Polish Pioneers in America

Audit the Federal Reserve: HR 1207 and S 604

2009-06-12T05:22:00.001-07:00

Audit the Federal Reserve: HR 1207 and S 604
Ron Paul’s bill to audit the Federal Reserve (HR 1207) now has 222 co-sponsors, and the numbers keep growing! At the same time, HR 1207’s companion bill in the Senate, S 604, is now beginning to attract its first co-sponsor!

This is history in the making, and victory is within reach. Imagine what will happen if HR 1207, The Federal Reserve Transparency Act, comes up for vote in Congress! With more than 50% of the House of Representatives already co-sponsoring this bill, it has real potential to pass — BUT only if we educate and rally the people to support it and get our Congresspeople to put it to vote and pass it.

Step 1: Your Representative
If your representative is not on the following list of HR 1207 co-sponsors, call their offices, write to them, email them. Let them know they need to support HR 1207. If you live in their district, let them know. Go to their office.

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

Audit the Federal Reserve: HR 1207 and S 604
Ron Paul’s bill to audit the Federal Reserve (HR 1207) now has 222 co-sponsors, and the numbers keep growing! At the same time, HR 1207’s companion bill in the Senate, S 604, is now beginning to attract its first co-sponsor!

This is history in the making, and victory is within reach. Imagine what will happen if HR 1207, The Federal Reserve Transparency Act, comes up for vote in Congress! With more than 50% of the House of Representatives already co-sponsoring this bill, it has real potential to pass — BUT only if we educate and rally the people to support it and get our Congresspeople to put it to vote and pass it.
Step 1: Your Representative
If your representative is not on the following list of HR 1207 co-sponsors, call their offices, write to them, email them. Let them know they need to support HR 1207. If you live in their district, let them know. Go to their office.

Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121

HR 1207 Co-Sponsors (as of 6/12/2009)

Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] - 2/26/2009
Rep Aderholt, Robert B. [AL-4] - 5/6/2009
Rep Adler, John H. [NJ-3] - 5/6/2009
Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] - 3/19/2009
Rep Alexander, Rodney [LA-5] - 3/10/2009
Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] - 5/20/2009
Rep Austria, Steve [OH-7] - 5/6/2009
Rep Bachmann, Michele [MN-6] - 2/26/2009
Rep Bachus, Spencer [AL-6] - 4/29/2009
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] - 4/21/2009
Rep Barrett, J. Gresham [SC-3] - 4/28/2009
Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] - 5/12/2009
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] - 2/26/2009
Rep Barton, Joe [TX-6] - 5/4/2009
Rep Berkley, Shelley [NV-1] - 5/21/2009
Rep Berry, Marion [AR-1] - 5/20/2009
Rep Biggert, Judy [IL-13] - 4/28/2009
Rep Bilbray, Brian P. [CA-50] - 4/21/2009
Rep Bilirakis, Gus M. [FL-9] - 5/4/2009
Rep Bishop, Rob [UT-1] - 4/21/2009
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] - 3/16/2009
Rep Blunt, Roy [MO-7] - 3/24/2009
Rep Boehner, John A. [OH-8] - 6/10/2009
Rep Bonner, Jo [AL-1] - 6/9/2009
Rep Bono Mack, Mary [CA-45] - 4/29/2009
Rep Boozman, John [AR-3] - 5/7/2009
Rep Boswell, Leonard L. [IA-3] - 6/9/2009
Rep Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [LA-7] - 5/13/2009
Rep Brady, Kevin [TX-8] - 4/22/2009
Rep Braley, Bruce L. [IA-1] - 6/11/2009
Rep Bright, Bobby [AL-2] - 6/11/2009
Rep Broun, Paul C. [GA-10] - 2/26/2009
Rep Brown, Corrine [FL-3] - 6/11/2009
Rep Brown, Henry E., Jr. [SC-1] - 4/28/2009
Rep Brown-Waite, Ginny [FL-5] - 5/20/2009
Rep Buchanan, Vern [FL-13] - 3/17/2009
Rep Burgess, Michael C. [TX-26] - 3/19/2009
Rep Burton, Dan [IN-5] - 2/26/2009
Rep Buyer, Steve [IN-4] - 4/30/2009
Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] - 4/29/2009
Rep Campbell, John [CA-48] - 5/4/2009
Rep Cao, Anh “Joseph” [LA-2] - 6/11/2009
Rep Capito, Shelley Moore [WV-2] - 4/1/2009
Rep Carney, Christopher P. [PA-10] - 6/9/2009
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] - 3/31/2009
Rep Cassidy, Bill [LA-6] - 5/4/2009
Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE] - 3/17/2009
Rep Chaffetz, Jason [UT-3] - 3/6/2009
Rep Childers, Travis [MS-1] - 6/9/2009
Rep Coble, Howard [NC-6] - 6/11/2009
Rep Cole, Tom [OK-4] - 4/21/2009
Rep Conaway, K. Michael [TX-11] - 5/7/2009
Rep Crenshaw, Ander [FL-4] - 5/4/2009
Rep Culberson, John Abney [TX-7] - 3/26/2009
Rep Davis, Geoff [KY-4] - 5/6/2009
Rep Deal, Nathan [GA-9] - 3/23/2009
Rep DeFazio, Peter A. [OR-4] - 3/9/2009
Rep Dent, Charles W. [PA-15] - 5/6/2009
Rep Doggett, Lloyd [TX-25] - 4/21/2009
Rep Dreier, David [CA-26] - 6/10/2009
Rep Duncan, John J., Jr. [TN-2] - 3/6/2009
Rep Edwards, Donna F. [MD-4] - 6/11/2009
Rep Ehlers, Vernon J. [MI-3] - 4/21/2009
Rep Fallin, Mary [OK-5] - 4/2/2009
Rep Flake, Jeff [AZ-6] - 5/11/2009
Rep Fleming, John [LA-4] - 3/18/2009
Rep Forbes, J. Randy [VA-4] - 5/20/2009
Rep Fortenberry, Jeff [NE-1] - 5/12/2009
Rep Foxx, Virginia [NC-5] - 3/10/2009
Rep Franks, Trent [AZ-2] - 3/23/2009
Rep Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. [NJ-11] - 6/3/2009
