A very tragic day for Poland occurred on April 10/2010 when many of their top leaders in the political, finance, military, and cultural/social infrastructure were killed in a plane crash. It is as though a 911 event in reverse in terms of many of their dead numbered among the ruling elite rather than within the general population in a crushing national tragedy. This is an event that has the potential to change the entire dynamic motion and balance affecting all nations, and I am starting this chronicle to observe its evolution as time moves on.
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01/21/12
Chron:
Polish pol threatens to smoke pot in Parliament
Polish pol threatens to smoke pot in Parliament (Photo: Alik Keplicz / AP) Jan 20 2012
“WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The leader of a new left-wing party in Poland threatened to light up a joint in Parliament on Friday — but just burned incense instead.”
“Palikot’s plan, however, put him on a collision course with the speaker, Ewa Kopacz, who vowed not to let him break the law in Parliament.”
“She reported him to prosecutors, and in the end, Palikot simply lit incense sticks containing a tiny amount of cannabis. They emitted a scent of burning marijuana, but Palikot said they were purchased legally in a shop.”
Oh, how I would love to see a Parliament or a Congress collectively chill out on a little marijuana—on C-SPAN. 
Instead, they support black-market drug running to support their black-ops wars while thousands die in their wake. 
01/11/12
Bloomberg Business Week:
7 charged with corruption over shale gas in Poland
“The Internal Security Agency said three Environment Ministry officials, an employee of the state Geology Institute and three representatives of companies involved in shale gas exploration were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in bribery.”
” Poland, which is trying to limit its dependence on gas and oil imports from Russia, is believed to have sizable shale gas deposits. It has granted more than 100 licenses for shale gas exploration to international companies including Exxon Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips and Petrolinvest.”
01/10/12
Miami Herald:
Polish official explains his attempted suicide
” ‘I wanted the (military) prosecutor’s office to continue as it is, and under the leadership of Gen. Parulski,’ because under him all investigations will be carried out ‘honestly’ and under no pressure, Przybyl said.”
“He said the plans to close military prosecutors’ offices have been sped up recently during investigations that he is leading into cases concerning alleged corruption by Poland’s military in the purchase of equipment for troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.”
Interestingly, there is no follow up here about the fact that he did this during a press conference about the Smolensk air disaster that killed the Polish president and many other high officials.
01/09/12
Telegraph UK:
Polish military prosecutor shoots himself in head and survives
“After making an emotional statement defending army investigators against allegations of illegal wiretapping, Colonel Mikolaj Przbyl said he needed to ‘air the room’ and asked the media to stand in the corridor for five minutes. “
“Before the shooting the colonel had given a passionate defence of his office, refuting press allegations that had it had broken the law by tapping mobile phones owned by journalists following the leak of classified information relating to the Smolensk air disaster, which claimed the lives of the Polish president and 92 others in 2010. “
12/14/11
EUobserver:
Polish Opposition: EU fiscal treaty means German rule
“BRUSSELS – Opposition leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has said Polish leaders at last week’s EU summit sold the country’s sovereignty to Germany for the sake of ‘private interests.’ “
” ‘This [the new treaty on joint economic governance ] is an attack on our sovereignty, our status, our dignity but also our interests. Only people who have gone mad, to put it mildly, would believe that others, those more powerful than us, will look after our interests,’ Kaczynski said.” [related post: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the IMF, FRes, WB, and the EU: The Higher We Climb…..]
07/29/11
Denver Post:
Poland: Russians made mistakes in 2010 plane crash
“WARSAW, Poland—Russian air traffic controllers gave incorrect and confusing landing instructions to pilots of a plane that crashed and killed Poland’s president and 95 other people, a Polish report said Friday, a finding that could further strain ties between the countries.”
