Article written by Adam

14 responses to “Poles Welcome Bush to Hell”

  1. blazej of polishpress.wordpress.com team

    I think this opposition isn’t that strong. I think people in Poland oppose it, not because the don’t agree with the missile shield, but because they think Poland will not get enough in return.
    Like Poland didn’t get anything in return for her presence in Iraq, Afghanistan, and in addition USA is not fulfilling its obligations connected with off-set contract, when Poland decided to buy American F16 (instead of European aircrafts which caused us to get bad press in Europe).
    America should offer something really attractive in return. I mean MONEY MONEY MONEY! End of visas, additional assurances on security, etc.

    I watched TVN24 the other day btw, and I was shocked with what a Russian Kremlin-friend journalist said there. With a straight face he said that Poland should really think this through, as Russia WILL direct their missiles on Polish cities, and that it happens sometimes that some things that appear on radar are misinterpreted as missiles and so if Russia misinterpreted such indication of missile heading to Russia, Russia would launch their missile to hit Poland.
    He really doesn’t understand Polish mentality, as I am sure everyone who watched that, instantly felt we should agree for that shield to have better relations with USA, which would be in only country to protect us and stand for us, if such a case occurred. And if Russia continues her threats against Poland, she can be sure Poles will support the shield.

  2. blazej of polishpress.wordpress.com team

    oh and one more thing,

    Poland, unlike all other European countries, is not anti-American at all. Poles trust America.

    Even tho my best friend went to Hel to protest against Bush, I have to say she’s in a very small minority. In poland less than 300 people protested. In Italy or Germany there were thousands.

  3. blazej of polishpress.wordpress.com team

    btw:) since you watch tvn’s international service you must speak Polish.. so I wondered why don’t you use Polish ogoneks?:) Pieniążek just looks much better than Pieniazek;)

  4. błażej of polishpress.wordpress.com team

    I read your post with much interest. You are very right when you say that Poles care first and foremost about Poland, not very much about what is going on in USA.

    You also are right when you say the Poles are becoming more and more sceptical towards the US under current administration. USA in fact are becoming less and less attractive as a whole to the Poles. My father for example, who has spent part of his life in Toronto, Canada, still has, like many Poles in his age, a very “positive sentiment”. USA used to be an “ideal model” of development, democracy and freedom. But with the end of communism we just started to notice we are not like them. We prefer Swedish or British models, we prefer caring states, we prefer solving problems with international community, we prefer Europe. Europe is something that we aspire to, in every possible respect. Carbon emissions, human rights standards, sustainable development, foreign aid, secular public life, European ways of life, free healthcare for the poorer, et caetera
    You remember Whitney Houston’s “wardrobe malfunction”? Everyone in Europe wondered why was everyone so outraged on the other side of the pond. It’s just body, its beautiful, and the surprise was fun:) Or that Clinton indulged himself to oral sex with his assistant? Big deal. Guns availability and death penalty, televangelism, millions living in poverty in the richest country in the world, mad competition, bad education https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJuNgBkloFE , all this makes USA seem awkward and alien in the eyes of Europeans.

    This trend of abandoning USA manifests itself in unexpected places:) for instance in universities’ departments of English. Twenty years ago 3/4 students were choosing American phonetics and American spelling etc. Now vast majority prefer British.

    But I have to strongly disagree with what you said that “a lot of positive Polish sentiment towards America still goes back to World War II and the fact that America, obviously, helped out Poland a lot then”. Which is actually totally the other way around:) USA, obviously, never did anything that directly helped Poland during this war, and they didn’t engage for many months from its beginning. When they did, they helped UK with supplies, and fought on Western Front.
    But what did they do after the war? They gave us as a nice gift to Stalin in Yalta/Potsdam. For 60 years. Thank you very much for such help:) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_betrayal
    Its not WW2 that Poles respect USA for. Its for their opposition to USSR during cold war, and for some support people like Reagan were giving it.

    As to visas, this is not such a simple matter. As you know Poland is now part of the European Union. One of the basic principles of the EU is equal treatment of its member states (for instance all EU member states nationals hold the EU citizenship and EU passport): now most EU countries’ nationals don’t need visa to enter USA. European Commission cannot tolerate foreign country to treat some members states better than others, and it is pressurising the US to change its visa policy. European Commission threatened to impose visas on all US citizens coming to EU (like Brasil).