Rep Garrett, Scott [NJ-5] - 3/5/2009
Rep Gerlach, Jim [PA-6] - 5/11/2009
Rep Gingrey, Phil [GA-11] - 3/30/2009
Rep Gohmert, Louie [TX-1] - 4/23/2009
Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6] - 4/28/2009
Rep Granger, Kay [TX-12] - 4/28/2009
Rep Graves, Sam [MO-6] - 4/22/2009
Rep Grayson, Alan [FL-8] - 3/11/2009
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] - 6/3/2009
Rep Guthrie, Brett [KY-2] - 5/7/2009
Rep Hall, Ralph M. [TX-4] - 4/29/2009
Rep Halvorson, Deborah L. [IL-11] - 6/3/2009
Rep Hare, Phil [IL-17] - 5/11/2009
Rep Harper, Gregg [MS-3] - 5/11/2009
Rep Hastings, Doc [WA-4] - 5/11/2009
Rep Heller, Dean [NV-2] - 3/6/2009
Rep Hensarling, Jeb [TX-5] - 5/4/2009
Rep Herger, Wally [CA-2] - 4/21/2009
Rep Herseth Sandlin, Stephanie [SD] - 5/6/2009
Rep Hinchey, Maurice D. [NY-22] - 6/2/2009
Rep Hoekstra, Peter [MI-2] - 4/28/2009
Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] - 6/4/2009
Rep Hunter, Duncan D. [CA-52] - 5/13/2009
Rep Inglis, Bob [SC-4] - 4/23/2009
Rep Inslee, Jay [WA-1] - 5/12/2009
Rep Jenkins, Lynn [KS-2] - 4/23/2009
Rep Johnson, Henry C. “Hank,” Jr. [GA-4] - 6/9/2009
Rep Johnson, Sam [TX-3] - 4/22/2009
Rep Johnson, Timothy V. [IL-15] - 4/23/2009
Rep Jones, Walter B., Jr. [NC-3] - 2/26/2009
Rep Jordan, Jim [OH-4] - 6/2/2009
Rep Kagen, Steve [WI-8] - 2/26/2009
Rep Kaptur, Marcy [OH-9] - 4/23/2009
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] - 6/4/2009
Rep King, Steve [IA-5] - 6/11/2009
Rep Kingston, Jack [GA-1] - 3/6/2009
Rep Kline, John [MN-2] - 4/29/2009
Rep Kratovil, Frank, Jr. [MD-1] - 6/4/2009
Rep Kucinich, Dennis J. [OH-10] - 6/11/2009
Rep Lamborn, Doug [CO-5] - 4/21/2009
Rep Lance, Leonard [NJ-7] - 5/11/2009
Rep Latham, Tom [IA-4] - 4/21/2009
Rep LaTourette, Steven C. [OH-14] - 4/28/2009
Rep Latta, Robert E. [OH-5] - 5/20/2009
Rep Lee, Christopher J. [NY-26] - 6/10/2009
Rep Linder, John [GA-7] - 5/6/2009
Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] - 6/4/2009
Rep LoBiondo, Frank A. [NJ-2] - 5/4/2009
Rep Loebsack, David [IA-2] - 6/10/2009
Rep Lucas, Frank D. [OK-3] - 4/21/2009
Rep Luetkemeyer, Blaine [MO-9] - 4/21/2009
Rep Lummis, Cynthia M. [WY] - 3/19/2009
Rep Lungren, Daniel E. [CA-3] - 5/7/2009
Rep Mack, Connie [FL-14] - 5/12/2009
Rep Maffei, Daniel B. [NY-25] - 5/12/2009
Rep Manzullo, Donald A. [IL-16] - 4/21/2009
Rep Marchant, Kenny [TX-24] - 3/11/2009
Rep Massa, Eric J. J. [NY-29] - 4/22/2009
Rep McCarthy, Kevin [CA-22] - 5/4/2009
Rep McCaul, Michael T. [TX-10] - 4/21/2009
Rep McClintock, Tom [CA-4] - 3/6/2009
Rep McCotter, Thaddeus G. [MI-11] - 3/19/2009
Rep McDermott, Jim [WA-7] - 4/29/2009
Rep McGovern, James P. [MA-3] - 6/10/2009
Rep McHenry, Patrick T. [NC-10] - 4/30/2009
Rep McHugh, John M. [NY-23] - 5/4/2009
Rep McIntyre, Mike [NC-7] - 6/10/2009
Rep McKeon, Howard P. “Buck” [CA-25] - 6/11/2009
Rep McMorris Rodgers, Cathy [WA-5] - 5/4/2009
Rep Mica, John L. [FL-7] - 5/12/2009
Rep Michaud, Michael H. [ME-2] - 5/7/2009
Rep Miller, Candice S. [MI-10] - 4/28/2009
Rep Miller, Gary G. [CA-42] - 6/10/2009
Rep Miller, Jeff [FL-1] - 3/24/2009
Rep Minnick, Walter [ID-1] - 5/13/2009