“But the report presented Friday puts most blame on Polish officials and procedures. It had an immediate impact on the Polish political scene, with the resignation of Defense Minister Bogdan Klich, whose ministry oversaw the training of the crew of the 2010 flight.” (emphasis mine)
The most important question here has not even been addressed: Who was responsible for allowing all these high-ranking officials, including the president. to fly on one plane? Fingers are pointing in all directions except the most obvious one, IMHO. Another brick in the wall is crumbling, though.
05/28/11
TVNZ:
Obama to reassure Poles with air base deal
Obama to reassure Poles with air base deal May 28, 2011
“President Barack Obama will reaffirm a US commitment to Poland’s security with a deal to set up an air detachment, the White House said on Friday, meeting a key Polish request for ‘American boots on the ground’.”
“Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski hailed the growing level of military cooperation between his country and the United States in comments to the Polska daily newspaper on Friday. ‘To the east of the Oder river (dividing Germany and Poland) American forces will appear, and this at a time when America is reducing its overall military presence in Europe,’ he said.”
Why am I not surprised. Militarism does not die easily, even when the world is demanding it and particularly in the ME. Also see 05/08/10 entry about Goldman Sachs coming to Poland. Since he visited the Ghetto Heroes Jewish Memorial to honor their dead, will he in turn go to honor the thousands of Bosnian Muslim men slaughtered under Ratko Mladic ? To Bangladesh, where 150,000,000 were massacred? To Cambodia, where 2,000, 000 were “cleansed” from earth? Timeline of Genocides in History
Irish Times:
Walesa cancels Obama Meeting:
“Barack Obama’s four-nation European tour ends today in Poland where Lech Walesa, leader of the Solidarity movement, cancelled as “inconvenient” a planned meeting with the US leader.”
“Mr Obama was due in Warsaw yesterday evening for a visit that, unlike his trip to Ireland, includes no public address. Instead the US president will visit the remains of the Nazi-era Jewish Ghetto in the Polish capital and attend a dinner with some 20 central European heads of state. Mr Walesa, a former president still sought out by international visitors, said he had turned down the Obama invitation because it amounted to little more than a photo opportunity. ‘A meeting does not suit me at this time,’ said Mr Walesa to TVN24 television, saying he intended to attend a biblical festival in Italy instead.”
04/10/11
Newsvine:
Poles mark anniversary of plane crash tragedy
“Church bells rang out across Poland on Sunday to mark the exact minute one year ago that President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others were killed in a plane crash in Russia. At the time, the country experienced a short period of national unity amid the shock of losing the president, first lady and many ranking military and civilian leaders. The disaster, however, quickly deepened political and social divisions in the country, and in a sign of that, separate commemorative events are being held Sunday. Prime Minister Donald Tusk, President Bronislaw Komorowski and other politicians placed candles at a memorial plaque to the victims in a Warsaw military church. But Kaczynski’s twin brother, Jaroslaw, marked the anniversary separately, placing a large wreath in front of the presidential palace.”
12/28/10
Earth Times:
Poland to write own report on April plane crash in Russia
“Warsaw- Polish prosecutors probing the April plane crash that killed president Lech Kaczynski will issue their own report on the investigation, separate from a Russian report, the Interior Ministry said Tuesday amidst criticism of a draft document by Moscow.”
“Prime Minister Donald Tusk has criticized the draft document as unacceptable because it does not take account of Polish suggestions. Edmund Klich, the Polish envoy to the Russian investigation, said Monday that Poland would not negotiate with Russia on a final report. He said Warsaw would write its own report if Moscow does not take up its suggestions.”
08/02/10
IANS MyNews
Russia not releasing documents from plane crash Poland: Poland “Polish investigators cannot complete their probe of the crash that claimed the life of president Lech Kaczynski because prosecutors have not yet received crucial documents from their Russian counterparts, Poland’s Interior Minister Jerzy Miller said Monday.”
“Miller said he requested the documents several weeks ago but has not yet received a reply from Russia because of what he considered a ‘procedural delay’.
