Many of the Ukrainians fleeing Russian
aggression find their way to Poland. We
are fortunate that a friend, while visiting that country a few years ago,
became acquainted with a gentleman in Krakow, a large city near the border with
Ukraine.
Over the years they have been in touch with
each other, and since the current war began, have been in frequent telephone
contact, including occasional face time sessions. Our friend asked many simple questions, aimed
at drawing out his responses and has kept a log of these conversations which
serve as far more searching interviews with someone ‘on the scene’ than what
one might see on TV.
There probably isn’t very much in these
interviews that we were not already aware of, but this ‘log’ imparts a flavor
and authenticity to these events that TV and the newspapers cannot provide.
Editing for presentation on the blog has been kept to a bare minimum.
The first thirty days of the “log” follow.
As our correspondent’s ‘Conversations with Krakow’ continue, future
supplements to it or selected excerpts, may appear on this blog.
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| Map Showing Proximity of Krakow to Polish-Ukraine border and city of Lviv in Ukraine. |
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The ‘log’ is reproduced below with the writer, who lives locally, identified as “G” and the Polish gentleman, who is a hospital administrator, simply identified as “M."
JL
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Feb. 27, 2022
G: The war started four days ago. What is happening in Poland?
M:
Everyone is buying food, clothing and shoes for refugees. People from different parts of Poland are
offering their flats and homes. I have a
big house for mothers and children. (M’s
spouse is a pediatric oncologist. Since
health care in Poland is run by the government, both are probably government
employees.)
March 4
G: What
is the latest news from Poland?
M: More
than 500,000 refugees have crossed our border.
Each day, more and more arrive.
Our friend from Zhytomir in the Ukraine says there is nothing left
there. Hundreds of volunteers from all
over Poland are offering free transportation.
G: Isn’t
Poland afraid Russia will cross its border?
M: No,
that is not an option for them. Russians
aren’t that stupid. We have here U.S.
Army, UK soldiers and Germans.
G: What
is the next move?
M: Well,
we wait and send more weapons to Ukraine.
The Russians advance much more slowly.
So far, they have lost about 10,000 soldiers in just eight days. Ukraine will be a Russian graveyard.
G: I
fear that Ukraine will be overwhelmed and destroyed.
M: There
will be nothing left, but they will fight for every inch. But when it ends, they will be able to
rebuild. Eastern Ukraine buildings were
poorly built from the Soviet era. Thanks
to world-wide support, it will be a better place. We have to be optimistic! By
1945, Warsaw was completely destroyed, the same as Dresden, but we
managed to rebuild. Now, both cities are
flourishing.
March 5
M: Day
eight. Many Ukrainian workers in Poland
have left to fight for their homeland.
Ukraine still fighting. Russia
did not capture any big cities. High
courage and morale.
G:
Refugees?
M:
100,000. Ukrainians are arriving
each day in Poland.
G: I
feel so helpless. Where should we send
donations?
M. PAH.
Polish Humanitarian Action.
G: What
do you think Putin will do next? Hit
NATO or nuclear power plants?
M: I
don’t think Putin will attach any NATO country.
Border guards cleared 129,000 refugees on Saturday.
March 6
M:
Trying to break morale of Ukraine by destroying civilian areas, creating
massive flow of refugees. They behave
the same way as the Wehrmacht, Waffen SS or Red Army during darkest days of
World War II.
March 10
M:
Refugee Update – Hi! We do what
we can do. Some huge tents close to
trains where they can get something to eat, something warm, sleep, and get the
donated stuff. Most of these people are
moving to different cities in Poland and beyond.
The shelling of the base twelve miles from
Poland was an attempt to intercept the supply line of weapons coming through
Poland into Ukraine. But supplies are
still moving through.
March 13
M: So
far we have 200,000 Ukrainians in Krakow.
One in four here are Ukrainians.
We need to create schools for children.
20,000 to 30,000 kids, some are orphans!
Fewer Krakow couples have children.
Medical care is free but we pay taxes.
G: What
does your president say?
M: That
they will stay in Poland. I think it
will be one of the greatest achievements of democracy. Even with sanctions, Russia is still a big
threat to Ukraine. Poland will not leave
its neighbors in need!! What else can he say?