Rep Mitchell, Harry E. [AZ-5] - 6/9/2009
Rep Moran, Jerry [KS-1] - 5/4/2009
Rep Murphy, Patrick J. [PA-8] - 6/9/2009
Rep Murphy, Tim [PA-18] - 4/29/2009
Rep Myrick, Sue Wilkins [NC-9] - 4/28/2009
Rep Neugebauer, Randy [TX-19] - 4/30/2009
Rep Olson, Pete [TX-22] - 4/21/2009
Rep Ortiz, Solomon P. [TX-27] - 5/14/2009
Rep Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [NJ-8] - 6/9/2009
Rep Pastor, Ed [AZ-4] - 5/20/2009
Rep Paulsen, Erik [MN-3] - 3/30/2009
Rep Pence, Mike [IN-6] - 4/21/2009
Rep Perlmutter, Ed [CO-7] - 6/10/2009
Rep Perriello, Thomas S.P. [VA-5] - 5/13/2009
Rep Peterson, Collin C. [MN-7] - 3/19/2009
Rep Petri, Thomas E. [WI-6] - 3/10/2009
Rep Pitts, Joseph R. [PA-16] - 4/28/2009
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] - 3/19/2009
Rep Poe, Ted [TX-2] - 2/26/2009
Rep Polis, Jared [CO-2] - 6/11/2009
Rep Posey, Bill [FL-15] - 2/26/2009
Rep Price, Tom [GA-6] - 3/10/2009
Rep Putnam, Adam H. [FL-12] - 4/28/2009
Rep Radanovich, George [CA-19] - 5/6/2009
Rep Rehberg, Denny [MT] - 2/26/2009
Rep Reichert, David G. [WA-8] - 5/20/2009
Rep Roe, David P. [TN-1] - 4/21/2009
Rep Rogers, Mike D. [AL-3] - 5/13/2009
Rep Rogers, Mike J. [MI-8] - 5/20/2009
Rep Rohrabacher, Dana [CA-46] - 3/6/2009
Rep Rooney, Thomas J. [FL-16] - 4/22/2009
Rep Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana [FL-18] - 4/28/2009
Rep Roskam, Peter J. [IL-6] - 6/2/2009
Rep Ross, Mike [AR-4] - 5/21/2009
Rep Royce, Edward R. [CA-40] - 5/12/2009
Rep Ryan, Paul [WI-1] - 5/14/2009
Rep Scalise, Steve [LA-1] - 5/20/2009
Rep Schakowsky, Janice D. [IL-9] - 5/6/2009
Rep Schauer, Mark H. [MI-7] - 5/20/2009
Rep Schmidt, Jean [OH-2] - 6/11/2009
Rep Schock, Aaron [IL-18] - 5/6/2009
Rep Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [WI-5] - 5/7/2009
Rep Sessions, Pete [TX-32] - 3/23/2009
Rep Shadegg, John B. [AZ-3] - 5/7/2009
Rep Shea-Porter, Carol [NH-1] - 6/9/2009
Rep Shimkus, John [IL-19] - 4/22/2009
Rep Shuler, Heath [NC-11] - 6/11/2009
Rep Shuster, Bill [PA-9] - 5/7/2009
Rep Simpson, Michael K. [ID-2] - 4/28/2009
Rep Smith, Adam [WA-9] - 4/22/2009
Rep Smith, Adrian [NE-3] - 4/28/2009
Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] - 4/2/2009
Rep Speier, Jackie [CA-12] - 6/11/2009
Rep Stark, Fortney Pete [CA-13] - 3/26/2009
Rep Stearns, Cliff [FL-6] - 3/6/2009
Rep Taylor, Gene [MS-4] - 3/6/2009
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] - 3/30/2009
Rep Thompson, Glenn [PA-5] - 4/22/2009
Rep Thornberry, Mac [TX-13] - 5/21/2009
Rep Tiahrt, Todd [KS-4] - 4/28/2009
Rep Tiberi, Patrick J. [OH-12] - 4/28/2009
Rep Tonko, Paul D. [NY-21] - 6/9/2009
Rep Turner, Michael R. [OH-3] - 5/13/2009
Rep Upton, Fred [MI-6] - 4/29/2009
Rep Walden, Greg [OR-2] - 5/4/2009
Rep Walz, Timothy J. [MN-1] - 5/7/2009
Rep Wamp, Zach [TN-3] - 3/16/2009
Rep Welch, Peter [VT] - 5/21/2009
Rep Westmoreland, Lynn A. [GA-3] - 4/2/2009
Rep Whitfield, Ed [KY-1] - 5/14/2009
Rep Wilson, Joe [SC-2] - 4/29/2009
Rep Wittman, Robert J. [VA-1] - 4/1/2009
Rep Wolf, Frank R. [VA-10] - 6/11/2009
Rep Woolsey, Lynn C. [CA-6] - 2/26/2009
Rep Young, C.W. Bill [FL-10] - 6/3/2009
Rep Young, Don [AK] - 3/6/2009

