-- TUSK: GOOD CANNOT BE POWERLESS - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2024/02/17/ -- SUPPORTING UKRAINE IS POLAND'S BEST INVESTMENT IN ITS OWN SECURITY, BUT REALITY IS GRIM, AS BLOCKADES BY "DECEIVED FARMERS" HAVE RETURNED TO THE POLISH-UKRAINIAN BORDER, AIDED BY AUTHORITIES AT ALL LEVELS - MIROSŁAW CZECH IN GW: “Supporting Ukraine is Poland's best investment in its own security, because as long as Putin's armies are bogged down in Ukrainian steppes, others can prepare for hour 'W'. And such declarations are made by Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Minister Radosław Sikorski, and Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz. However, reality is grim, as blockades by "deceived farmers" have returned to the Polish-Ukrainian border, aided by authorities at all levels. The blockades are to last until March 9, meaning that in four months (counting from November 6, when 30-70 carriers blocked the border), only for 3.5 weeks has freight traffic to and from Ukraine proceeded without obstruction. And since the suspension of the carriers' action lasts only until March 1, it is likely that their action will resume after this date.” -- I AM TYPING IN KYIV, UNDER WHICH ROCKET FRAGMENTS AND DRONES, AS WELL AS HYPERSONIC MISSILES, ARE FALLING. THIS SHARPENS JUDGMENT AND THE NECESSITY OF MAKING ASSESSMENTS WITHOUT REGARD TO DIPLOMATIC CONVENTIONS - MIROSŁAW CZECH CONTINUES IN GW: “I will write about the situation at the border and the demands of the 'deceived farmers' as clearly as possible, because I have known many politicians from the current coalition for years, including from work on the agriculture committee in the Sejm. I am typing in Kyiv, under which rocket fragments and drones, as well as hypersonic missiles, are falling. This sharpens judgment and the necessity of making assessments without regard to diplomatic conventions, sympathies or antipathies towards the parties in the political conflict in Poland, and their electoral interests.” -- DEPUTY MINISTER KOŁODZIEJCZAK IS INCITING AGAINST UKRAINIANS LIKE A HIRED GUN - CZECH CONTINUES: “The Deputy Minister is inciting against Ukrainians like a hired gun. Last year, the prosecutor's office conducted 100 investigations into the import of technical grain from Ukraine, which was allegedly intended for consumption. After conducting nearly 300 inspections, only one such case was discovered, and even then, no flour was made from that grain.” -- KOŁODZIEJCZAK DISREGARDS LAW, THE STATE, AND THE ELEMENTARY REQUIREMENTS FOR A HIGH-LEVEL STATE OFFICIAL - MIROSŁAW CZECH WRITES FURTHER: “Kołodziejczak disregards law, the state, and the elementary requirements for a high-level state official. He is a clinical example of a populist, demagogue, and agricultural lobbyist. His chilling tales about the harm to Poles' health due to the threat from food from Ukraine are a repetition of Jarosław Kaczyński's words about 'parasites and protozoa in the bodies of refugees'.” -- THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE "EXCESSIVE INFLUX OF AGRICULTURAL GOODS FROM UKRAINE" IS BUILT ON INACCURACIES, HALF-TRUTHS, AND OUTRIGHT LIES - CZECH WRITES: “Let's summarize. The campaign against the 'excessive influx of agricultural goods from Ukraine' is built on inaccuracies, half-truths, and outright lies. Ukrainian grain is not flooding into Poland and will not return here anytime soon. Because the current government's preferred option is to indefinitely extend the embargo on grain and extend it to other products from Ukraine.” -- I AM SURPRISED BY THE COINCIDENCE IN THE TIMING OF TRUMP'S STATEMENTS, PUTIN'S ABROGATION OF THE GRAIN AGREEMENT, AND THE BORDER BLOCKADE BY KONFEDERACJA - MIROSŁAW CZECH'S CONCLUSION IN GW: “The current blockade has coincided with Trump's attack on aid to Ukraine, his undermining of NATO's existence, and his encouragement for Putin to continue his aggression. As well as the Russian dictator's offer to Americans to forget about supporting Ukraine, which was meant to further influence Republicans in Congress. I will not write about how these facts affect Ukrainians and their determination to resist aggression. Nor how the blockade of their border by Polish farmers and the government affects them – because it is known that it affects them terribly. Which only benefits Russia.