Churches are doing a lot. Giving shelter and food. You know that always there can be more done
in everything, of course. As you say,
‘the sky is the limit’ but sometimes the situation is overwhelming.
G: Until
tomorrow, I know it’s late in Krakow.
March 14
G: What
could China do?
M:
China is best friends to Russia, so I wouldn’t count on them. China gets natural resources from Russia at a
fraction of their cost. Russia wants
Ukraine’s agriculture. Ukraine is a huge
producer of food. Russia doesn’t even
plant a potato.
G: I
know Donbas is full of iron, oil, gas, and minerals. Is that why it is so important to Russia?
M:
Crimea opens to the sea. Same
pattern with Donetsk and Lugansk. Putin hoped for no reaction from the West …
‘Who cares about Ukraine,’ he thought.
G:
Thanks for the history lesson.
You put what is happening in context.
If the Russian army is 200 miles from Poland, where does the close
shelling come from?
M: From
Belarus, who have Russian rockets. They
have many, many short distance and intercontinental ones.
G: I am
amazed about all the war toys.
Incomprehensible. Great minds,
zillions of dollars in the war business instead of feeding the hungry and water
and climate innovations and job training.
March 17
G: Do
you think a US/China meeting would be helpful?
M:
China is hesitant to come forward and is also slow processing diplomacy
and politics. But they already have
changed language about the situation.
Two weeks ago, Chinese TV reporters weren’t saying anything about the
war. Today they officially reported the
military attacks on civilian infrastructure.
The change is significant! They
can gain a lot with a weak Russian and the more, China will push into Siberia.
March 18
G: What
is significant about Siberia?
M:
Siberia is the crown jewel of Russia, the eastern part of the
country: full of oil, diamonds and precious
metals.
G: How
is life in Krakow?
M: We
are working, Saturday shopping. Sunday
most shops are closed. Clean up mess
from the week. Sundays – long walks with
our dog and museums sometime.
G:
Would China invade Siberia?
M: They
are already there.
G: How
does that work?
M:
Each year less and less Russians are born. Most of the population in the southern part
is Chinese, with Chinese shops, schools, hospitals, everything.
G:
Sounds like eastern Ukraine.
M:
Exactly. But China is doing it
smarter. No need for weapons if it
dominates the economy in eastern Russia.
Russians are more dependent on China for food, fabrics, electronics,
building materials; Russia is a funny
state. They could have anything, yet
they have nothing. Putin in the 90s said
once that some countries are great by having good roads, schools, and
hospitals. Others by having a strong
army. Russia is that other country.
China for years has lobbied for a new Silk
Road, a huge railway project through Ukraine.
China believed Russia that the
war would last three or five days, so no big deal. Reality?
Russia, by destroying critical infrastructure causes bigger financial
losses for Chinese businesses. Trains
from China to Europe full of goods took 13 or 14 days to arrive, now about 35
days.
G: I’m
learning a lot from you. I will make your ‘Conversations with Krakow’
famous. Good night from Boynton Beach.
March 19
G: War
Crimes?
M: War
crimes are obvious to everybody but the Russians. They did not sign the Geneva Conventions, so
forget the Hague. Rather, say a second
Nuremberg.
G:
Nazis set up concentration camps with food, water and beds. Russia cuts off food, electric, water and
targets children. Who looks worse now?
M:
Similar to World War Two. Okay,
the Germans were cruel, but predictable.
Russians are like Huns. They destroy everything in their path. Russians don’t have free elections. In Poland, we didn’t have them from 1945
until 1989. If you want to be free, you
have to fight for it. Like
Americans. The Polish Solidarity Union
brought us elections.
If Putin can’t have Ukraine, there will be no
Ukraine at all. Russia used same tactics
Syria, where they supported the Al-Assad regime. He is creating a new humanitarian crisis,
bigger than Syria and closer to Europe.
G: I
sent you a New York Times article about the possibility of Russia using
chemical and small nuclear weapons. Read
it!
M: We
are aware of possibility of nukes but it is not so easy to use them. Not just Putin decides. There are a lot of steps. Chemical is more the Russian style. I think they say such stupid things to scare
the West.
March 20
G: At
this time, how are the Polish people doing?
