-- SIENKIEWICZ ON A UNIFIED STANCE REGARDING BELARUS, BŁASZCZAK STRONGLY DENIES ARMS EXPORT TO BELARUS, SZUMOWSKI ON THE PANDEMIC - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/08/13/ -- JETHON TRUSTS HER ABILITY TO MANIPULATE - WIRTUALNE MEDIA REPORTS ON THE STATEMENT FROM THE FORMER CEO OF RADIO NOWY ŚWIAT: “Jedliński also assessed the current situation at Radio Nowy Świat, writing that the medium, which was supposed to be independent, objective, and present a diverse picture of the world and surrounding reality, has become a “ideologically twisted medium, whose shareholders, instead of pissing against the wind, are pissing on themselves.” - I thought that after two days, following the storm of emotions, we had reached an agreement. I resigned from the position of CEO, I stepped back, for the good of the radio. I agreed, despite immense doubts, to continue cooperation, to help, to act, as long as this child of ours, the radio of all listeners, exists and develops. Regarding Magda Jethon, who is heading the station, Piotr Jedliński wrote that she brought to the new station “all the worst patterns of Trójka.” - Trusting in her ability to manipulate, which until now was tolerated, knowing how much I care about Radio Nowy Świat, she was certain that even seeing such a brazen lie, fully blaming me for the situation, I would 'shut up' – he summarized. https://www.wirtualnemedia.pl/artykul/byly-prezes-radia-nowy-swiat-rezygnacje-sugerowal-mi-sosnowski-jethon-przeniosla-najgorsze-wzorce-z-trojki -- POLITICAL CORRECTNESS RESTRICTS FREEDOM OF SPEECH FAR MORE THAN THE FORMER HOLY OFFICE - TOMASZ TERLIKOWSKI IN AN ARTICLE FOR KLUBU JAGIELLOŃSKIEGO: “Political correctness restricts freedom of speech far more than the former Holy Office. Left-wing squads of activists gag debate and eject thinkers or lecturers who refuse to accept the new orthodoxy much more effectively than the Spanish Inquisition (not to be confused with the Church Inquisition), which is overrated in its effectiveness. The list of dogmas may be shorter than in traditional Christianity, but the penalty for rejecting them is invariably exclusion from the debate, even if, apart from this single conviction, one is a faithful, orthodox liberal leftist. And the author of Harry Potter, who dared to deny the thesis that gender has a biological basis and is not just a matter of free choice, has recently experienced this.” -- CHRISTIANS ARE THE WEAKER SIDE - TERLIKOWSKI CONTINUES: “The result is an inevitable collision course between the two 'religions,' which is somewhat reminiscent of the situation of the early Christians. The situation of Christians is also analogous – with full awareness of the differences. Both then and now, we are the weaker side, not the stronger one. It is our most essential beliefs that are presented as contrary to social orthodoxy. The same is happening with our language and fundamental assumptions about metaphysics, anthropology, and morality. Regardless of their denomination, the majority of Christians have adopted the religion of left-wing emancipation, a vision of God that has little in common with the real One, and have accepted profound social change.” -- THERE IS NO REASON TO PROTECT SEXUAL IDENTITY THROUGH RESTRICTIONS ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH WHILE EXCLUDING RELIGIOSITY - TERLIKOWSKI CONTINUES: “Therefore, if we agree to protect a person's deepest identity related to their race, sexual identity, gender, or nationality through restrictions on freedom of speech, there is no reason to consider that religiosity should be excluded from these provisions. Hate speech harms not only people because of their gender but also because of their religion. The protection of individual rights should therefore also include defense against mockery of religious matters or the destruction of such symbols.” -- WILL THE ANTICS OF PARTS OF THE UNITED RIGHT AND SPECTACULAR ARRESTS NOT RESULT IN THE WEAKENING OF THE CONSERVATIVE STATUS QUO? - TERLIKOWSKI CONTINUES: “Provoking the stronger side is a mistake for which one pays dearly. Therefore, it is worth asking whether the political antics of parts of the United Right, the spectacular arrests, or the consideration (instead of a decision) regarding the denunciation of the Istanbul Convention will not result in the strengthening of the conservative status quo, but its weakening