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THE SARMATIAN REVIEW Vol. XXVI, No. 3 September 2006 The Poles as “Others” “The people whose stories we shall never hear.” From the Sarmatian Review archives. 1226 SARMATIAN REVIEW September 2006 The Sarmatian Review (ISSN 1059- Polish Political Diaspora and the Polish system that does not put power and 5872) is a triannual publication of the Polish Institute Americans, 1939–1956 (review). 1237 wealth first. Its strangeness reminds us of Houston. The journal deals with Polish, Central, Piotr Wrobel, The Massacre at Jedwabne, that our own discourse is not a universal and Eastern European affairs, and it explores their one. Nor is Van Norman just a flatterer— implications for the United States. We specialize in July 10, 1941:Before, During, and After the translation of documents.Sarmatian Review is (review). 1238 his ennumeration of Polish shortcomings indexed in the American Bibliography of Slavic and James E. Bjork, Religion and the Rise of sounds familiar even today. East European Studies, EBSCO, and P.A.I.S. Nationalism: A Profile of an East-Central Among these shortcomings is a International Database. From January 1998 on, files slowness to get one’s act together in the in PDF format are available at the Central and Eastern European City (review). .1240 European Online Library (www.ceeol.com). Bogdan Czaykowski, Polskie wizje Europy political arena, as well as disregard for Subscription price is $15.00 per year for individuals, w XIX i XX wieku (review) . .1242 public relations. Polish politicians seem $21.00 for institutions and libraries ($21.00 for Jonathan Z. Ludwig, Polish Encounters, to ignore the image of Polish politics they individuals, $28.00 for libraries overseas, air mail). have been creating inside the country and The views expressed by authors of articles do not Russian Identity (review). .1244 necessarily represent those of the editors or of the Agata Brajerska-Mazur, Warsaw Tales abroad. The 2005 elections in Poland Polish Institute of Houston. Articles are subject to 2006: New Europe Writers’ Ink (review) . brought to power a party (PiS, or the Law editing. Unsolicited manuscripts and other materials . .1246 and Justice Party) that, for the first time are not returned unless accompanied by a self- in postcommunist history, had no ties in addressed and stamped envelope. Please submit your Mary Ann Furno, Encounters: Philosophy contribution electronically and send a printout by air of History after Postmodernism (review). the establishment of “People’s Poland.” mail. Letters to the Editor can be e-mailed to . 1247 Upon coming to power PiS proclaimed <[email protected]>, with an accompanying Louis E. Van Norman, Poland: The Knight its committment to liberty, democracy, printout (including return address) sent by air mail. and friendship with the United States. So Articles, letters, and subscription checks should be Among Nations (SR partial reprints). .1249 far, so good—but has it delivered? As this mailed to About the Authors . 1252 issue goes to print, PiS’s excellent Prime The Sarmatian Review, P. O. Box 79119, Our Take Houston, Texas 77279–9119. Minister, Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz, has The Sarmatian Review retains the copyright for all Flattery and Denigration resigned, to be replaced by the president’s materials included in print and online issues. Copies twin brother. Can he credibly form a new for personal or educational use are permitted by section from Abroad government? Other resignations 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Permission preceded Mr. Marcinkiewicz’s. Early to redistribute, republish, or use SR materials in It does not often happen that Poles advertising or promotion must be submitted in writing are flattered, and certainly not in the first elections seem in the offing. to the Editor. decade of the twentieth century, when One notes with regret the inexperience Editor: Ewa Thompson (Rice University). they lay defeated on all fronts. Yet Louis of the leading PiS politicians. A May Editorial Advisory Committee: Bogdan Czaykowski 2006 article in the German daily (University of British Columbia), Janusz A. E. Van Norman, an American writer, Ihnatowicz (University of Saint Thomas), Joseph spared no efforts in complimenting Poles Tageszeitung made fun of President Lech A.Kotarba (University of Houston), Alex Kurczaba on their achievements. Poland: The Knight Kaczyƒski, and apparently the President (University of Illinois), Marcus D. Leuchter Among Nations [2d ed. 1907] issued from was so upset by the admittedly vulgar (Holocaust Museum Houston),Witold J. Lukaszewski humor of the article that he called off his (Sam Houston State University), Theresa Kurk a year-long stay in the Russian-occupied McGinley (North Harris College), Michael J. part of the country. It has been trip to the meeting of German, Polish, and MikoÊ(University of Wisconsin), Jan Rybicki overshadowed by the hundreds of books French presidents, under a thinly veiled (Kraków Pedagogical University), Dariusz on Russia and Prussia (who likewise excuse that he had health problems. Nosy