M: Our
hospitals are full of wounded refugee children but I think we can handle
it. More and more Ukrainians can get
PESEL numbers, something like your Social Security numbers. With it, they can
get jobs. There is the matter of
schools. They are working on it in
Warsaw.
Many Ukrainians want to start over here. So I truly believe most of them can start a
normal life, a long process but possible.
Before the war we already had a huge Ukrainian minority, so many
refugees have someone here. Some have
enough money to rent flats for their regular price and others have nothing at
all.
G: It’s
amazing to hear about what is happening from your country.
M: I
think Covid was a good occasion to prepare for something tragic, big and
unexpected. So, in some way we are
better prepared. We can’t be
pessimistic. I am sorry
G: It’s
quite clear!
M: I
sent videos about Russian/Ukraine history.
March 21
G:
NATO, G7, EU meetings in Brussels I hope will be helpful. Can phosphorus bombs be considered chemical
today?
M:
Definitely chemical. I hope
sanctions will be implemented.
G: I’m
studying a bit of Russian history. So
far I don’t see a great time for the Russian people.
March 24
M: I recommend to you a great book by Orlando
Figes, “A People’s Tragedy – The Russian Revolution – 1891-1924.” It’s the tragic history of Russia and helps
to understand Russian mentality. I just
saw a U.S. soldier in Krakow and he was driving an electric scooter.
G:
Funny and strange.
March 26
G:
Nice reception in Warsaw from your president for mine, while Poland has
welcomed close to two million refugees, incredible, in such a short amount of
tiem.
M: We
do what we can, like always we know Ukraine is fighting for us, so we have to
help them in every possible way. This is
very similar like the 1919-1921 Polish-Soviet War. We stopped Russia from entering Europe. Now, Ukraine is doing exactly the same thing.
March 27
M: Biden’s speech – well said, and no lie. Putin must be retired. There is no government or democracy; only
FSB/KGB/Mafia regime in Russia today.
* * * *
When Dreadful is Better than Fatal
Sometimes I wonder if maintaining Democratic control of Congress this year and re-electing a Democratic president in 2024 is as crucial for that Party as gaining control of State Legislatures is. Should their efforts and resources should be turned in that direction?
While Republican control of Congress and the White House would be dreadful, combining it with their control of State Legislatures would be fatal to democracy in the United States. It would turn back the continuing democratic evolution of the Constitution which has occurred over the past 233 years. The SCOTUS majority, something that you can blame on the gullible fools who voted for the defeated former president back in 2016, seems willing to do. Amendments which we think of as permanent are at stake.
Before you make up your mind about this,
read the first piece in this week’s New Yorker Magazine’s ‘Talk of the
Town’ section. (That’s the April 25 –
May 2 issue) But do it in the morning.
Otherwise, it will cause you to lose some sleep tonight. (I’m composing this at 2:19 a.m. after
reading it at bedtime.) Check it out by
CLICKING HERE. If that doesn't work for you, just visit https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/25/if-roe-v-wade-is-overturned-whats-next
JL
A Judge and a Lesson
For those who don’t think that their votes don’t really matter, take a look at the judge who just ruled against continuing masking mandates on public transportation. It doesn’t matter whether you agree or disagree with her. It’s how she got in the position of being able to make that decision in the first place.
She was a last-minute political appointment made by the defeated former president, after the 2020 election, but before he had left office. And with the three SCOTUS appointments that he made, her ruling is likely to be confirmed if it gets to that Court. Some Americans will become ill, perhaps even die and some will certainly spread what remains of this still dangerous coronavirus because of this decision.
Here's the first few paragraphs of an
article about her, as it appeared in the Palm Beach Post on April
20. See the paper for the rest of her
background.
“By Kate Cimini – (Fort Myers News-Press - USA
TODAY NETWORK – FLORIDA)
Airlines and other public transportation no
longer need to require passengers to mask up, based on a Monday ruling by
Florida native Federal Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle. Less than two years after her appointment,
Kimball Mizelle has upended the travel industry as airlines, buses, subways and
rideshare companies scramble to change their rules. Here’s what we know about
the Lakeland-raised judge.
Florida Middle District Judge Kimball
Mizelle was confirmed to the lifetime position of federal judge by the Republican-controlled
Senate in the weeks after President Donald Trump lost his bid for reelection.