and an ideological blitzkrieg. Ireland and Malta succumbed to the process of change after a few years. Poland, already deeply secularized, may do so faster. This is not about defeatism, about convincing that action is not needed at all, but about awareness of the situation we are in. A situation that is not so much political as mental and geostrategic. Without a strong foreign coalition, without at least an attempt to change mentality, this war cannot be won; at best, the defeat can be hastened. And so far, there is no sign of building a coalition or changing awareness in Polish public debate. Media events, such as a certain famous wedding, serve rather to dismantle moral and religious consciousness than to strengthen it. A serious conservative politician must be aware of this.” https://klubjagiellonski.pl/2020/08/12/slabnacy-katolik-w-swiecie-lewicowej-religii-emancypacji-katolickie-imaginarium/ -- SOME OF THE MEASURES TAKEN BY THE LGBT COMMUNITY GIVE ARGUMENTS TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE - ALEKSANDER KWAŚNIEWSKI IN A CONVERSATION WITH JOANNA MIZIOŁEK IN WPROST: “I assess these protests poorly. Radicalization is bad, period. In my opinion, the LGBT community has every right to fight for its rights, subjectivity, tolerance, and respect. However, some of the measures taken by these communities provide arguments for the aggression and intolerance from the other side that we are witnessing. Of course, I do not justify this aggression, intolerance, or homophobia in the slightest. But as I said, radicalisms have the characteristic of feeding each other. The police's reactions were, of course, exaggerated, PiS's reactions were, as usual, full of hypocrisy, because on the one hand, the rainbow flag on a cross in Warsaw bothers them, while Andrzej Duda's banner on a cross on Giewont is perfectly welcome. There is a lot of hypocrisy here. But if I were actively involved in politics again, I would seek to reduce the level of emotions in favor of respecting the rights enshrined in the Constitution, which should be observed. And these police chases through the city against demonstrators, and soon radical, nationalistic groups against LGBT communities, bode ill for Poland.” -- I WOULD NOT GO TO THE PROTEST REGARDING MARGOT, TRZASKOWSKI WAS NOT OBLIGATED TO BE THERE EITHER - KWAŚNIEWSKI CONTINUES: “I would not go. Because I believe that I do not need to be physically present during this protest. Likewise, I do not believe that Rafał Trzaskowski was obligated to be there. Everyone knows his views; moreover, it was pointed out to him precisely during the campaign that he signed the LGBT card. He was considered almost one of the promoters of LGBT in Poland. His stance is clear and legible. I think that from a political tactic standpoint, he should be protected at this moment from being pushed into these most radical demonstrations, because he will not expand his voter base in this way.” https://premium.wprost.pl/10352578/aleksander-kwasniewski-dla-wprost-nie-poszedlbym-na-protest-lgbt-w-sprawie-margot.html -- THEY ARE PRIMARILY HARMING THEIR OWN CAUSE - GRZEGORZ WSZOŁEK IN NIEZALEŻNA: “They compare themselves to the persecuted opposition in Belarus. They want not so much tolerance, but affirmation. And moreover, instead of using the power of argument, they are increasingly resorting to the argument of force. With insults, attacks on ideological opponents, and clashes with the police, LGBT activists from the organization with the perverted name “Stop the bullshit” are primarily harming their own cause.” -- I DON'T CARE AS LONG AS SOMEONE DOESN'T INVADE MY SPACE OF FREEDOM - WSZOŁEK CONTINUES: “As long as someone like that does not violate my space of freedom, I don't care. I accept difference as it is. It's not a problem to cooperate with such a person, perform services for them, live in the same building, etc. But when Margot and their companions shout: “to arms!”, treat attacking others as good entertainment, and intend to clash with the police, then my freedom is threatened. Ordinary human tolerance, so necessary in life, would inevitably turn into blind affirmation and indifference.” -- IS THIS REPERTOIRE CONSISTENT WITH THE NARRATIVE OF MUTUAL RESPECT, WHICH THE RAINBOW FLAG SUPPOSEDLY SYMBOLIZES? - WSZOŁEK CONTINUES: “And as they and their supportive celebrities claim, fascism has supposedly arrived