Step 2: Your Senator
HR 1207’s identical companion bill in the Senate is known as S 604, the Federal Reserve Sunshine Act, sponsored by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

If your Senator is not on the following list of S 604 co-sponsors, call their offices, write to them, email them. Let them know they need to support S 604. If you live in their district, let them know. Go to their office.

S 604 Co-Sponsors (as of 6/12/2009)

Sen DeMint, Jim [SC] - 6/11/2009

Step 3: Financial Services Committee
HR 1207 is now in the House Committee on Financial Services. This is THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP in this legislation! If it doesn’t get out of committee it will not come to a vote! There are 71 members on this committee and they are all listed below.

We need to let all members of the House Committee on Financial Services know that we want them to allow full House consideration of HR 1207 so it can move forward; we need them to support this. Now is the time.

Call their offices, write to them, email them. Let them know they need to support HR 1207. If you live in their district, let them know. Go to their office.

House Committee on Financial Services

Chairman Barney Frank, MA

Republican Members

Rep. Michele Bachmann, MN [co-sponsor]
Rep. Spencer Bachus, AL [co-sponsor]
Rep. J. Gresham Barrett, SC [co-sponsor]
Rep. Judy Biggert, IL [co-sponsor]
Rep. John Campbell, CA [co-sponsor]
Rep. Michael N. Castle, DE [co-sponsor]
Rep. Scott Garrett, NJ [co-sponsor]
Rep. Jim Gerlach, PA [co-sponsor]
Rep. Jeb Hensarling, TX [co-sponsor]
Rep. Lynn Jenkins, KS [co-sponsor]
Rep. Walter B. Jones , NC [co-sponsor]
Rep. Peter King, NY [co-sponsor]
Rep. Leonard Lance, NJ [co-sponsor]
Rep. Christopher Lee, NY [co-sponsor]
Rep. Frank D. Lucas, OK [co-sponsor]
Rep. Donald A. Manzullo, IL [co-sponsor]
Rep. Kenny Marchant, TX [co-sponsor]
Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, MI [co-sponsor]
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, CA [co-sponsor]
Rep. Patrick T. McHenry, NC [co-sponsor]
Rep. Gary G. Miller, CA [co-sponsor]
Rep. Randy Neugebauer, TX [co-sponsor]
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, WV [co-sponsor]
Rep. Ron Paul, TX [sponsor]
Rep. Erik Paulsen, MN [co-sponsor]
Rep. Bill Posey, FL [co-sponsor]
Rep. Tom Price, GA [co-sponsor]
Rep. Adam Putnam, FL [co-sponsor]
Rep. Edward R. Royce, CA [co-sponsor]

Democratic Members

Rep. Gary L. Ackerman, NY
Rep. John Adler, NJ [co-sponsor]
Rep. Joe Baca, CA
Rep. Melissa L. Bean, IL
Rep. Michael E. Capuano, MA
Rep. Andre Carson, IN
Rep. Travis Childers, MS [co-sponsor]
Rep. William Lacy Clay, MO
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, MO
Rep. Joe Donnelly, IN
Rep. Steve Driehaus, OH
Rep. Keith Ellison, MN
Rep. Bill Foster, IL
Rep. Alan Grayson, FL [co-sponsor]
Rep. Al Green, TX
Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, IL
Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, TX
Rep. Jim Himes, CT
Rep. Paul W. Hodes, NH
Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, PA
Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, OH
Rep. Ron Klein, FL
Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, FL
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, MA
Rep. Dan Maffei, NY [co-sponsor]
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, NY
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, NY
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, NY
Rep. Brad Miller, NC
Rep. Walt Minnick, ID [co-sponsor]
Rep. Dennis Moore, KS
Rep. Gwen Moore, WI
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, CO [co-sponsor]
Rep. Gary Peters, MI
Rep. David Scott, GA
Rep. Brad Sherman, CA
Rep. Jackie Speier, CA [co-sponsor]
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez, NY
Rep. Maxine Waters, CA
Rep. Melvin L. Watt, NC
Rep. Charles Wilson, OH

Here’s a sample letter you can use:

HR 1207 (House)

Dear Representative,

Please co-sponsor and/or support HR 1207, an effort to audit the Federal Reserve.