‘We have gaps in Russian documentation significant enough that the commission cannot finalize its investigation,’ Miller said. ‘The commission has finished work on what is easy to document. But the part of the investigation that require Russian documents cannot be finished.’ “
07/06/10
Chron:
Komorowski win strengthens Polish government “Bronislaw Komorowski was declared the winner Monday, meaning his governing pro-business Civic Platform party now has a year of control of both government and the presidency before the next parliamentary elections.”
It would be more accurate to title this news piece “Komorowski win strengthens the global royal elitist agenda“:
Komorowski monarchs related to EU “Relatives of [the] new president are: King of Belgium Albert II, Queen Margaret (Denmark), King of Spain Juan Carlos, Beatrix (queen of Holland), Prince Hans Adam of Liechtenstein, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Prince of Monaco Albert II, King of Norway Harald V, the British Queen Elizabeth II and the Swedish monarch Carl XVI.”
10 heads of state of Europe is [sic] the relatives of the head of the Polish State
06/08/10
NY Times:
Soldiers Charged in Polish Crash Theft “Over the weekend, Russia’s Interior Ministry emphatically denied Polish accusations that the police had taken valuables from the dead, calling them ‘blasphemous and cynical,’ but on Tuesday morning, Russia acknowledged that four soldiers had been caught with stolen bank cards. The four conscripts, who were guarding a cordon around the crash site, have admitted their guilt and are cooperating with investigators, Mr. Markin said.”
06/07/10 Polish plane crash: Russian soldiers suspected of looting “Russia and Poland‘s newfound solidarity was today under severe strain following claims that Russian soldiers stole the credit cards of one of the victims of April’s plane crash that wiped out much of Poland’s leadership.”
“Polish authorities said that Russia had detained four soldiers on suspicion of looting credit cards from the body of Andrzej Przewoznik, a historian and top Polish official. Przewoznik perished with 95 other people, including Poland’s president Lech Kaczynski, when their plane went down in thick fog near Smolensk airport in western Russia.”
05/25/10
Poland at Crossroads: “After the tragic plane crash killing Poland’s president, First Lady and many government officials and civilians, Poland finds itself at a crossroads ahead of their upcoming elections. David Blumenfeld reports for the Wall Street Journal.”
05/16/10
Express UK:
Did Russian Soldiers Kill Survivors on Polish President’s Plane After Crash? “Investigators of the air tragedy which killed Polish president Lech Kaczynski are analysing internet footage of what appears to show survivors being shot at the crash site.”
“Last night, Russian officials confirmed they had interviewed the man who allegedly made the film. He was not named, nor has he spoken in public about whether he heard gunfire. Sources do not rule out that bullets from weapons carried by armed presidential bodyguards may have exploded in the burning wreckage.
“One of the plane’s black boxes also suggests a mystery woman was in the cockpit seconds before it crashed. The president and his party had been on their way to commemorate the anniversary of the Katyn massacre, in which 22,000 Polish officers were killed by Stalin’s police in 1940.”
05/15/10 Mail Online UK “Footage of Polish air crash ‘shows Russians executing survivors’… but is it a vile propaganda stunt? “Some Russian sources have claimed the video has been circulated in an attempt to smear Moscow by either Ukrainian or Georgian groups by implying that there may have been a planned operation to down the plane.”
“There has been no official comment from the Moscow prosecutor general’s office, which is involved in the crash investigation.
05/10/10
Edmonton Journal:
Poland should take over probe of Russia crash: late president’s twin “Jaroslaw Kaczynski’s Law and Justice (PiS) party hit out at Moscow’s handling of the inquiry into the April 10 crash in Smolensk in western Russia, which claimed the lives of Lech Kaczynski along with 95 others. ‘This investigation is flawed,’ said lawmaker Arkadiusz Mularczyk.”
“PiS spokesman Mariusz Blaszczak said the party was concerned after video footage of the crash site suggested it was not being properly protected.”