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,30698047,ukraincy-sprzedaja-polsce-zboze-techniczne-przeprowadzono-300.html -- RUSSIA PROBABLY ONLY HAS THE ATOMIC BOMB LEFT TO THROW AT A CITY FULL OF CIVILIANS - JERZY HASZCZYŃSKI IN RZ: “Will we realize that Putin has crossed the reddest of red lines? Unlikely. With all due respect to Alexei Navalny – his death is not something that could not have been expected from those ruling Russia. Murdering political opponents is not foreign to Russia, and it has a long tradition there. In reality, Moscow crossed many blood-red lines long ago, provoking a great war, murdering residents of cities, towns, and villages, abducting thousands of Ukrainian children. It probably only has the atomic bomb left to throw at a city full of civilians.” -- WHAT COULD THE WEST THEREFORE DO, HAVING FURTHER PROOF THAT PUTIN IS CAPABLE OF ANYTHING? - HASZCZYŃSKI CONTINUES: “Above all, it could help Ukraine reclaim occupied lands, tighten the noose of sanctions around Moscow's neck, and arm itself so that Putin or his successor would not even consider further imperial conquests. However, this is also doubtful. Especially now, immediately.” https://www.rp.pl/opinie-polityczno-spoleczne/art39857311-jerzy-haszczynski-putin-nadal-moze-wszystko-a-co-moze-mu-zrobic-zachod-za-smierc-aleksieja-nawalnego -- EUROPE IS NOT HELPLESS. IT HAS A CHANCE TO REPEL RUSSIA'S AGGRESSION, EVEN WITH LIMITED US PARTICIPATION - MICHAŁ PIEKARSKI IN OKO.PRESS: “Despite noticeable limitations, especially in the ability to penetrate air defenses, there is potential that exceeds Russian capabilities, burdened by many deficits and further severely impaired during the war in Ukraine. The mere presence of Western fighter jets and the ability to carry out strikes – including with cruise missiles – would be a significant factor limiting Russia's operational capabilities in the event of a conflict. From this perspective, the money spent for decades on maintaining – and already weaker than during the Cold War – military aviation, as well as on research and development programs and the production of European fighter jets, is a good and profitable investment in security.” -- TRUMP'S WORDS SHOULD BE TREATED AS A VULGARIZED FORM OF THE PROBLEM LONG RAISED DIPLOMATICALLY BY OBAMA - PIEKARSKI CONTINUES IN OKO: “In this context, Trump's words should be treated as a vulgarized form of the problem long raised diplomatically. Back in 2016, Barack Obama, during a visit to Great Britain, pointed out that all NATO member states should fulfill their commitments regarding defense budgets.” https://oko.press/europa-nie-jest-bezbronna-ma-szanse-odeprzec-agresje-rosji -- A VERY SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE POLISH RIGHT PRAISES A MAN WHO HAS BEEN HELPING PUTIN MURDER UKRAINIANS AND DESTROY THE UKRAINIAN STATE FOR MANY MONTHS - CEZARY MICHALSKI IN INTERIA: “A very significant part of the Polish right praises a man who has been helping Putin murder Ukrainians and destroy the Ukrainian state for many months. They praise a man who, by blackmailing Republican politicians with the withdrawal of their support in the upcoming elections, has effectively blocked US military aid to Ukraine. They praise and build a positive image of a man due to whom tired and decimated Ukrainian soldiers under Avdiivka or on the Dnieper have to count every bullet.” -- THE PRAISES OF THE POLISH RIGHT TOWARDS TRUMP DO NOT TERRIFY ME AS AN "ENEMY OF THE RIGHT" OR A "KNOWN LEFTIST". THEY WORRY ME AS A SYMPTOM OF STUPIDITY, FANATICISM, OR SHORT-SIGHTED CYNICISM - MICHALSKI CONTINUES IN INTERIA: “The praises of the Polish right towards Trump do not terrify me as an 'enemy of the right' or