-- 35 YEARS AGO - DECEMBER 28, 1989 - THE SEJM PASSED 10 ACTS CONSTITUTING THE SO-CALLED BALCEROWICZ PLAN. -- THERE ARE EVEN SEVERAL THOUSAND DEALERS IN WARSAW WHO ALSO SERVE WELL-KNOWN JOURNALISTS, WRITERS, ACTORS, OFFICIALS, DOCTORS, POLITICIANS - KATARZYNA JAROCH IN GW: "She saw the positives of living from one weekend party to another. - I met a lot of people. After a year of partying, I knew everyone who was in that circle - she admits. Well-known journalists, writers, actors, officials, but also doctors, sex workers, politicians, and criminals. - It happened that in one apartment there was such a social cross-section that would never have had a chance to be repeated on a city bus," she says. -- PERPETRATORS WERE STILL INVITED TO PARTIES, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SUPPOSEDLY LEFT-WING, SUPPORTIVE COMPANY - EWA SAYS WITH REMORSE - FURTHER IN THE REPORTAGE BY KATARZYNA JAROCH IN GW: "Only then does she become serious during our conversation. She recalls that these drug parties were not all rosy. Sexual harassment, and even attempted rape, occurred there. - But people downplayed it. Perpetrators were still invited to parties, even though it was supposed to be left-wing, supportive company - Ewa says with remorse." https://warszawa.wyborcza.pl/warszawa/7,54420,31558912,tak-cpa-warszawa-siedzimy-w-mieszkaniu-kilka-dni-wciagamy.html -- IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT IT WOULD BE SO MESSED UP BY THE END OF THE YEAR AND THAT A GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE WOULD BOAST ABOUT IT, I WOULD NEVER HAVE BELIEVED IT - KRZYSZTOF STANOWSKI ON X ABOUT THE FLOOD: https://x.com/K_Stanowski/status/1872704488051794397 -- DOMINICANS DEMAND EXPLANATIONS: "Officers allegedly took photographs of the friars' living quarters, and there was also information about the use of official drones in the operation. Police also searched utility rooms but did not enter rooms related to religious worship. Despite this, the Dominicans are demanding an explanation. They announced that they would make every effort to clarify this painful and incomprehensible event through justice." -- THE PRIOR POINTS OUT THE INCONSISTENCY IN THE WORDS OF THE CHIEF COMMANDANT: "In his opinion, searching for Romanowski in the monastery is surprising. As Father Pawlina pointed out, on December 20, an article was published with a statement from the chief of police, Insp. Gen. Marek Boron, for TVN 24. When asked when he knew Romanowski was in Hungary, the Commander replied that 'he was certainly already in Hungary before the court's decision' on pre-trial detention from December 9. - This makes the search even more surprising for us - added the prior." https://polskieradio24.pl/artykul/3464026,prokuratura-ujawnia-kulisy-przeszukania-klasztoru-chodzilo-o-romanowskiego -- IN SIMILAR SITUATIONS, MANY EUROPEAN POLITICIANS - FROM WARSAW, THROUGH COPENHAGEN, TO LONDON - HAVE CHOSEN SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT: COPYING POPULIST RHETORIC - KAROLINA WIGURA IN KULTURA LIBERALNA: "A similar situation can be observed in Germany after 2015, when the intensity of migration exceeded the possibilities of psychological absorption of novelty by individuals. Is there an answer to these events other than voting for populists? Of course. However, this is not an easy path. It is a path of bravely calling social problems by their name, but without abandoning the values that have guided German society since World War II. The way out is therefore courage and values, even at the cost of saying difficult things. Whether German politicians will have them - we will see. However, it should be remembered that in similar situations, many European politicians - from Warsaw, through Copenhagen, to London - have chosen something completely different: copying