Recently, it has come to light that there is little to no accountability to the people on the part of the Federal Reserve. While the citizens of this country are required by law to give an accounting of every penny they come in contact with, the Federal Reserve has never been held to the same standard. During this time of extreme economic crisis, the people deserve an accounting of where our money is going.

Currently there are 222 co-sponsors for this legislation, and it is enjoying bi-partisan support. Your efforts in supporting this important legislation would go a long way in proving to your constituents that you not only hold the Federal Reserve to the same standard as you do your constituents, but it would also show that you believe in transparency. Anything less than support for this resolution suggests that you are in favor of secrecy and a lack of accountability to the people who pay the bills. We pay the tab; we have a right to know where our money is going.

Unlike recent bills that you voted in favor of that had hundreds of pages and just a few hours to read, this bill can be read in under 5 minutes. I encourage you to take the time to read it, and then move to support it.

Thank you in advance for your attention on this important legislation. I have every expectation that you will do right by your constituents and support this measure.

Sincerely,
S 604 (Senate)

Dear Senator,

Please co-sponsor and/or support S 604, an effort to audit the Federal Reserve.

Recently, it has come to light that there is little to no accountability to the people on the part of the Federal Reserve. While the citizens of this country are required by law to give an accounting of every penny they come in contact with, the Federal Reserve has never been held to the same standard. During this time of extreme economic crisis, the people deserve an accounting of where our money is going.

S 604’s companion bill in the House, HR 1207, currently has 222 co-sponsors, and it is enjoying bi-partisan support. Your efforts in supporting this important legislation would go a long way in proving to your constituents that you not only hold the Federal Reserve to the same standard as you do your constituents, but it would also show that you believe in transparency. Anything less than support for this resolution suggests that you are in favor of secrecy and a lack of accountability to the people who pay the bills. We pay the tab; we have a right to know where our money is going.

Unlike recent bills that you voted in favor of that had hundreds of pages and just a few hours to read, this bill can be read in under 5 minutes. I encourage you to take the time to read it, and then move to support it.

Thank you in advance for your attention on this important legislation. I have every expectation that you will do right by your constituents and support this measure.

Sincerely,

Step 4: The People
Tell everyone you know about HR 1207 and S 604 ask them to support the bills and to contact their representative as well. Link to this page and to CampaignForLiberty.com.

Link: http://www.ronpaul.com/on-the-issues/audit-the-federal-reserve-hr-1207/

Szarża Polskiej kawalerii/Charge of Polish cavalry

2009-05-21T12:47:00.000-07:00

Szarża Polskiej kawalerii/Charge of Polish cavalry
Prawdopodobnie najlepsza scena szarży kawaleryjskiej w Polskim filmie wojennym./Probably the best scen cavalry charge in polis Movies.
A translation of what the actors are saying:

1:32 - Sir, Lieutentant Karwinski reporting in, first platoon without losses
1:39 - Sir, Lieutenant Kilin reporting in, second platoon.. two dead
01:43 - Bodies on the Tachanka.
01:44 Sir, Lieutenant Maslowski reporting in, third platoon without losses.
01:51 And what off the POWs? (prisoners of war)
02:01 Major sir, what does "Gott mit uns" mean?
02:05 God with us
02:10 With them?!
02:13 Release them.
02:14 Major sir..
02:17 Carry out

Szarża Polskiej kawalerii/Charge of Polish cavalry

2009-05-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

One of the Best Pianists in the world today Krystian Zimerman of Poland in protest of the US military policies overseas.

2009-04-28T08:45:00.001-07:00

One of the Best Pianists in the world today Krystian Zimerman of Poland in protest of the US military policies overseas.