    The sole fact that you criticise USA, I would never interpret as anti-Americanism — you don’t have to worry, i’m not Fox News;))

    And I think I criticise Poland a lot more than you criticise your country, yet I still I still think this is my place on Earth and I love the fact that there is still a lot to do. What we do now, will shape how this country will look in the future, something you cannot do in America, UK or France.

    As to the missile shield, it pretty much looks that American govt has its mind made up – since it’s on tour trying to persuade others to join.

    As to Russia, I’m not really sure there is “bigger fight” between US and Russia. As you said USA is always seeking for better profit, and that’s what tones down US criticism of Russia, China in respect of human rights violations, and undemocratic, unlawful rule. that’s what makes US-companies censor internet in China or cooperate with Russia on doubtful projects. Poland has always been very well informed on Kremlins’s actions, but also people here never hesitate to point to her wrongdoings, and never hesitate to support democratic opposition not caring about the consequences.
    Poland is very dependant on Russian gas – and the best way for Russia too fight with us it to turn the faucet down. Which currently they cannot do – because the gas they sell to Germany and Western Europe goes through Poland. But when German and Russian companies complete the pipe under the Baltic going around Poland, they will be able to do what they want.
    Now it’s pretty much Tom and Jerry with Russia anyway. For example for more than a year Russia has embargo on Polish meat exports claiming that it doesn’t fulfil the sanitary standards. Which is a laugh, if you have ever been to Russia and seen how meet is being sold there. Whereas Poland is obliged to follow strict EU sanitary regulations, so any accusations Russia makes are of course very false. It is just a means to punish Poland for being “naughty” towards Putin. In response Poland is successfully blocking the new EU-Russia commercial treaty and plans to block Russia’s entry to WTO. Thanks to this meat-gate we now at least have the EU on our side, as they can clearly see what Russia is doing.

    As to Polish:) Writing Polish is much more simple than writing English:) dough/doe/dow/dou dew/due LOL:)
    Polish is one of those languages with phonetic transcription: there is only one way a sound can be written (with the exception of rz/ż ch/h u/ó, but there are clear grammar rules that let distinguish). I’m sure that you’d be able to write absolutely perfect Polish after a short course.
    I can recommend this one: http://www.fil.umk.pl/skijpdo/ at Nicolaus Copernicus University, which I know is very good, and you get the additional bonus of spending your holiday in this magnificent city:)

    Pozdrowienia z Torunia:)

  5. błażej of polishpress.wordpress.com team

    Hey hey:) Me again:) I’ve read your post and would love to reply, but will have to do it a bit later. Also excerpts from your classes seem interesting to me, and I was thinking about sharing with you the interpretations I’ve encountered here in Poland. Which are partly similar, but I saw some interesting differences.
    But I’ll have to get back to that later, as I’m studying for an exam at the moment, and you probably know how much a difficult exam can obsess someone;)
    Today I’ve come to ask for a favour:) (or favor in American) 😉

    Can you take a look at this post http://polishpress.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/yossi-avni-interview/ and tell me if the title sounds natural, and maybe suggest a change, if such is required:)

    I gave up with grammar analysis on this one;)

    I should have had that blog in French! French is such a simple language:) eheheh

  6. Serendipity

    This is interesting. People of every part of globe have the right to protest, and Bush is treated equally everywhere. People got fed up with the big stick diplomacy employed by US.

  7. Hispanics

    I think we can consider these protests as the growing distrust towards Bush, not towards US But we poles support America greatly.

  8. Motivator

    Whatever be the reasons these protests doesn’t make any sense, since though they are targeting Bush, it appears to be reflected against US.

  9. Glenn Llopis

    Fitting reply to the war mongers! I guess these protest are not against the nation US but against Bush. Poles are a lovable community.

  10. Hispanics

    Why Bush is treated so awkwardly everywhere? I think he is remembered to be the most tarnished president of US

  11. Winner

    How Poles? All the Prezs after their tenure (Jimmy, Bill) are engaged in some social and international affairs. I am afraid what our Bush’s destiny after his presidential ship ends.