“Footage broadcast by Polish media Wednesday suggested that the public had access to the Russian crash site and had been able to pick through personal items belonging of the victims.”
AHK [Polish---Google translated]:
Goldman Sachs comes to Poland “The American Bank Goldman Sachs is planning to open an office in Warsaw. Of the top ten banks in the world are only two not represented in Poland: Barclays Capital and Morgan Stanley.”
“Poland is a very important market for us when it comes to expansion in Central Eastern Europe,” said the spokeswoman for Goldman Sachs for this region, Anna Krajewska.”
05/08/10 Jane Burgermeister:
Goldman Sachs banker sacked by Kaczynski to head new Warsaw office for bigger business “A Goldman Sachs banker who was fired as Prime Minister by President Lech Kaczynski is set to head a new branch of the bank to be opened in Warsaw, according to the website of the Chamber of German and Polish Industry and Commerce.”
“Skrzypek pursued a monetary policy that was at odds with the wishes of the bankers and the pr euro, pro IMF Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Greece’s is currently face ten years of rule by the IMF, the banker controlled financial body, following a debt mountain engineered with the help of Goldman Sachs as well as Goldman Sachs bankers employed in government positions.”
Kopp Verlag (German—Google translated):
Smolensk: Where are the bodies? “The alleged plane crash of Smolensk is developing more and more about the horror shocker. According to a report of “Polskaweb.eu ۍ nationals were returned for burial with minimal remains of the corpses. In Moscow, however still encamped ‘a container’ is not fully identified the remains, which now may be disposed of in a mass grave or in some other way- that is to be thrown away or buried -Thus, the case is approaching more and more the events of Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after 11 September 2001.”
05/06/10
Daily Bell:
Polish Plane Crash Stirs Internet (Analysis) “Conclusion: Is the video a hoax? Are the translations accurate? The Internet is increasingly full of hoaxes, often released in our opinion by various intel agencies and other individuals and institutions that wish to discredit the Internet and its truth-telling capability. But regardless, true or not (or at least until it is provably false), this short YouTube clip amply illustrates the emotional punch this intimate yet wide-ranging informational technology is capable of delivering. It also, of course, raises disturbing questions about the thus-far official narrative of the tragic plane crash and the Polish President’s demise.”
05/02/10
YouTube DJEN33: “This digitally enhanced video does a good job at showing the activity on the ground minutes after the crash of the Polish presidential plane in Russia. Audio translated by a collaborative Facebook effort of Russian, Polish and English native speakers. The revelations are stunning.“
04/30/10
Infinite Unknown:
Pilot Communication: Only 4 People on Doomed Polish Crash Plane “The Polish pilot of the crashed plane IGA 703 communicates the information that there are four people on board as part of a routine exchange with the control tower as he approaches Smolensk airfield to land.”
“The Polish pilot says in Russian in the final sentence of the communication:”
“PILOT: “tolko posadka… a u nas CZIETYRJE czielovieka.”“only landing… and here (on board) we are FOUR people.”
IF this audio can be vetted as coming from that specific Polish flight, then the Polish people, I really hope, will demand that this and the amateur video taken (see below) just minutes after the crash be thoroughly investigated.
RT:
Black Box Recording From Kaczynski Before Crash
04/23/10 Kavkaz Center Georgian TV fortold [sic] murder of Polish President by Russian KGB “The killing of the Polish President Lech Kaczynski in a plane crash organized by the KGB (FSB), was reported on March 13, 2010 by the Georgian TV channel Imedi.”
Wolne Media [Polish-to-English translation]: A key piece of evidence? “The first movie was recorded by the Russian disaster, in which voices are heard in Polish, if it is authentic, it is crucial evidence. It is hard to believe that it was so realistically assembled, except that then it would be likely in many of its online version, and there is one. There are clear voices in Polish and immediately after the shots. Another thing – the cockpit was saved, and strangely enough it was the bodies of pilots can not be found. They were in the seat, fasten seat belts in hełmofonach. The fire started after a disaster, so if the pilots were conscious they could jump out to prevent the spread of fire. They could die, but that their bodies had the best chance to escape in their entirety. Does the idea is to hide the real cause of their death?”