populist rhetoric." https://kulturaliberalna.pl/2024/12/24/zamach-w-magdeburgu-karolina-wigura-skrajna-prawica-bedzie-silniejsza/ -- IF ADAM MICHNIK VULGARLY INSULTS JOURNALISTS ACCOSTING HIM IN PLAC KONSTYTUCJI, HE IS INFORMING US ABOUT HIS OWN PERSONAL CULTURE. BUT WAS IT WORTH ACCOSTING HIM BECAUSE HE "DRINKS WITH POLITICIANS"? LET HIM WHO IS WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE - PIOTR ZAREMBA IN INTERIA. -- A WORLD WHERE JOURNALISTS AND POLITICIANS DO NOT MEET SOCIALLY IS A WORLD OF SOME IDEAL, EVEN ABSTRACT IMAGINATIONS - WRITES ZAREMBA IN INTERIA: "A world where journalists and politicians do not meet socially is a world of some ideal, even abstract imaginings. If these meetings are fewer than, say, in the very vibrant 90s in this regard, it is because the importance of the media, especially print media, is diminishing." -- I COULD EASILY DO WITHOUT IT, BECAUSE POLITICS DERIVES MUCH MORE FROM HUNDREDS OF OTHER SITUATIONS AND EVENTS - ZAREMBA FURTHER IN INTERIA: "For me, the information that Michnik wants to go to a party with MEP Gasiuk-Pihowicz or with the liquidator of TVP Sygut is an interesting observation of the gossip type. But I could easily do without it, because politics derives much more from hundreds of other situations and events." -- IN THE EVENT THAT THE RIGHT-WING CANDIDATE WINS, THIS GOVERNMENT IS, IN MY OPINION, CAPABLE OF THE MOST ORDINARY TRICKS. SO-CALLED LIBERAL DEMOCRACY CAN TURN INTO ITS OPPOSITE - ZAREMBA FURTHER IN INTERIA: "Of course, there is no ready-made scenario for such an annulment. Because Rafał Trzaskowski can simply win the majority of votes without any tricks. So for now, this is just an element of psychological warfare. But in the event that the right-wing candidate wins, this government is, in my opinion, capable of the most ordinary tricks. So-called liberal democracy can turn into its opposite." https://wydarzenia.interia.pl/felietony/news-w-pogoni-za-michnikiem-naprawde-warto,nId,7882271 -- ACCORDING TO THE AUTHORS OF "STATE OF EXCEPTION," A PRESIDENCY WON BY NAWROCKI WILL LEAD TO THE FALL OF THE GOVERNMENT. THIS IS THE STAKE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ, DOMINIKA DŁUGOSZ, KAMIL DZIUBKA, AND BEATA LUBECKA IN THE ONET PODCAST: "And what will happen if Trzaskowski loses? Besides his personal drama - after all, he won't get another presidential chance - it will be a huge problem for the Prime Minister, the government, and the coalition. If the PiS candidate Karol Nawrocki wins, the government will miss Andrzej Duda even more, who in recent years was able to push back against Kaczyński. Nawrocki, completely politically dependent on PiS, will blindly follow orders from Nowogrodzka - vetoing wholesale and boxing the government so hard that it will be defeated prematurely. To put it bluntly - according to the authors of "Stan Wyjątkowy" (State of Exception), Nawrocki's presidential victory will lead to the fall of the government. This is the stake of the presidential elections." https://www.onet.pl/informacje/onetwiadomosci/podsumowanie-roku-ze-stanem-wyjatkowym-za-kulisami-rzadu-donalda-tuska/j01x2vt,79cfc278 -- BY AGGRESSIVELY PROMOTING PROGRESSIVISM, WE WILL REACH A POINT WHERE IN A FEW YEARS, AT COUNCIL OF EUROPE SESSIONS IN BRUSSELS, PRIME MINISTERS AND PRESIDENTS WILL MEET: LE PEN, BOSAK, ORBÁN - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "And then it turns out that it is permissible to say that it was an exaggeration. Well, since the trend has been negatively verified by American democracy, perhaps there is no need to exaggerate, because by aggressively promoting progressivism, we will reach a point where in a few years, at Council of Europe sessions in Brussels, Prime Ministers and Presidents will meet: Marine Le Pen, Krzysztof Bosak, Viktor Orbán, Alice Weidel (AfD), Santiago Abascal (Vox), and a whole host of leaders of EU states originating from the far-right." -- PROGRESSIVE LEFT WITH WOKE IDEOLOGY IS LIKE HIMILSBACH WITH ENGLISH - FURTHER SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "Not so long ago, it seemed that this first quarter of the 21st century - into the last year of which we are now entering - would witness the triumphant march of social progress. And now, not only has Trump won the elections, but identity-based right-wing groups worldwide are raising their heads, and their activists are gaining the conviction that the time of victory is approaching. The progressive left with woke ideology is like Himilsbach with English." -- THESE DEMANDS HAVE STILL NOT BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE MASSES; RATHER, THEY APPEAR IN THEIR EYES AS THE WHIM OF WEALTHY URBAN ELITES - FURTHER SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "Representatives of the LGBT+ community fighting for their rights are not like the Black descendants of slaves in the American South who have nothing; rather, they are recruited from creative professions, live in larger cities, and often have above-average incomes. The same applies to climate policy. These demands have still not been accepted by the masses; rather, they appear in their eyes as the whim of wealthy urban elites who can afford to buy more ecological food and, instead of an old diesel, purchase a Tesla costing several hundred thousand zlotys with a subsidy from the Ministry of Environment." -- THERE HAS BEEN A COMPLETE ALIENATION OF LIBERAL ELITES FROM MORE CONSERVATIVE MASSES - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI STILL IN RZ: "In the last quarter-century, liberalism has done everything to strengthen social changes that, by attacking the traditional order, reduce the sense of security for millions of ordinary citizens. This is how a complete alienation of liberal elites from more conservative masses has occurred. And subsequent liberal reforms looked like attempts to confront these masses." https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art41617701-michal-szuldrzynski-donald-tusk-mowi-to-o-czym-niedawno-nie-bylo-wolno-nawet-pomyslec -- ROMANOWSKI DOES NOT NEED TO CONVINCE ME THAT HE HAD NO CHANCE FOR A FAIR TRIAL, BECAUSE THE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE AND POLITICIANS HAVE CONVINCED ME OF THAT, BUT HE IS STILL JUST A FUGITIVE, NOT A HERO - KATARYNA IN RZ: "I dedicate this fragment of the ombudsman's findings regarding Father Michał Olszewski (seven months without a verdict) to everyone who is surprised that Romanowski preferred to escape rather than personally check if anything has changed for the better in the detention centers since his party's rule. Marcin Romanowski does not need to convince me that he had no chance for a fair trial, because the prosecutor's office and politicians have convinced me of that. I can understand that he does not want to sit without a verdict in inhumane conditions. I would only ask him to enjoy his freedom, negotiated with Orbán, less ostentatiously. He is still just a fugitive, not a hero." https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art41617781-kataryna-marcin-romanowski-w-panstwie-donalda-tuska-nie-ma-szans-na-uczciwy-proces -- WILL RECKONINGS BORE US? - OF COURSE - PROF. ŁUKASZ MŁYŃCZYK, POLITICAL SCIENTIST FROM UW IN CONVERSATION WITH ELIZA OLCZYK IN RZ: "Just as we got bored with Szymon Hołownia as Marshal of the Sejm. And the government cannot boast of effectiveness in its reckonings, let alone in other areas, such as healthcare. Thus, the level of dissatisfaction will increase." https://www.rp.pl/plus-minus/art41617751-wybory-prezydenckie-w-co-celuje-karol-nawrocki-i-gdzie-wyslac-rafala-trzaskowskiego -- RULINGS [OF THE CHAMBER OF