2020 census Pg. 2 ■ central and east european coalition Pg. 3 ■ a proclamation by the president of the usa, donald j. trump Pg. 5 ■ message from presidential October 2020 candidate, joe biden Pg. 5 ■ plans for polish american heritage month Pg. 6 ■ pulaski parade committee Pg. 8 ■ 2nd annual “general casimir pulaski day” event Pg. 9 ■ pac goes virtual! Pg. 10 ■ american politics Pg. 13 ■ polish american council of texas Pg. 14 ■ u.s. relations with poland Pg. 17 ■ from the bookshelf Pg. 19 Polish American Congress Volume 7, Number 5 Your in America!Voice DEADLINES FOR SUBMISSIONS Future PAC Newsletters will be sent out: Deadline for submission Publication date Friday, December 4, 2020 Friday, December 11, 2020 Friday, February 5, 2021 Friday, February 12, 2021 Friday, April 2, 2021 Friday, April 9, 2021 Friday, June 4, 2021 Friday, June 11, 2021 “Your Voice in America” is a bimonthly newsletter published by the Polish American Congress. The purpose of the newsletter is to offer PAC National Directors and PAC Dear Members, Executive Committee members the opportunity to share news and information about their state divisions and offices. I hope this letter finds you well, and that you and your loved ones The newsletter does not receive funds from any external are healthy and safe during this time. Many events, including source. The editor is Dr. Mark Pienkos. our heritage banquets, have been cancelled due to the safety concerns resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic. I hope you Articles should be between 100 and 400 words. Some editing will are continuing to hold meetings virtually or telephonically. be done to match our style guidelines and spatial constraints, as well as correcting grammatical errors. We do not send The Polish American Congress remains connected and fully operational to be proofs for approval. When sending photos, please include able to work on behalf of the Polish-American community. I encourage you to captions with names, official titles. All submitted materials become the property of the Polish American Congress and continue reaching out and being visible in your local communities. October may be used to promote the mission of the PAC. Materials is Polish-American Heritage Month, and it is important to take this time to will not be returned unless requested. honor those who came before us, and to continue the incredible legacy of Polish Americans. The history of the Polish people, and the Polish communities that All articles are due according to this schedule. Send your are thriving today, give us so much to be proud of. The uncertainties that we submissions to PAC National VP for Public Relations, Mark face due to this pandemic have deeply affected us all on a business and personal Pienkos at [email protected]. level. However, we come from a long line of people who stayed resilient through hardships. The same strength that our ancestors possessed to get through the crises of their times will carry us through this time. Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Polish-American-Congress Continued on next page... Your Voice in America ■ Polish American Congress I ask that you remind your members to vote in the upcoming general election. Early voting has already begun in many places. You can register to vote online, by mail, or in-person. Voting is about more than just who becomes the next U.S. President; it is equally important to choose the local representatives that you believe will make the best decisions regarding education, zoning, transportation, and many other aspects of our day-to-day lives. The right to vote is our right to choose representatives that will best serve our communities. It is one of the most important things we can do to determine our futures, so let’s make sure we do so. We are in the 4th quarter of a challenging year, but we are optimistic that things will change for the better, and that a sense of stability will return soon. I look forward to seeing you all again. Wishing you good health and best wishes during this fall season. Frank J. Spula, President 2020 CENSUS Dear Polish American Congress Presidents and Directors, I want to thank everyone who completed and returned their 2020 Census Forms. Filling out the Census let’s local and federal governments know how many resources should be allocated to each community. Your response to the 2020 Census helps determine how much funding gets allocated to roads, playgrounds, schools, health-care, law enforcement, and many more services that our members depend on. As you know, this opportunity only comes every ten years. I also ask that you remind your members to register to vote. You can register to vote online, in-person, or by a mail-in registration form. Early Voting has already begun in many places. The right to vote is a hallmark of democracy and one of the most important things we can do to determine our futures. It