This news source also posts: Author of the film was not killed – it was a rumor “After yesterday’s news contacted by Forum Smolensk to the person who claims that the author of the film is an employee of the center of the nearby car crash site (probably why so fast it’s there). You Aml writes in response that the author of the film lives up to it today and nothing happened.”
04/22/10
Don’t know why, but watching these videos brought to mind the following from the Israel post on this site so I am posting FYI only.09/11/09 SiFy Business:
Netanyahu mystery trip sets off flap in Israel“Benjamin Netanyahu dropped out of sight for most of a day this week, a mysterious absence that has set off feverish speculation about what the Israeli leader was up to — and accusations he lied to cover up a clandestine trip to Moscow.”
Urban Survival:
“Even more interesting is the Czech report that runway lights were removed after the crash…(You find the translation site
04/28/10
Times Online UK:
Kremlin fills the void left by an indifferent America and inept EU “It is as if the Orange Revolution never happened. In a breathless few weeks since he came to power, President Yanukovych has undone almost all of the pro-Western policies of his predecessor, Viktor Yushchenko.”
“The pro-Russian leader has been love-bombed by President Medvedev and Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister, as the Kremlin has taken advantage of American indifference and European Union ineptitude to restore its dominance in Kiev.“
Chicago Suns Times:
Russia posts Katyn massacre documents on Internet “Russia’s state archives posted documents Wednesday for the first time on the Internet about the Soviet Union’s World War II massacre of more than 20,000 Polish officers and other prominent citizens.”
“Relations between Russia and Poland have warmed following the tragic April 10 plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife and 94 others on a flight to visit the Katyn forest in western Russia for a memorial ceremony on the 70th anniversary of the massacre.”
04/14/10
Sun Herald:
As Poland mourns, leaders ponder new election “Polish leaders have decided to wait until after Sunday’s state funeral for President Lech Kaczynski to decide when to hold an early election to replace him. But officials said June 20 now appears all but certain to be the date.”
“Though the country remains in deep mourning, Komorowski’s remarks show that officials were returning to day-to-day business of running the country. There was even a willingness to grapple with contentious issues.”
04/12/10
Christopher Story’s Blog (references video below): “President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia has stated on a CNN interview that quote ‘something incredibly evil was involved here’ without elaborating or explaining what he was implying. “
Telegraph UK:
Russia tried to divert Polish president’s flight “A Polish MP has claimed that Russia may have engineered the air crash that claimed the lives of Poland’s president, Lech Kaczynski, and 95 others.”
Russia Blog:
Polish Tragedy in Russia: Pride Over Logic? “The death of the Polish delegation on its way to Katyn is unthinkable and unbelievable. As the shock slowly settles in, people across the world are asking one question: why the entire Polish elite was on board of one jet? Regardless of the findings of the undergoing investigation, the cream of Poland’s society should have not flown together.”
This is likely the #1 question around the world now. “How did the entire Poland’s [sic] military leadership, governor of the Central Bank, top parliamentarians, ministers, and the president end up on the same jet?”, and this must be publically addressed. Who made that decision? The President himself? Someone handling travel itineraries? Who?
Washington Post:
Polish leader’s death reshapes political landscape “Jaroslaw Kaczynski, 60, has not yet said if he will seek the job: for now he appears overwhelmed by grief at the loss of his brother in Saturday’s crash that also killed 95 others, many of them from the Kaczynski brothers’ inner circle.“
“But the tragedy claimed many other elites, including several military commanders, a former president-in-exile and Anna Walentynowicz, the woman whose dismissal from the famed Gdansk shipyard sparked a labor uprising that ultimately toppled communism.”