because the police arrested the most aggressive thugs in the center of Warsaw. “F*** you, you c***,” “you’re a c***,” “militsiya” – the crowd shouted, and some brave souls jumped onto a police car for entertainment. Is this repertoire consistent with the narrative of mutual respect and love, which the rainbow flag supposedly symbolizes? Is this how people who are truly oppressed by the state behave, or rather those who – as they themselves claim on social media – want to “tear down the rule of law”?” -- WSZOŁEK ON THE SAME JUDGE REGARDING ŚPIEWAK, WHO WAS CALLED A TROUBLEMAKER - WSZOŁEK CONTINUES: “Let me remind you that it is precisely the same judge who granted the prosecutor's motion, ordering a two-month arrest for Margot, who sentenced the social activist Jan Śpiewak to prison. Back then, Śpiewak could, however, hear from the same circles that he is a troublemaker, that he constantly slanders, and since he is asking the president for a pardon, he is a useful idiot for PiS. Fortune turns, and all around is merry.” https://m.niezalezna.pl/345751-rewolucja-niebinarna-na-ulicach -- JACEK KARNOWSKI ON A NEW TOTALITARIAN MODEL: “Perhaps a time is coming when – as during the harshest communism – only solitary, heroic resistance will be possible. But it has not yet arrived. We can still fight, resist. We must do so, defending fundamental matters: the connection between word and reality. The connection between reason and thought. Defending the right to call things by their name. Defending our minds against this great manipulation. A great roller has entered Poland, and it wants to homogenize everything according to a new totalitarian model. These are powerful forces, hating freedom, family, faith, patriotism. Forces that want to produce wounded, unhappy people, incapable of independent life, of independent action. They want to produce people that Orwell's Big Brother dreamed of. We must fight for our humanity. We must fight for every inch of ground. To the end. Because who will we be if they force us to say that “Margot is a woman”? We will be slaves.” https://wpolityce.pl/spoleczenstwo/513121-kim-bedziemy-jesli-powiemy-ze-margot-jest-kobieta -- KACZYŃSKI IS ARRANGING THE PARTY FOR MORAWIECKI - AGATA KONDZIŃSKA'S CONVERSATION PARTNER IN GW: “The portal wp.pl unofficially reported that regional structures would be managed by “people not holding any significant political positions in Warsaw, either in the government or possibly in parliament.” Some of our interlocutors say they have heard about the idea of establishing a corps of young activists who would manage regions from PiS headquarters at Nowogrodzka Street. – No decisions have been made, and we already have an organizational office at Nowogrodzka that contacts our activists in the field – says one politician belonging to the so-called “PC Order.” This is an influential group of activists within PiS; they have been with Kaczyński since his first party – Porozumienie Centrum (Centre Agreement). It is they who are looking unfavorably upon the party's rejuvenation. Signals of dissatisfaction are also coming from the Ziobro camp. The circle of Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro fears that Mateusz Morawiecki's entourage will benefit from the changes. – I spoke with a Ziobro supporter, he plainly said that Kaczyński is arranging the party for Morawiecki. It's no wonder they are afraid, and rightly so – says our interlocutor from the ruling camp.” -- THE COURSE WILL NOT CHANGE AS LONG AS KACZYŃSKI IS AT THE HELM - ANOTHER CONVERSATION PARTNER OF KONDZIŃSKA: “When I hear that the prime minister is an alien body in the party, I can only laugh. PiS with Morawiecki has won four elections, and one gains a position in the party through campaigns – says a person from the prime minister's entourage. In his opinion, the prime minister has enough people in the party among deputy ministers and MPs. – We are not preparing to take over PiS, because we don't have to – he adds. Another says: - Zbyszek Ziobro has been the dauphin for so many years that he will go mad if Kaczyński now anoints someone as his successor. But don't worry, he won't do that. He will observe the internal disputes so that at the right moment he can cut down the one who grows too tall. The party's course will also not change as long as he is at the