Polish president – the cause

The Polish President Lech Kaczynski went down in a plane crash with his wife Maria

The news is a tragedy for the Polish nation and the world.

Where was the President going?

He was on the way to the Katyn remembrance, the place were the Russians shot 10,000 Polish officers and 12,000 other Poles, during Second World War for political reasons, to suppress the possibility of anti-communist resistance.

“It is a damned place,” former president Aleksander Kwasniewski said on Polish news this morning.

Russian people are expressing unity and support for the nation of Poland.

The news is the Polish president Lech Kaczynski and up to 88 people died in a plane crash on the way to an official state ceremony around Smolensk, Russia. The jet was carrying many Polish leaders, including the head of the Polish Army and central bank. The Polish president was flying from Warsaw, Poland. The first report 87 people had died, now I am getting reports that 88 people were on the passenger list. One lady missed the plane flight. There is an unconfirmed report that 3 people have survived, but I think no one survived. There is no clear information from any news source at the exact number.

Lot Polish airlines has one of the best safety records in the world with only one previous crash in its history. It was actually a Russian Tu-154 and a Russian airport, not Lot Polish airline. This was an official state plane like airforce one – but large when large state ceremonies are involved. This is a huge tragedy.

Cause of the Polish president airplane crash

The cause of the crash was the weather, very heavy fog. It was connected with landing problems as it happened close to the airport. On landing it brushed against some trees. There is wreckage spread through the forest. The nose of the plane seems in tact. But the wheels are face up.

The plane tried to land twice and was about to be routed to Minsk 200 km or about 100 miles away, but there was a time pressure involved. The Russians did not close the airport for bad weather but keep it open.

In the Smolensk airport, they do not have electronic modern air traffic control and everything is more on manual. Therefore, some people are saying this 100% because the air field was just more a landing strip in the forest with no modern equipment and heavy fog. It was no one’s fault it was just life or fate.

Russian has declared a day of mourning.

Who is leading Poland now?

Prime Mister Donald Tusk is now in charge in running the country during this state of emergency. It is a state of emergency and morning in Poland. Lech Kaczynski is survived by is identical twin brother who was the last prime minster Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Kaszynski also has a daughter and a mother still alive.

Prime Minister Tusk has expressed that he did not want to run for the President of Poland in the 2010 fall elections. However, this could all change. Kaczynski was at first unpopular as he introduced hard policies of fiscal restraint, however, since Poland has prospered during the economic crisis, opinion changed to very positive towards President Kaczynski.

It is not covered in detail on the English news I am reporting the details now. I am just getting the news now and translating it from Polish. I am watching the Polish news and I am very sorry about this as I have always thought he was a great man and a patriot. He was a man of ideals, faith and honor.

Lech Kaczynski legacy

Kaczynski led Poland through a very difficult time of times. After Poland joined the EU he needed to really bring Poland to transform to a modern Polish economy, while at the same time keep to the ideas that made Poland unique, that is a county of faith and ideals. He fought corruption and always represented the Polish people under heavy criticism from both the left and the right. The Polish president Lech Kaczynski was a man who had the courage of his convictions.

The President is dead, Lech Kaczynski at age 60. At this point no comment from President Obama.

I am an America living in Poland as a Polish citizen.