Focusing on going forward politically is important news, but I would call this a very holistic shock wave; very little is being reported about any major policy shifts in the military and financial infrastructure, which to me in the long run will be much more far reaching in its global impact.
04/10/10
ABC News:
Polish Leader, 96 Others Dead in Russia Jet Crash ” ‘It’s extraordinary that an aircraft would have attempted four approaches, if that really happened,’ said William Voss, head of the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy group based in Alexandria, Virginia. ‘Normally they abandon the attempt to land after the second attempt.’
‘There seems to have been a great sense of determination to land at Smolensk,’ Voss said.“
- Poland’s President Lech Kaczynski—Nationalist conservative in office since 2005.
- Poland’s First Lady Maria Kaczynska—Economist.
- Gen. Franciszek Gagor—Army chief of Staff, Poland’s rep. at NATO in Brussels.
- Vice Admiral Andrzej Karweta—Navy chief commander since 2007.
- Lt. Gen. Andrzej Blasik—Head of the Air force and Army
- Gen. Tadeusz Buk—Land forces commander since Sep. 2009. In 2007 was commander of Polish forces in Iraq.
- Slawomir Skrzypek—Pres. of National Bank of Poland since 2007.
- Aleksander Szczyglo—Head of the National Security Office, formerly defense minister.
- Jerzy Szmajdzinski—Deputy parliament speaker (Sejm), served as defense minister in Iraq war.
- Ryszard Kaczorowski—Poland’s last president-in-exile in London.
- Janusz Kurtyka—Historian, head of state-run National Remembrance Institute.
- Piotr Nurowski—head of Poland’s Olympic Committee
- Anna Walentynowicz—Solidarity activist
- Krystyna Bochenek—Deputy parliament speaker (Senate), member of prime minister’s Civic Platform party.
- Andrzej Kremoer—Deputy Foreign Minister
- Władysław Stasiak – Head of the President’s Chancellery
- Paweł Wypych – Secretary of State at the President’s Chancellery
- Mariusz Handzlik—Undersecretary of State at the President’s Chancellery
- Grzegorz Dolniak—General Secretary of the Civic Platform (Sejm)
- Jaroslaw Florczak—Government Protection Bureau
- Artur Francuz—Government Protection Bureau
- Paweł Janeczek—Government Protection Bureau
- Dariusz Michałowski – Government Protection Bureau
- Marek Uleryk – Government Protection Bureau
- Grażyna Gęsicka—Member of Parliament (Sejm)
- Zbigniew Wassermann – Member of Parliament
- Sebastian Karpiniuk—Member of Parliament (Sejm)
- Wiesław Woda – Member of Parliament
- Edward Wojtas – Member of Parliament
- Leszek Deptula, Member of Parliament (Sejm)
- Przemysław Gosiewski—Member of Parliament
- Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz – Member of Parliament
- Izabela Jaruga Nowacka—Member of Parliament
- Aleksandra Natalli-Świat—Member of Parliament
- Arkadiusz Rybicki – Member of Parliament
- Stanisław Zając – Member of Parliament (Senate)
- Janina Fetlińska—Member of Parliament (Senate)
- Krzysztof Putra—Deputy parliament peaker (Sejm)
- Bronisław Gostomski – Roman Catholic priest from London and Member of the Committee of Katyń Families
Pilot and Crew included:
- Captain Arkadiusz Protasiuk—Pilot
- Major Robert Grzynwna—First Officer
- Artur Zietek—Navigator Lieutenant
- Andrzej Michalak—Engineer
- Barbara Maciejczyk
- Natalia Januszko
- Justyna Moniuszko
Photos of Polish officials killed in the Lech Kaczynski plane crashPolitics of Poland—Wikipedia
News24:
Polish president dies in crash “Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife [Maria ] died on Saturday along with 130 others [other reports state 96 dead] when their plane crashed while coming in for a landing in western Russia, officials said. “
“The presidential plane was a Soviet-built Tupolev TU154M, at least 20 years old. The Army chief of staff, Gen. Franciszek Gagor, National Bank President Slawomir Skrzypek and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremoer were on the passenger list. “
Jurist:
Poland lower house speaker assumes interim presidency after plane crash “Polish Parliament Speaker Bronislaw Komorowki
—interim president of poland.”
