-- DWORCZYK ON MASKS IN THE LAW, KUKIZ ON GIERYCH'S MODESTY - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2020/10/16/ -- RZECZPOSPOLITA ON THE NATURE OF ACCUSATIONS AGAINST GIERYCH - INVESTIGATION SINCE 2017, RESULT OF MONTHS OF FINANCIAL ANALYSIS - GRAŻYNA ZAWADKA AND IZABELA KACPRZAK IN RZ: “According to our unofficial information, some of the accusations concern the management of Polnord buying plots of land in Wielkopolska for housing estate construction at inflated prices. However, the largest sum allegedly siphoned from the company through bills of exchange – PLN 70 million – relates to an investment in Warsaw's Wilanów district. – The investigation has been ongoing since 2017, as a result of, among other things, an audit within the company. The evidence of the crime is the result of months of financial analyses conducted by the Central Anticorruption Bureau – a source tells us. Stock exchange reports indicate that the company generated high profits at that time – unlike other companies belonging to the Tricity businessman Ryszard K. Roman Giertych was his permanent advisor. He was allegedly directing the handling of transactions that we have deemed to bear the hallmarks of transferring funds to other companies, including abroad – says our interlocutor.” -- THE PROSECUTION WILL LOSE OUT ON GIERYCH'S ABSENCE AT CZARNECKI'S ARREST HEARING - ZAWADKA AND KACPRZAK CONTINUE IN RZ: “The prosecution will lose out on Advocate Giertych's absence at Czarnecki's arrest hearing, and Giertych's client, Czarnecki, will gain, as a warrant for his arrest will not be issued. Now, with one of the defenders absent (the other is Advocate Dubois), the court session may be adjourned, and the decision on whether to arrest Czarnecki will be postponed. – We knew nothing about actions commissioned by the Poznań prosecutor's office – we hear from the Warsaw prosecutor's office.” https://www.rp.pl/Sluzby-mundurowe/201019541-Zatrzymanie-Giertycha-Wielkie-przestepstwo-czy-polityczna-awantura.html -- JAN ŚPIEWAK ON THE GIERYCH CASE AND THE REACTION OF THE "ELITES": “Roman Giertych was known for playing hardball. He wasn't afraid to pass judgment and accuse people. 13 years ago, he spoke of disgusting pederasts, was friends with Tadeusz Rydzyk, and 7 years ago, he wanted to buy the rights to Kulczyk's unpublished biography to extort money from him for keeping it from the public. The controversial lawyer found support from the most important people in Civic Platform: he became, among other things, the personal representative of the Tusk family. In my case, he gained access to court-sealed documents and decided that for revealing the role of Minister Cwiąkalski's daughter, I should clean streets for a year. Yesterday, Giertych was detained in accordance with the prosecutor's order. Agents, in the presence of representatives of the District Bar Association, searched his home. When Giertych felt unwell, an ambulance arrived immediately. Everything was done according to the rules of legal practice and the rule of law. The charges reportedly concern money laundering and siphoning funds from companies owned by Ryszard Krauze, who was a friend of Lech Kaczyński. Giertych allegedly helped him launder tens of millions of zlotys. Immediately, voices arose claiming this was a political prisoner, revenge for actions against the PiS government. So far, there is no shadow of proof for this. It is true that the Polish state and its institutions are extremely politicized and appropriated by the ruling party. It is true that PiS often shows strength towards the weak (especially when they are representatives of the LGBT community), but very rarely towards the strong. Based solely on my documents and notifications, many people could be led away in handcuffs from the Warsaw City Hall. Unfortunately, nothing is happening in these cases. The reactions of some of the opposition are unbelievable. They show that the state no longer exists. There are tribes and the leaders of these tribes. The Polish intelligentsia, as I have written many times, is a parasitic class that maintains its power in the country thanks to the media and symbolic capital. In Poland, the biggest thief will get the protection of one tribe because he said Kaczyński is an idiot, and another said Tusk is a thief.” https://www.facebook.com/705826532/posts/10157356818836533/?extid=0&d=n -- NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW, REGARDLESS OF POSITION, INFLUENCE, AND CONNECTIONS - TOMASZ SAKIEWICZ: “The point is not to fill the prisons now, but to ensure elementary justice. As well as to show Poles that no one is above the law and everyone who commits crimes, regardless of their position, influence, and connections, will eventually have to answer for them.” https://niezalezna.pl/358004-ruszyl-program-cela-plus -- EVERYTHING MUST BE DONE TO ENSURE SCHOOLS OPERATE - JACEK KARNOWSKI: “The government is now speaking quite openly that it is fighting not so much to drive the virus out of the country – which has not succeeded anywhere – but to ensure the healthcare system's capacity while also caring for the economy. This is obviously the only possible strategy today, taking into account medical knowledge, needs, and social sentiment. Fortunately, the government is not closing primary schools. This is right, because one thing must be remembered in this regard: schools, once closed, cannot be quickly reopened. With this level of public concern, parents will not send their children, and a large portion of teachers will refuse to work. The opposition and its media will ensure that hysteria is whipped up around this issue. Therefore, if schools are working, everything possible must be done