The Polish pianist tells a Disney Hall audience he won't play here again, citing military policies.
By Jessica Garrison and Diane Haithman
April 28, 2009
Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman, who is widely admired for his virtuosic performances and who famously tours with his own custom-altered Steinway, created a furor at Disney Hall on Sunday night when he stopped his recital to announce that this would be his last American appearance -- in protest of the nation's military policies overseas.

In a low voice that could not be heard throughout the auditorium, Zimerman, universally considered among the world's finest pianists, made reference to Guantanamo Bay and U.S. military policies toward Poland.

"Get your hands off my country," he said.

Then he turned to the piano and played Szymanowski's "Variations on a Polish Folk Theme" with such passion and intensity that the stunned audience gave him multiple ovations.

Earlier, about 30 or 40 people in the audience had walked out after Zimerman's declaration, some shouting obscenities.

"Yes," the pianist, known in Poland as "King Krystian the Glorious," answered, "some people, when they hear the word military, start marching."

Zimerman then said that America has far finer exports than its military -- and he thanked those who supported democracy. He left the stage without further comment and was unavailable Monday.

His manager, Mary Pat Buerkle, told the Associated Press on Monday that Zimerman has talked for the last couple of years about not coming back to the United States "for a while. . . . I don't think it's appropriate to say it's all political."

Zimerman has had problems in the United States in recent years, but many in the classical music world thought they were logistical.

Just a week ago, before an appearance in Seattle, Zimerman expressed frustration about the hassle and expense of touring the U.S. with his piano.

Shortly after Sept. 11, his instrument was confiscated at JFK Airport when he landed in New York to give a recital at Carnegie Hall. Thinking the glue smelled funny, the Transportation Security Administration decided to take no chances and destroyed the piano. Since then he has shipped his pianos in parts, which he reassembles by hand after he lands. To get from city to city within the U.S., he hires a driver to take the shell of the piano, and he drives another car that holds the precious custom-designed keys and hammers.

Lately, he'd seemed pleased with the direction the United States has taken. During a performance Friday at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, he delighted his Bay Area audience by making sly reference to his approval of Barack Obama in the White House.

But by the time he drove his piano to Los Angeles, Zimerman's mood appeared to have darkened. His remarks, which some in the audience characterized as angry, were the talk of Los Angeles' classical music world and its small Polish community Monday.

Deborah Borda, president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said that while some patrons were taken aback by Zimerman's comments,she did not believe it would affect attendance or fundraising.

"It was very clear he was speaking for himself," she said. "We obviously can't censor. We believe in freedom of expression. We don't use a hook to drag people off the stage."

In a spirited range of comments on The Times' Culture Monster blog, many praised Zimerman and others said the stage was no place for divisive political speech. "Go Zimerman, and take the Dixie Chicks with you," said one post, referring to the country music group that in 2003 created a ruckus when a member said they were ashamed President Bush was from Texas.

Others noted that though classical music culture in the United States is among the least overtly political of enclaves, Poland has a long tradition of mixing the political and the musical. Composer and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski was Poland's third prime minister and is revered in Poland the way the Founding Fathers are here.

"There is a tradition of Polish pianists being in the middle of political events," said Marek Zebrowski, director of the Polish Music Center at USC.

Though Poland gets comparatively little attention in the U.S., American policy recently has been a hot-button issue in Poland. Poles were upset about allegations that the CIA held suspected Al Qaeda militants in secret prisons in Poland. A Polish newspaper mockingly referred to the country as "the 51st state." Also controversial was a Bush administration proposal to put missile defense facilities there.

Sumi Hahn, a Seattle journalist who interviewed Zimerman earlier this month, said she was not surprised to hear of his outburst. She said he told her that he had "very mixed feelings now about America."

It's been said in many ways by many people that hearing Bach is like hearing God. Last night at Meany Hall, God took things one step further. He walked onto the stage in the form of pianist Krystian Zimerman and declared, "Let there be light."