INVESTIGATION OF THE SUPREME COURT] WILL NOT BE RECOGNIZED BY EITHER TRZASKOWSKI OR THE COALITION OF OCTOBER 15. BUT KACZYŃSKI AND DUDA WILL RECOGNIZE THEM - AGNIESZKA KUBLIK IN GW: "If Rafał Trzaskowski wins, but gets slightly more votes than Karol Nawrocki, PiS will appeal such a result to this non-existent Chamber. Its rulings will not be recognized by either Trzaskowski or the Coalition of October 15. But Kaczyński and Duda will recognize them. The outgoing president will therefore announce Nawrocki as the new head of state. And although he does not have such powers, the longer and louder he publicly repeats in his addresses, online appearances, and during working visits that Nawrocki is the new president, the more he will be considered president not only by PiS followers but also by voters of the 'God and Fatherland' ideology." -- KUBLIK WRITES ABOUT ASYLUM FOR KACZYŃSKI: "Orban let slip that the queue for asylum has already formed. Obajtek, Wąsik, Kamiński can count on it. Ziobro and Morawiecki are not excluded. And perhaps even Kaczyński himself." https://wyborcza.pl/magazyn/7,124059,31570891,gdy-do-stolu-dosiadl-sie-orban-stawka-w-polskim-prezydenckim.html -- TUSK WILL DO EVERYTHING TO STOP KACZYŃSKI'S RETURN TO POWER. THEREFORE, THE CHAIRMAN MAY BE MISTAKEN THAT TWO YEARS ARE NOT ENOUGH FOR THE PRIME MINISTER TO BREAK UP PIS - ANDRZEJ STANKIEWICZ IN ONEZ: "One thing can already be said - if Kaczyński returns to power, the years 2015-2023 will be remembered as a idyll. The chairman is already creating a catalog of those whom he will simply imprison. Tusk and Bodnar are at the beginning of it, but there are many more positions. Kaczyński, if he rules again, will immerse himself in ruthless revenge, destroy or pacify institutions, attack independent media, and will truly begin to consider Polexit. I know that Tusk knows this. And he will do everything to stop Kaczyński's return to power. Therefore, the chairman may be mistaken that two years are not enough for the prime minister to break up PiS." https://www.newsweek.pl/opinie/kaczynski-lezal-juz-na-lopatkach-ale-wstal-i-obmyslil-nowy-plan-felieton/q0le5k7 -- PETRU DECIDED TO MOCK PEOPLE - RENATA KIM IN NEWSWEEK: "This political spectacle is terribly stupid. No one will gain from it, and least of all Petru himself, although he may now think that appearing before the cameras in a cashier's uniform will make him a politician who wants to understand the fate of working people." https://www.newsweek.pl/polska/spoleczenstwo/bezmyslny-polityczny-spektakl-ryszard-petru-postanowil-zakpic-z-ludzi/18132v2 -- THIS THOUGHTLESS, UNWISE STEP WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES FOR MANY YEARS, AND THEY WILL BE EXCLUSIVELY BAD CONSEQUENCES FOR POLAND. AND I AM WRITING THIS ONLY SO THAT EVERY JEW WHO HAPPENS TO COME ACROSS THIS TEXT KNOWS THAT THERE ARE POLES WHO CONSIDER THE BAN ON THE ISRAELI LEADER'S PILGRIMAGE TO AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU A MORAL AND POLITICAL SCANDAL - WRITES JAN ROKITA IN WSZYSTKO CO NAJWAŻNIEJSZE. -- PREVENTING THE LEADER OF ISRAEL FROM STANDING BEFORE THE REMAINS OF THE GAS CHAMBERS AT BIRKENAU, ALONGSIDE THE LAST SURVIVORS OF THE HOLOCAUST, WILL BECOME A FACT KNOWN AND REMEMBERED BY EVERY JEW IN ISRAEL AND IN THE WORLD - FURTHER JAN ROKITA: "Regardless of whether he rejoices today for political reasons or grieves for the troubles of the right-wing prime minister. And every Jew will know and remember that it was Poles who did not allow the Prime Minister of Israel to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust on the anniversary of the liberation of the extermination camp." https://wszystkoconajwazniejsze.pl/jan-rokita-skandaliczny-zakaz/ -- BIRTHDAYS: Natalia de Barbaro, Wojciech Kozak, Witold Zembaczyński. SUNDAY: Eugeniusz Grzeszczak.