a 'known leftist.' They worry me as a symptom of stupidity, fanaticism, or short-sighted cynicism, because the Polish right is one of the most important forces that govern the Polish state or have a very real influence on Polish politics. The wisdom of such a formation would be salvation for Poland; its toxicity is a real threat to the Polish state. To be even more precise. Given the choice between Reagan, Bush (especially Bush Sr.), the late John McCain, even Romney or Rubio, and on the other side Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez (typical American leftists who hate their own country, consider the liberal West as 'the last colonial power that must be destroyed,' and feel sincere sympathy for Nicaragua and Cuba), I would unhesitatingly support Reagan, Bush, McCain, Romney, or Rubio.” -- THE RUSSIAN ARMY AND RUSSIAN INFLUENCE AGENTS WILL THEN STAND AT THE BORDERS OF POLAND AND THE BALTIC STATES, AND WILL ALSO BECOME ACTIVE IN THE CENTER AND WEST OF EUROPE - MICHALSKI CONTINUES: “The Russian army and Russian influence agents will then stand at the borders of Poland and the Baltic states, and will also become active in the center and west of Europe. Having in America not an opponent in Trump, who for decades defended Europe against Russian expansion, but an ally who, during the first four years of his presidency, treated Europe as a geopolitical enemy to be destroyed, even hand in hand with Putin.” https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-czy-polska-prawica-musi-chwalic-trumpa,nId,7335688 -- IN TRUTH, THIS IS A DISPUTE OVER NATIONAL AMBITIONS – WHAT ARE WE, AS POLES, WILLING TO EMBARK ON - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: “The young people who are so actively discussing the CPK today are from the generation that believes the state should move forward. It is obvious to them that it should be modern. That since we can have an ID card on our phones, perhaps we should enter the 21st century in infrastructure as well. These young people expect Poland to undertake ambitious plans that will define – as Wittgenstein said – the limits of our imagination. And it doesn't even have to be this Central Communication Port, but at least another project created by the effort (as Kennedy said) of the entire national community. A project that will improve our lives in some aspect and make us proud.” https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art39847221-jakie-ambicje-takie-inwestycje-co-mowi-nam-o-polsce-spor-o-cpk -- POWER TOO CLOSE TO CITIZENS CAN BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO CRONYISM, NEPOTISM, LOCAL DEALS, BUT POWER TOO FAR FROM PEOPLE IS IMPERVIOUS TO ANYTHING - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN RZ: “As I watched the hours-long reports from the farmers' 'occupation' of Brussels, the thought that struck me most was the alienation of legal norms and political goals in such a behemoth as the EU. Power that is too close to citizens can be susceptible to cronyism, nepotism, and local deals, but power that is too far from people is impervious to anything. When farmers protested against their governments' policies, there was some form of communication. Decisions from Brussels today appear abstract, not consulted with those they concern.” -- THIS FORCES TUSK INTO A POLITICAL SLALOM: BETWEEN EU CORRECTNESS AND BUYING SUPPORT FROM AT LEAST A FRACTION OF THE RURAL MINORITY - ZAREMBA CONTINUES: “This forces Tusk into a political slalom: between EU correctness and buying support from at least a fraction of the rural minority. After all, he didn't hastily cobble together a 'rural leg' led by Michał Kołodziejczak just to bury all those efforts. But it won't be easy. For now, it's primarily a prospect of an eternal game of delay. With an unknown outcome. Incidentally, he has never had consistent views on this matter either.” https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art39847351-donalda-tuska-slalom-na-wsi-ile-unijnej-poprawnosci-ile-gestow-wobec-rolnikow -- THE SMOKE OF FARMERS' PROTESTS OBSCURES THE POLITICAL SKY ACROSS THE ENTIRE EU. MAINSTREAM PARTIES ARE RACING WITH THE FAR-RIGHT - PAULINA PACUŁA IN OKO.PRESS: “The center-right of the European People's Party also maintains its support. But this is mainly because the EPP has been speaking the language of the far-right for several months now – on many issues, including migration. The political leadership of the group, which includes Civic Platform and PSL from Poland, has realized the negative effects that voting on subsequent elements of the European Green Deal could have for parties within this group. One of the alarm bells is precisely the farmers' protests. This is why the EPP boycotted one of the European Green Deal votes back in July 2023 (the Nature Restoration Directive), provoking outrage from its partners from the S&D and the Renew Europe liberals.” https://oko.press/protesty-rolnikow-skrajna-prawica-wybory -- PEOPLE FROM PiS ARE CALLING THEIR ACQUAINTANCES IN CIVIC COALITION AND THIRD WAY POLITICS ASKING TO CHECK WITH THE SERVICES IF THEIR PHONES WERE INFECTED WITH PEGASUS - DOMINIKA WIELOWIEYSKA IN GW: “Former MPs who were not on the electoral lists for the Sejm believe that this is the result of eavesdropping that was reported on Nowogrodzka Street. People from PiS are calling their acquaintances in Civic Coalition and Third Way politics asking to check with the services if their phones were infected with Pegasus. A narrow group of people has this information, and it's hard to determine what is true and what is not from the leaks. But it is certain that there are PiS politicians on the list whose names have not been officially revealed. This was confirmed by the plenipotentiary for special services, Tomasz Siemoniak.” -- MANY PEOPLE IN PiS FEEL THAT THEIR FATE DEPENDS ON THE GOODWILL OF DONALD TUSK'S GOVERNMENT - WIELOWIEYSKA CONTINUES IN GW: “At least some names will probably be officially revealed only during the deliberations of the Pegasus investigative committee, which will begin its work on Monday. Why hasn't this list been revealed so far? The services must first select those individuals against whom there are no serious accusations, no other operational actions are being conducted, and who are not the subject of prosecutorial proceedings. They must also absolutely protect the privacy of the individuals being surveilled and ensure that materials not serving criminal prosecution are destroyed. This does not change the fact that many people in PiS feel that their fate depends on the goodwill of Donald Tusk's government.” -- INFORMATION ON THE VISA SCANDAL ONLY LEAKED IN SEPTEMBER AND TURNED INTO AN AVALANCHE AT THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN, CONTRIBUTING TO PiS'S DEFEAT. IT MAY BE SIMILAR WITH PEGASUS - WIELOWIEYSKA STATES IN GW: “The reflections within PiS regarding the impact of the visa scandal on the election results of October 15 are interesting. One politician presented a hypothesis in an interview with 'Wyborcza' that if the Morawiecki government had detonated the scandal bomb in the spring, when the services and prosecutor's office went into battle, the ruling party would have had time to neutralize the effects of the catastrophe. The government had information about this from US intelligence as early as 2022. One of the perpetrators of the scandal, Edgar K., was detained as early as April 2023, and earlier, in March, the services detained other suspects. But at that time, an attempt was made to sweep everything under the rug. This strategy backfired in the fall. Information on this matter only leaked in September and turned into an avalanche at the end of the campaign, contributing to the PiS government's defeat. It may be similar with Pegasus.” https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,30706647,ludzie-pis-dzwonia-do-znajomych-z-ko-i-trzeciej-drogi-mozecie.html -- BIRTHDAYS: Ludwik Turko, Marek Beylin, Łukasz Adamski, Krzysztof Kosiński, Joanna Skrzydlewska. SUNDAY: Grzegorz Schetyna.