“In primary elections held in March, Komorowski was chosen [AP report] as the presidential candidate for the current ruling party, Civic Platform [party website]. At the time, it was uncertain whether Kaczynski would run for re-election. Kaczynski and the other 89 passengers of the plane that crashed on Saturday were traveling to Katyn, where they were to participate in a memorial service for the victims of a 1940 massacre [JURIST news archive], in which 20,000 Poles were killed by the USSR. In February, the Polish government joined a lawsuit [JURIST report] before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) [official website] alleging that the Russian government failed to provide adequate investigations into the incident and did not grant victim status to 13 relatives of those killed.”
Business Insider on Bronislaw Komorowki
Reuters:
Poland mourns president, elite killed in crash “Tens of thousands of mourners thronged the streets of central Warsaw through the night into Sunday, turning the avenue in front of Kaczynski’s palace into a sea of flowers and candles. In this staunchly Roman Catholic country, many sang hymns and prayed. Church doors stayed open for worshippers.”
‘Today in the face of such a drama our nation stays united. There is no division into left and right, differences of views don’t matter. We are together in the face of this tragedy,’ the parliamentary speaker, now Poland’s acting president, Bronislaw Komorowski said in a televised address to the nation.”04/11/10Times Online:
Pilot ignored warning not to land “The head of the air traffic control group gave a command to the crew to put the aircraft into the horizontal position and when the crew did not implement this order, several times gave orders to divert to an alternative airport.”
“Two ‘black boxes’ — the plane’s cockpit flight recorders — were recovered from the wreckage. According to Russian investigators, a preliminary check confirmed that the pilot had defied the control tower. The recorders may hold the answer as to why.” Inform Com:
Polish president’s body returned to Warsaw; met by his twin brother, daughter “The coffin bearing Kaczynski’s remains were met first by his daughter Marta, whose mother Maria also perished in the crash. She knelt before it, her forehead resting on the coffin.”
“She was followed by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the former prime minister, and the president’s twin brother. He, too, knelt and pressed his head against the flag-draped coffin before rising slowly and crossing himself.”
“Former president, Solidarity founder and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Walesa, said it was too soon to cast blame. ‘Someone must have been taking decisions on that plane. I don’t believe that the pilot took decisions single-handedly,’ he told reporters. ‘That’s not possible. I have flown a lot and whenever there were doubts, they always came to the leaders and asked for a decision, and based on that, pilots took decisions. Sometimes the decision was against the leader’s instructions.’ Wikipedia:
2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash “Alexandr Aleshin, the First Deputy Chief of the Main Staff of the Russian Air Force, said that the plane increased its descent rate and went below the glide slope 1.5 km (0.93 mi) from the runway. Controllers instructed the pilot to abort the approach; when he did not, controllers advised the aircraft to return to the reserve landing point. This order was repeated several times but the crew continued with the approach and crashed.[36] The interview with the air traffic controller suggested that at some point during the flight the Polish pilots stopped responding to the flight communication, allegedly due to the insufficient command of Russian and demanding landing conditions.[35]
“There was initially a speculation that the pilot tried to land repeatedly against controller’s advice because of pressure from the delegation, eager to make the important ceremony.[37], but later information made clear that only one landing approach was made.” 04/17/10Jurist:
Poland’s political future on hold during time of national mourning “The unprecedented tragedy of 10 April does not stop time, and once the state of shock is over, normal politics will return. For the moment it is too early for a deep and comprehensive analysis of the political consequences and impact on the political stability of the system. A lot will depend on how actors and individuals behave in the aftermath of the tragedy.”