Skórczewski (University of Illinois-Chicago), Tamara journalists found out they were stomach Trojanowska (University of Toronto), Piotr Wilczek cannibalized a portion of Polish lands) (University of Silesia). written by other twentieth-century writers problems. More jokes. Copy Editor: Cyndy Brown and academics. The conquerors usually So far as we can see, the Tageszeitung Web Pages: Lisa Spiro (Rice University). find ways to reward those who provide parody was done in the tradition of Web Address: <http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~sarmatia>. “Saturday Night Live,” an intensely funny Sarmatian Council: James Burns (Houston), Iga J. gratuitous propaganda for their cause, and Henderson (Houston), Marek Kimmel (Rice a crushing majority of these books found and occasionally brutal American TV series University), Leonard M. Krazynski (First Honorary ways to flatter the occupiers and revile Poles. that has taken on virtually every living U.S. Polish Consul in Houston), James R. Thompson (Rice We find it instructive to return to Van President, and some of the deceased ones. University). Norman‘s not-so-famous book. It In it, President Bush is often presented in a In this issue: resonates with concerns that continue to distincly unflattering light, and the inane Our Take . .1226 be valid today, and it is free of today‘s “interviews” with him are hard-hitting and SR Index . 1227 prejudices and blind spots. When Van hilarious. President Kaczyƒski must learn Dariusz Skórczewski, Modern Polish Norman states that the history of Poland to live with this sort of thing. In a democratic Literature Through a Postcolonial Lens: is worthy of a Tacitus, one is startled at world, a public figure is public property— The Case of Paweł Huelle’s Castorp . 1229 first. This is not what history books one can play football on it. Those with BOOKS. , 1233 usually say. The Poles lost, therefore, they delicate skin should not go into politics. As James R. Thompson, Rising ’44: The Battle were in the wrong. But not necessarily. the proverb says, if you cannot stand the for Warsaw (review) . .1235 It is good to be reminded of a valuation heat, get out of the kitchen. ∆ Patricia A. Gajda, The Exile Mission: The September 2006 SARMATIAN REVIEW 1227 The Sarmatian Review Index Readership of newspapers in the United States Percentage of people who regularly read newspapers: 50 percent. Percentage of people who read a newspaper once or twice a week: 75 percent. Percentage growth of Web readers of the New York Times and Chicago Tribune, respectively, from December 2004 to December 2005: 22 percent and 99 percent. Percentage growth of Web readers of newspaper web sites from December 2004 to December 2005: up 30 percent, or 55 million people. Number of Web blogs worldwide: 27.2 million. Source: Scarborough Research, Nielsen Net Ratings, Researcher Technorati, as reported by Brian Deagon, “Digital Era Leaves No Time For Newspapers To Rest In Print,” Yahoo News, 18 February 2006. U.S. Government spending in 2006 U.S. Government spending per household: $23,760. Breakdown: Social Security and Medicare, $7,875; defense, $4,701; low-income programs (Medicaid, food stamps, housing subsidies, tax credits), $3,579; interest on the federal debt, $1,930 (debt is currently at $8.2 trillion, of which $4.9 trillion is held by public bond owners and the rest by federal agencies); federal employee retirement benefits, $870; education, $732 (includes spending on low income children); health research/regula- tion, $671; veterans’ benefits, $618; community and regional development, $456 (includes Katrina relief); highways and mass transit, $402; justice administration, $363; unemployment benefits, $338; international affairs (foreign aid, cost of diplomacy), $302; natural resources/environment, $287; agriculture, $235. The remaining $398 is allocated to all other federal programs. Source: Brian Riedl, “You be the judge: Do taxes give our money’s worth?” Houston Chronicle, 15 April 2006. Police corruption in Russia Percentage increase of crime in the Russian police force between 2004 and 2005: 50 percent. Number of police officers in the Caucasus found to have cooperated with the Chechen freedom fighters: 156. Number of police officers held criminally responsible in 2005: 4,269, including 630 senior officers. Source: Interior Ministry’s internal security department, as reported by Interfax and then by Jonas Bernstein of Russia Reform Monitor, no. 1348, 3 February 2006. Number of crimes committed in Russia in 2005: 3.5 million, up 25 percent over 2004. Number of crimes that the police failed to record (according to Prosecutor General): 140,000, including 700 murders, 1,500 violent assaults, and 80,000 property crimes. Source: Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov on 3 February 2006, as reported by Russia Reform Monitor, no. 1349, 6 February 2006. Stalin cult in Russia Name of a major city in Russia which opened a museum glorifying Josef Stalin in March 2006: Volgograd (formerly Stalingrad). Number of families who suffered political repression under Stalin in the Volgograd region: approximately 100,000.