to keep them working. Especially since the closure of educational institutions, particularly primary schools, determines whether we have a de facto lockdown or not. If children do not attend school, a large portion of adults either cannot work or work to a limited extent.” https://wpolityce.pl/polityka/522205-pamietajmy-szkol-raz-zamknietych-szybko-nie-otworzymy -- NEGATIONISM STEMS NOT FROM POVERTY OR LACK OF EDUCATION, BUT FROM HELPLESSNESS AND LACK OF CONTROL - ADAM LESZCZYŃSKI IN KRYTYKA POLITYCZNA: “Twenty years ago, Africans were dying of AIDS, and Europeans were tapping their foreheads hearing about African conspiracy theories concerning the epidemic. Today, Europeans en masse believe in the most foolish fantasies about the coronavirus. Negationism stems not from poverty or lack of education, but from helplessness and lack of control. Negationism clearly has much deeper roots. I suspect it is essentially a reaction to a feeling of helplessness. Suddenly, an invisible virus appears, turning life upside down. There is no war, no alien invasion, houses and factories stand as they did, but millions of people lose their jobs, and the lives of many others change beyond recognition. In the face of this catastrophe, a person can feel helpless. Negationism is therefore an attempt to regain a sense of control in a world that does not yield to it. I even somewhat understand it: not everyone easily tolerates helplessness.” https://krytykapolityczna.pl/swiat/leszczynski-dlaczego-tak-wielu-ludzi-wierzy-w-koronabzdury/ -- UNLIKELY THAT PiS WILL LOSE ELECTORAL SUPPORT IN THE COUNTRYSIDE - WIKTOR ŚWIETLIK IN WP: “Every government has faced farmer protests, and it is unlikely that PiS will lose electoral support from this social group. Unless it tries very hard.” -- POLES LOVE ANIMALS, WE HAVE THE MOST IN EUROPE - ŚWIETLIK CONTINUES: “The most high-profile media business, 'mink farming,' which has become a symbol of the conflict between PiS and some agricultural producers, is actually a tiny drop in the ocean of Polish agricultural production. Ritual slaughter also does not play such a significant role in it, although it is not as insignificant as claimed by proponents of the complete liquidation of this – admittedly cruel – form of killing animals for meat. Other issues remain, such as the case of chained dogs, whose fate evokes widespread social pity. Because Poles generally love animals. There are about 15 million dogs and cats kept in Polish households, making us, proportionally, a European leader. The value of the veterinary industry is also growing rapidly, and malicious tongues have often said for years, not without reason, that Poles are willing to spend more on treating a four-legged friend than on rehabilitating their grandparents.” -- UNLIKELY THE COUNTRYSIDE WILL PERMANENTLY FALL OUT WITH PiS - ŚWIETLIK CONTINUES: “And will the countryside permanently fall out with PiS? Unlikely. Firstly, because it owes them a lot. Social transfers, co-financing systems implemented by Morawiecki's team, support for volunteer fire brigades, community centers, women's farmer groups. Finally, and importantly, a closer value system (declared rather than represented by many politicians), based on tradition, respect for the religious community, and family. At the same time, conflict with the countryside should be something the authorities should avoid at all costs. The self-sufficiency of the Polish economy proved to be very important during the COVID-19 crisis. The small and medium-sized farms that dominate in Poland, once ridiculed, are now treated worldwide as the future. Specialized producers of high-quality food.” https://www.wp.pl/?s=https://opinie.wp.pl/wiktor-swietlik-pis-i-wies-sa-na-siebie-skazane-opinia-6564230968015520a&src01=f1e45&c=336 -- DESPITE HUGE RESOURCES, BUDKA'S PARTY HASN'T PRESENTED A CLEAR ALTERNATIVE TO PiS NOR SHOWN AN ABILITY TO PREDICT TRENDS - MICHAŁ KOLANKO IN RZ: “KO has just finished its internal elections, but no one is under any illusion that the opposition to Budka and Tomczyk will not disappear in the coming months and years. It was precisely KO that was hit hardest by the story of pay raises for parliamentarians, and despite huge resources, Budka's party has still not presented a clear alternative to PiS's vision, nor has it shown an ability to predict important future socio-political trends.” -- THE PEASANTS SPOKE OF A MARCH ON THE CITIES, BUT ARE RETURNING FOR THE ELECTORATE OF SMALL-TOWN POLAND, THE LEFT HAS NO ORIGINAL NARRATIVE ON ANY PRESSING ISSUE - KOLANKO CONTINUES: “Taking control of the Senate proved important in a time of crisis, but the Senate did not become an alternative center of power as a result. KO is more focused on reacting to PiS's actions than on creating political facts. Since 2015, there have been few of those. Parliamentary elections gave wings to the Polish People's Party (PSL) and The Left. The Peasants spoke of a march towards the urban electorate, and The Left, after returning to the Sejm and Adrian Zandberg's speech countering Morawiecki's exposé, had imperial plans. A year later, after the presidential elections, the Peasants want to win back the small-town Polish electorate thanks to the animal protection law, and The Left must contend with the fact that it has no original narrative on any pressing issue. PiS is flanking them on social matters, and other parties or Hołownia's movement – on environmental issues, community building, and more.” https://www.rp.pl/Polityka/201019545-Minal-rok-od-wyborow-12-miesiecy-wielkiej-niepewnosci.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Maciej Wąsik, Tomasz Cimoszewicz, Jerzy Kwieciński, Jarosław Katulski, Zbigniew Dziewulski.