Archives: Year 2020

The original Kuryer Polski was the first Polish daily newspaper printed in the United States. Its founder was Michał Kruszka who published the newspaper in June 1888 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, we will not be able to celebrate the hundred-year jubilee of one of the greatest personalities of Polish science. We report with sadness that on Wednesday, December 16, 2020, at the age of 99, professor Wacław Szybalski, an outstanding researcher, a true genius of molecular genetics, called the "king of genetics", repeatedly mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize, honorary doctor of many universities, passed away. In prof. Wacław Szybalski, we say farewell to an excellent specialist in genetics and molecular medicine, and to the father of the so-called synthetic biology. He was a world-class scientist, mentor, educator, model for many Polish researchers, and - at the same time - a great Pole and an active patriot.

No religious or national holiday has the magic, mystery and reverie that Christmas does. Especially for us, Polish emigrants, these holidays are full of nostalgia, reflection, regret, what crushes our hearts, and longing that drives us to Poland, to the family huts...

In Poland, Christmas Eve, December 24, is considered the most special night of the year. It is a night on which, according to legend, even animals speak with a human voice. The tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve is inherently associated with an official supper held within the closest family circle, during which only vegetarian dishes are consumed.

In the United States, unlike in Poland, Christmas customs are not cultivated on such a large scale. But it should be emphasized that they are present in the December Holiday culture in many regions of North America.

In August of 1944, on the fourth day of the Warsaw Uprising, a German bullet pierced the forehead of one of the soldiers fighting in the Theatre Square. The dead insurgent was 23 years old. History would have probably erased this death from our memory, as it was done in the case of thousands of unknown defenders of Warsaw. This one name would not have upset the enormous balance of human losses, bad it not belonged to a soldier who was one of the most outstanding poets of the, war' s younger generation, in whom his contemporaries saw Słowacki’s successor…

This terrible 2020, which has brought drastic changes and a restrictions on our freedom, is ending. The pandemic has shattered many ambitious plans. There was to be a retreat from globalization and a decisive expansion of the middle class in the Western world. However, it happened quite differently, and this fact forces us, all independent thinkers, to reflect. The pandemic has shown us that most politicians have failed the test of serving their nations.

A Wisconsin Air National Guard fighter jet crashed in a sparsely populated, heavily wooded area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula around 8 p.m. on the night of Tuesday, December 8. The pilot was considered missing until Thursday afternoon, and a massive search was under way by the U.S. Coast Guard, local emergency responders, military personnel, and others, according to multiple sources. Sadly, the pilot has been declared dead late Thursday afternoon.

A few weeks ago, I wrote the text: German "New Deal", Will It Be the End of the Three Seas Initiative? Let me just remind you that the German Minister of Defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer presented the concept of a new order in transatlantic relations between the USA and Germany. This deal clearly subordinates Germany to America, in return for giving Germany a free hand in European affairs and maintaining the political and strategic order in this part of the world.

China and 14 other countries, but without the United States, have agreed to create the largest trading bloc in the world, covering almost a third of all global economic activity and population.

I am not a big supporter of the President of the Polish American Congress (Kongress Polonii Amerykańskiej, KPA), Frank Spula, but it is worth appreciating his contribution and commitment on the part of President Donald Trump in this election campaign, but let's start from the beginning. In the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump met in Chicago with the KPA activists at the explicit invitation of chief Frank Spula. During this meeting, Trump promised to increase Poland's security and to waive visas for Poles.

The outbreak of World War I raised great hopes for regaining independence among Poles scattered all over the world. They have been preparing for this historical event since the loss of independence. Each generation has played a part in this struggle, each has made mistakes and has its own vision of the future. However, it can be safely stated that the use of a favorable historical moment was possible thanks to the collaboration of outstanding leaders, their leadership talents, dedication and patriotism and awareness of all social groups.

JAN FRANCISZEK SMULSKI - an outstanding patriot, champion of the Polish cause towards the US President Wilson, close associate of Jan Ignacy Paderewski and Roman Dmowski, an organizer of financial aid for the reborn Poland, an emigrant initiator of key undertakings for the Independent. Lawyer, journalist, publisher, politician and, very importantly, the first Polish millionaire and banker in Chicago.