Four days before this tragedy…..Radio Free Europe: Russian, Polish Leaders To Mark Katyn Anniversary “In what was seen as a political watershed, Putin extended an official invitation to Tusk in February to attend the 70th anniversary commemorations of the massacre. In the past, visits by Polish leaders to Katyn to honor the dead were unofficial, semi-private affairs.”
“According to media reports, Tusk saw the invitation as an important step in improving relations between Poland and Russia, and said Putin’s decision to honor the Katyn victims was symbolically ‘very important.’ “
One day for this tragedy….
Neftegaz RU:
Long-term gas agreement has been founded between Poland and Russia “Russia and Poland have agreed on long-term gas supplies to Poland and are due to sign all formalizing documents shortly, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said. ”We have almost agreed on long-term supplies of Russian natural gas to Poland; all formalizing documents are due to be signed shortly,” Putin said at a press conference on results of talks with his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk.Apparently, many of the Polish elite killed in the crash were opposed to the Gazkom gas pipeline deal:01/26/10 Eurasia Energy Observer “The Polish debate on gas is highly politicised, especially when it concerns Russia. There are fears within the government that a deal with Gazprom may be regarded as unfavourable to Polish interests and subsequently cause internal political backlash from the opposition or other political forces, in particular in light of Poland’s Presidential elections later this year. There are serious doubts within the opposition and forces within the government whether Poland should really commit itself to such a long-term contract, especially considering the developments on global gas markets, including LNG and lower spot prices. This obviously complicates matters even more, Wyciszkiewicz tells EEO.”
§ ≈∞ ≈∞ ≈∞ ≈ § Some Background:02/11/10Online Journal:
Great Game playoff: Russia/Turkey vs Palestine/Israel “In defiance of the US and much of Europe, both endorsed the Goldstone report on atrocities committed during Israel’s invasion of Gaza in December 2008, where 100 Palestinians died for every Israeli casualty.”
“ …(T)his would be wildly popular in Turkey. Similarly, unlike brainwashed Westerners fed daily doses of pro-Israeli propaganda, Turks and most Russians have no use for the Zionist project. True, over one million Russians took up the tantalising offer of instant Israeli citizenship in search of a better life, qualifying as Jewish merely via marriage or with as little as one grandparent racially Jewish. But, despite the chauvinism of the Russian-Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, many of these Russian Israelis, too, have no use for the Zionist project, with its innate racism, some even marrying Palestinians. Many are returning to Russia, bitter at the way they are treated by sabra (Jews born in Israel). The natural sympathy of these and non-Jewish Russians is for the Palestinians.” 03/28/08Policy Assn. for an Open Society:
New EU Member States’ Policy towards the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Case of Poland “Poland maintains a policy of ‘equal distance’ aspiring to keep good relations with both parties and appear as a neutral player. There is a belief among certain Polish policy-making circles that Poland can mediate between Israel and the Palestinians given its good relations with both parties, a lack of colonial past and the recent experience of structural transformation.” 03/20/08Atlantic Review:
Polish-American Relations Regarding Iraq, Iran, Russia and NATO08/11/05The Jamestown Foundation:
What is Behind The Growing Tension in Russian-Polish Relations? “The official Russian commission investigating the infamous 1940 Katyn massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Stalinist troops issued a ruling that caused outrage in Poland. The commission determined that the massacre was not a crime against humanity or a war crime, but an ordinary criminal act. The Poles were infuriated anew when the Russians then refused to open their archives to a Polish commission of inquiry.”
“As some Russian analysts note, the Kremlin regards Poland not only as a major factor in the triumph of the Orange Revolution in Kyiv but also as a key geopolitical ‘link in the “tier of unfriendly states’ that is being formed along Russia’s western borders from the Baltics to Ukraine.’ “ Year 2000 Russian Paper [PDF]: Russian-Polish Relations: A Long Way From Stereotypes to Reconciliation
Related re: Mr Story: Is A Showdown in Progress in Washington D.C. and Abroad?
