -- THE RESULT WILL BE CONTESTABLE - LESZEK JAŻDŻEWSKI in LIBERTE: "The PiS amendment changing the electoral law will undermine the already problematic outcome of the presidential elections on May 10th. But it is too early to declare a boycott. The essence of the matter is the postponement of the election date, not the electoral law. And helping millions of people who will soon be unemployed or lose their life's savings. PiS has de facto introduced a state of emergency in an extra-constitutional manner, with the help of the Civic Coalition, the Left, and PSL. This decision is backfiring on an opposition lacking strategic vision, which – like the Left – votes against the possibility of changing the electoral law online, or like the Civic Coalition – votes for the anti-crisis shield along with changes to the electoral law, which they later make their main line of attack against the ruling party. Now both formations, to Jarosław Kaczyński's delight, are at each other's throats. As Paweł Wroński aptly wrote on Twitter: 'On the opposition, the search for the smartest John among the silly Johns is beginning :)'. -- JAŻDŻEWSKI ON CRIMINAL LIABILITY: "Those who are pushing for elections in May today, against common sense and medical knowledge, risk not only moral and political but also criminal liability." https://liberte.pl/nocna-zmiana-pis/ -- EDWIN BENDYK in POLITYKA on ELECTIONS DURING A PANDEMIC BEING A CRIME: “The amendment to the electoral code should take place at the latest six months before the election date, and only a few weeks remain until the planned first round. The president is not bothered by this, just as he is not bothered by the fact that enabling postal voting does not invalidate all the arguments presented by experts in recent days. Elections during a pandemic are simply a crime. -- BENDYK on TERRITORIAL DEFENSE FORCES IN ELECTORAL COMMISSIONS: “It can be expected that many people and institutions will refuse to participate in this procedure. However, PiS has practiced how to break resistance and take shortcuts during the teachers' strike. If non-teachers could form examination committees, then soldiers of the Territorial Defense Forces will be able to form polling station committees.” -- THE VIRUS IS A TOUGHER ADVERSARY THAN THE DISORIENTED OPPOSITION - BENDYK CONTINUES: “It might seem that Kaczyński has emerged victorious once again in a game where he sets the rules. However, he faces a tougher adversary than the disoriented opposition. Unfortunately, the coronavirus is just starting to pick up pace in Poland, and the epidemic will soon enter a phase where society's ability to cooperate, self-organize, and share responsibility across divides will have to be maintained at all costs.” https://antymatrix.blog.polityka.pl/2020/03/28/demokracja-nie-zyje-niech-zyje-pandemiokracja/ -- NURSES APPEAL TO THE PRIME MINISTER FOR HELP: “Everything has changed. This work has always been very difficult. But now we are additionally exposed to infection, regardless of the facility we work in, by a virus that causes high mortality worldwide. The situation with basic personal protective equipment is getting worse and worse. In this difficult situation, nurses will still earn as much as they did before – let me remind you that some of us earn 2600 gross, because that is the minimum wage. Many countries have decided on such extra ordinary remuneration from the state budget. Therefore, we appeal for a temporary – for the duration of the epidemic – increase in salaries for all medical workers involved in the fight against coronavirus,” says Krystyna Ptok, chairwoman of OZZPiP, to OKO.press. https://oko.press/pielegniarki-do-premiera-domagamy-sie-wyzszych-wynagrodzen/ ***** -- YUVAL NOAH HARARI'S REFLECTIONS - printed by GW: “Many temporary emergency measures will become a permanent part of our lives. Such is the nature of crises. They accelerate historical processes. Decisions that take years in normal times are made in a matter of hours. Inadequately developed, and even dangerous, technologies are implemented because the risk of inaction is greater. Entire countries become guinea pigs in large-scale social experiments. What will happen when everyone works from home and communicates only remotely? What will happen when schools and universities switch entirely to online classes? In normal times, governments, companies, and local authorities would never agree to conduct such experiments. But these are not normal times. In times of crisis, we face two particularly important choices: first, between totalitarian surveillance and civil rights, and second, between nationalist isolation and global solidarity.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,25826569,yuval-noah-harari-koronawirusa-nie-pokonamy.html -- I AM 40 YEARS OLD AND NOT USED TO HISTORY - SZCZEPAN TWARDOCH in GW: “I am forty years old and not used to history. History has not encountered me before. History has not touched my life, has not burned its terrible mark on it. Terrible, because when it leaves a different mark, it's not history, it's events. Of course, much has happened in my lifetime, because much always happens. When the PRL ended, I was engrossed in Jules Verne's books, just as when the Berlin Wall fell and when the USSR suddenly ceased to exist, the ultima ratio of every Polish political discussion back then. Things happened later too. When September 11th happened, I was in the cabin of a sailboat anchored in the reeds on a lake, trying to read the truth about what was really happening on a tiny orange Alcatel screen. A friend's brother called to inform us that Egypt was bombing the United States, which even then seemed improbable to us. When John Paul II died, I was at the cinema. For the world, it was one more death of a very famous person; for Poland – an event with an emotional charge combining the death of a monarch with the death of a prophet; the death of an old man was not involved at all. When the plane with the Polish president and the most important state officials crashed in a forest in Russia, for a few hours we were not sure if it wasn't the beginning of a war. The war that broke out in Ukraine many years later proves that our fear at the time was not so irrational.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,25826205,twardoch-nie-bylem-przygotowany-na-nadejscie-historii.html -- BIRTHDAYS TODAY: Mariusz Treliński, Michał Kamiński, Maria Wiernikowska, Agnieszka Milczarz, Katarzyna Meller, Anita Werner.