helm.” https://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,26202579,jaroslaw-kaczynski-chce-odmlodzic-pis-ziobrysci.html -- THE PRIME MINISTER IS ON THE AMERICANS' SIDE REGARDING 5G - JACEK GĄDEK IN GAZETA.PL: “Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is loudly advocating for the exclusion of Chinese companies from building 5G networks in Poland and Europe. However, there is a hidden discord within his government, as ministers of agriculture and foreign affairs, in particular, fear an open dispute with China if the government signs a declaration with the US on excluding Chinese technology in the construction of this network.” https://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,26203093,skrywany-rozdzwiek-w-rzadzie-przed-wizyta-mike-a-pompeo-powod.html -- ŁUKASCHENKO'S PROJECT IS LIKE THE YEARS OF STAGNATION UNDER BREZHNEV - ADAM MICHNIK IN A CONVERSATION WITH SŁAWOMIR SIERAKOWSKI: “Namely, Lukashenko's project is essentially the equivalent of what was said about the Brezhnev era in Soviet times – that these were years of stagnation. And on the one hand, of course, these years of stagnation are on a much higher or different level than in Soviet times, but the fact is that I was in Minsk not so long ago, and I heard more complaints about the lack of democracy than about the economic situation. Of course, I was talking to democrats. And they even rebuked me when I tried to rationalize and show the ambiguity of Lukashenko's policy. To which they said that from the perspective of a Warsaw intellectual, I might be right, but they walk in different shoes. And today I must say that they were one hundred percent right, because those who push the world forward are always right, not those who try to stop them by saying you can't turn the Vistula river with a stick.” -- A COLLECTIVE FARM SCHEMER - MICHNIK CONTINUES ABOUT LUKASHENKO: “Yes. I met him. You know, it's very difficult to say something about a person you talked to for 2.5–3 hours. He is a sort of collective farm village schemer who is also a hooligan. A ruffian, so to speak. And therefore, he has no scruples. I was told in Kyiv, I don't know how true it is, but as an anecdote it's good – Lukashenko's conversation with Poroshenko before the elections. 'Petro, are you having any trouble with the elections? Send me the chairman of the election commission for two weeks. I'll tell him how it's done.' The problem isn't that he said it, but that he didn't even blush with shame for a second afterward. He considers this a completely normal practice, and everything that is said in the world about the rule of law, European values, human rights, that it's all a sham, a smokescreen. That real politics is what he practices. He is a man who had ambitions to be the Tsar of All Russia, and for him, the saddest day was the day when Yeltsin announced that Putin was coming in his place. And since then, his relationship with Putin has been, to put it mildly, rocky. I have watched and read brutal attacks on Lukashenko many times in Russian state media, they mocked his primitivism and so on. But I have also heard statements from him that Putin treats Belarusians worse than Hitler once did.” -- THE PIS GOVERNMENT'S POSITION IS GOOD AND HONEST - MICHNIK CONTINUES: “The statement issued by our PiS minister was very good, unambiguous, honest, firm, stating that the Lukashenko regime is separated from civil society, in short, it said as if Sławomir Sierakowski had written it for him. In my mouth, this is a compliment, and I rarely have the opportunity to say something good about the ministers of the Kaczyński regime's government.” https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/bialorus-po-wyborach-prezydenckich-michnik-poznalem-lukaszenke-to-chytry-zulik-wywiad/6jthn27,79cfc278 -- THE TRIUMVIRATE OF WOMEN WILL NO LONGER PLAY A LEADERSHIP ROLE - MAREK BUDZISZ IN NOWA KONFEDERACJA: “The Belarusian society is rebelling, demanding change, but it lacks political leadership. The triumvirate of women, led by Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, has not played – and it seems, will not play – such a role anymore.” https://nowakonfederacja.pl/na-bialorusi-nie-bedzie-politycznego-dialogu -- LET THE FAILED BREXIT BE A WARNING TO POLISH EUROPHOBES - RADOSŁAW SIKORSKI IN AN ARTICLE FOR LIBERTE: “For four years after the decision to leave the EU, the British changed two prime ministers, several