gives us the right to choose representatives based on our values and needs. Registering to vote takes only a few minutes and makes an enormous difference in the lives of the respondents, and their communities. Heroes in Poland and the United States have fought and died for the right to vote and participate in democracy. Polonia must take these initiatives if we want our voices to be heard in the political process. If I can be of any assistance, please let me know! With best wishes, Frank J. Spula, President 2 Your Voice in America ■ Polish American Congress CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COALITION Central and East European Coalition Questions for the 2020 Presidential Candidates Central and East European Coalition 5. How will you work to combat disinformation coming into 1612 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20006 the U.S. from sources within Russia and elsewhere, and the ceecoalition.us misinformation being fed to the Russian people about the U.S. [email protected] and its allies? The Central and East European Coalition is comprised of 18 national 6. How would you characterize the effect of the Putin regime’s membership organizations that represent more than 22 million policies toward Central and Eastern Europe on U.S. national Americans of Central and Eastern European (CEE) descent. As interests? Are there Kremlin policies that you consider to be we represent communities in the United States with heritage from contrary to U.S. geo-political interests in the region? countries that neighbor Russia, our constituents have a vested interest 7. What are your thoughts on the Putin regime’s serial violation of in the U.S.-Russia relationship and U.S. policy toward the region. numerous standing agreements—such as the Treaty on Conventional The CEEC strongly believes that the Kremlin’s aggression must be Armed Forces in Europe, Helsinki Final Act of 1975, NATO- contained and condemns its disregard for the sovereignty of its Russia Founding Act of 1997, and Budapest Memorandum on neighbors. We advocate for the enforcement of all sanctions against Security Assurances of 1994 – while the U.S. is still abiding by Russia to ensure the withdrawal of Russian forces from Ukrainian, them, at least to some extent? How would you approach reversal Georgian, and Moldovan territories, and the deterrence of any future of these violations while ensuring effective deterrence of further encroachment on other CEE states. We also condemn the recent violations and better protection for CEE countries? fraudulent elections in Belarus and the ensuing violent crackdown 8. Considering the Kremlin's long history of using gas and oil as a against unarmed and peaceful protesters throughout that country, means of political and economic pressure, what is your position and support sanctions against Belarusian officials responsible for on U.S. assistance to ensure energy security and independence the crackdown. Authoritarian governments in the region must act in the CEE region, to include working to end the Nord Stream responsibly and abide by international law. It is vitally important 2 project and supporting the Three Seas Initiative? that the U.S. maintain its leverage and leadership in the development of multinational policy in the region. The President must embody and aggressively work toward these goals. To facilitate assessment of the candidates’ positions on these issues, we respectfully request that the campaigns submit responses to the following questions: 1. What is your position on the U.S. implementing sanctions in response to the elections in Belarus and their aftermath? 2. What are your plans for continued U.S. leadership in NATO as the cornerstone of transatlantic security? Please include comments on your view of the ideal level of U.S. troop presence in Germany. 3. What are your views on any possible "resetting" of relations with Russia? 4. What is your position on the sanctions against Russia with respect to both Ukraine and Crimea? How would you approach ensuring that the Russian government understands the basis for these sanctions and their implementation? 3 Your Voice in America ■ Polish American Congress CENTRAL AND EAST EUROPEAN COALITION Established in 1994, CEEC is composed of eighteen national, membership-based organizations representing Americans of Armenian, Belarusan, Bulgarian, Czech, Estonian, Georgian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak, and Ukrainian descent. TOP BIDEN CAMPAIGN FOREIGN The prospect of a possible reset without any change in Kremlin policy alarms the CEEC. We recall that as vice-president in the POLICY ADVISER BRIEFS CEE Obama administration, candidate Biden enthusiastically supported the ill-advised reset with Russia. Written by John Czop Mr. McKeon also made it clear that a Biden administration has PAC Director of Policy no interest in a reset with Putin's Kremlin.