She was named to the bar in 2012. At age 33, she was the youngest
Trump-nominated federal judge. During
the nomination process, the nonpartisan American Bar Association declared her
to be not qualified, citing her lack of experience in court.
The Republican senators who voted for her
pushed back against the assertion, lauding her work as a clerk for U.S. Supreme
Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as an attorney for the U.S. Department of
Justice and in the private sector at law firm Jones Day, which at the time was
representing the Pennsylvania Republican Party against private lawsuits and a
suit from the Democratic Party regarding voting rights. The law firm later
represented Trump in a suit seeking to overturn election results.
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., voted for Kimball
Mizelle, while Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., did not vote as he was quarantining
after a COVID-19 exposure.”
The message is that voting for Republicans
at any level whatsoever opens the door to unqualified, if not bad, political
appointments. It is a party that has
lost its mind. It will take generations
to undo the harm done to American democracy by the defeated former president
and those of his contaminated party who blindly followed and supported him.
The lesson: Never, ever, vote for a Republican who does
not denounce the defeated former president and who does not shun the backing of
his supporters. And if you’re not into
following politics and don’t want to think about this too deeply, here’s a
suggestion to keep it simple: If your earnings are below $400,000 a year, just vote for any
Democratic candidate running for any office being contested, locally,
State-wide or national. (About 98% of all Americans annually
earn less than that amount.)
JL
They’ll Read it in the Comics
The actions of Floriduh’s governor and his loyal Republican-dominated State legislature are providing a lesson to the generation still in elementary and high school.
Some of these kids are brighter than their parents and not blind to the
efforts of the governor and his supporters to dictate what may be taught in
schools and what books may be used there. At present, they still have newspapers and
even ‘comic’ strips to reveal the truth to them. Check out the past few weeks
of Lynn Johnston’s daily ‘comic’ strip, “For Better or For Worse” which says
things that can get a teacher fired in Floriduh.
 |
| Mother welcoming son back after his father threw him out the night he told him that he was gay. From 'For Better of For Worse' |
But getting back to that next generation
of voters. The actions of Floriduh’s
governor and his supporters are not going unnoticed. A fifteen-year old recently pointed this out
in a ‘Your Turn’ op-ed in the Palm Beach Post.
Unintentionally, Republican attacks on democracy are turning young people to the Democratic Party. The kids see what they
are doing and are beginning to consider Republicans in the same category as fascists
or other authoritarian groups that oppose democracy in our country, and who use
the transparent disguise of promoting freedom to destroy it.
The dummies who follow the defeated former president on his path to ignominy don’t understand that a person’s skin color and sexual orientation don’t make a difference to today’s kids, as they do to many of their parents.
It will take time, but right will triumph as the MAGA generation of fools, even the religious ones, die off, wrapping themselves in the American flag they supposedly love so much as a shroud. They are unworthy of even saluting that flag, having attempted to bring down the Constitution of the nation of which it is the emblem.
As they die off, those who might believe in Hell will be welcomed by the hordes of right-wing Republicans already residing there. Only then will American democracy be safe.
JL
We Scooped the Times on Predicting Ukraine Outcome
On April 13, a New York
Times column by Thomas Friedman concluded with this thought: ‘I still hope Putin, the fool, will eventually
seek a dirty, face-saving deal, involving a Russian withdrawal, some kind of
independent status for the more pro-Russian eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk
and no Ukrainian membership in NATO but giving Kyiv a green light to join the
European Union, along with security guarantees against another Russian
invasion.’
Readers of this blog will find almost the same thoughts voiced here by me back on February 25, about a month ago. Go back and check. Friedman is well paid. I pontificate for free.
Regardless of what Friedman or I wrote, the issue is still in doubt.
JL
The United States Aided Poland in 1920 Establishing Precedent for Aiding Ukraine Today
The March 26 entry appearing in "Conversations with Krakow" above mentions the Polish-Russian War, which followed World War One. Having replaced the Tsarist government and after a brief flirtation with true democracy, the Russian Communists attempted to militarily aid Communist insurgencies in Western Europe. Poland stood in the way, and defeated the Russians, stopping their efforts. Interestingly, many American volunteers, including pilots, joined with the Poles in that struggle. That can set a precedent for similar assistance to Ukraine today which stands in the way of similar Russian expansionism. Read about this by CLICKING HERE.
JL
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