ministers responsible for talks with Brussels, the opposition leader, and went to parliamentary elections twice. But in 2020, we still don't know what the future of Great Britain outside the Union will look like. However, it is known that four months before the end of the transition period, Great Britain faces customs barriers with its largest trading partner – the EU, and its second-largest partner, the United States. It is also certain that none of the promises of regaining dignity, standing up from our knees, and building a “global Britain” or a “Singapore on the Thames” have materialized. And there is no indication that things will get better in the near future. Although we will likely not know the full negative consequences of Brexit until a decade from now, it should already serve as a warning to Polish europhobes. The example of Great Britain shows – not for the first time – that nationalists usually harm the nation.” https://liberte.pl/brexit-i-co-dalej/ -- IT'S A SHAME IT'S NOT BODNAR FOREVER - EWA SIEDLECKA IN POLITYKA: “PiS must come to an agreement with the opposition because the ombudsman chosen by the Sejm must be approved by the Senate. Adam Bodnar will continue to hold office. It's a shame it's not forever.” https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/spoleczenstwo/1967244,1,bodnar-forever-pis-ma-klopot-z-nastepca-rpo.read -- MICHAŁ KOLANKO ON THE SCENARIO WITH AN ACTING OMBUDSMAN - WRITES IN RZ: “It may turn out that the United Right will be unable to fill the position for the next few months. In this way, Adam Bodnar would remain the Ombudsman. And there isn't practically a day when PiS or Solidarna Polska politicians don't call for Bodnar to take action or criticize his decisions. Just on Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Justice Marcin Romanowski appealed for the Ombudsman to take action to defend the former CEO of Radio Nowy Świat, Piotr Jedliński. The idea of bypassing a potential Senate blockade is circulating in the corridors. PiS could change the law and appoint its candidate as acting ombudsman. In this way, the United Right camp would effectively gain control over this institution without an agreement with the Senate.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/308129907-W-Zjednoczonej-Prawicy-targi-o-rzecznika-praw-obywatelskich.html -- TODAY AT 13:30 MASS FOR THE HEALTH OF HENRYK WUJEC. St. Martin's Church on Piwna Street. -- PHOTO. Olga Boznańska, 1890, oil on canvas, 235 x 180 cm, owned by the National Museum in Warsaw, photo: MNW -- Contemporary interpretations of Olga Boznańska's oeuvre are contextualized and reinterpreted through feminist theories. The artist's exceptionally successful career for her time prompts researchers to ask questions about the social and artistic conditions of her work and yields interesting analyses of the artist's biography against the backdrop of her era's customs. The obstacles Boznańska had to face were shared by many women creating at the time. What set the painter apart was her access to education in Munich, the opportunity for foreign travel, and ultimately settling permanently in Paris. Boznańska's painting is also interpreted in the context of the problem of corporeality. Joanna Sosnowska built her interpretation of the artist's work based on the observation of the “lack of body” in her painted representations of figures. Shrouded in voluminous draperies, painted impasto, with bold brushstrokes, human figures seem to drown in matter – both their own clothes and purely painterly matter. The researcher linked this artistic phenomenon to the painter's biography, in which tragic, though not unambiguously defined, childhood events allegedly caused problems with accepting her own body. These found a clear reflection in her work, where the absence of body representation is a sign of repressed trauma. Sosnowska finds only a few exceptional examples of Boznańska's works where the model's physicality is clearly exposed. However, the monumental work “In the Orangery” is omitted in this interpretation, a depiction of a young girl, exceptionally provocative for reflections on corporeality, which can even be considered the main subject of the painting. https://culture.pl/pl/dzielo/olga-boznanska-w-oranzerii-w-cieplarni -- BIRTHDAYS: Bronisław Korfanty, Ryszard Czarny, Maciej H. Grabowski, Beata Maciejewska, Magda Sakowska.