The edifice that arose in the shape of Bach's Partita No. 2 was constructed entirely of sounds that gleamed like shafts of pure energy. Each note Zimerman shaped seemed surrounded by a halo; chord progressions grew upon the next in crystalline formations. When Bach is played like this, without ego or display, the dazzling mathematics of the composition's mechanics turn invisible, revealing the glowing soul of the music itself.

If the Bach was divine, the Beethoven was divine madness. The Sonata No. 32 is a strange creature whose first half ripples with muscular chords and feathery trills. It lurks and lopes, chasing its tail in a fit of fugue before laying itself to rest. At times, Zimerman, who is a slight figure with silver hair, had to grab his seat to control the beast as it writhed.

There was a bit of grumbling at intermission about the program change announced at the start of the recital. Zimerman was replacing Brahms' "Klavierstücke" with Polish composer Grazyna Bacewicz's Second Piano Sonata, an anxious, tattered tapestry of urban clamor that frays away to a wisp.

Alone, the Bacewicz would have been a mere curiosity, but next to compatriot Karol Szymanowski's "Variations on a Polish Theme," the change made sense. Bacewicz's piece served as a flag of sorts, to mark the Polish landscape Zimerman would create with the "Variations." It also helped answer the question the pianist had posed at the start of the night: "What is the purpose of this music?"

Zimerman conjured the landscape of his homeland with an expat's wistfulness. Out of a bedrock of noise, pointed spires rose melodically then fell; glissandos floated overhead like clouds; a village of cottages was spun out of twinkly folk song. The music had almost tangible mass, sometimes vaporous, other times solid as brick. Zimerman's purpose was clear: To remind us that there are those who will bleed for art, because no life is worth living without it.

Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman's political speech during his debut recital at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles shocked his Californian audience. He told the Americans to "Get your hands off my country", before he played Polish composer Karol Szymanowski's Variations on a Polish Theme. But Zimerman has a track record with making political comment part of his concerts. Since 2003 and the war in Iraq, he has spoken out about the war when he was playing in any country that supported it: even, in Tokyo, giving a speech about international geo-politics in Japanese. This time, it's Obama's decision to continue the Bush policy of building a missile defence shield in Poland that has angered him – so much so that he said to the audience in Los Angeles that this would be his last appearance in America.

When I met Zimerman last year to interview him for Music Matters, I asked him if he really thought this kind of protest was the best way of making a point. His answer was that he couldn't in good conscience play to an audience in a country whose political leaders he disagreed with, without making some kind of stand. Zimerman isn't naïve enough to think that his way of speaking out is going to change US policy in Eastern Europe. But he feels his music making can only speak to listeners who understand where he's coming from.

It may have been clumsy – the Los Angeles Times's critic Mark Swed said that Zimerman's voice was "quiet but angry" and "did not project well" – but I admire Zimerman's convictions. Gumbel says that "classical musicians are not exactly famous for political ranting". I don't agree: from Paderewski, Poland's piano virtuoso prime minister, to Hanns Eisler, from Cornelius Cardew to Kurt Masur, countless classical composers and performers have been just as vocal and committed in their political beliefs as have any other musicians. It's probable Zimerman only made his speech because of the Polish music he was about to play. Playing Bach and Beethoven is one thing, but performing Szymanowski's virtuosic Polish Variations for the exotic East-European delectation of a Los Angeles audience must have stuck in Zimerman's craw. Which is why he exploded, in his "quiet but angry" way.

The reaction of the audience, from cheering to walk-outs, showed that Zimerman touched a nerve, both in potentially offending his Californian hosts, and in breaking the invisible wall that often separates classical musicians from their audiences. I'm glad Zimerman isn't afraid to shatter that barrier, and to show that however cut off from the world a celebrity recital in a glitzy hall might seem to be, it's not. In Berkeley, an earlier leg of Zimerman's US tour, he asked the audience to appreciate how Bach's music could be heard as political: the Second Partita was composed in a minor key, perhaps, Zimerman said, because there was a leader that Bach didn't like. Zimerman ended the piece in C major, instead of the C minor that Bach writes, a sly indication that Zimerman approves of Obama more than Bush. But not enough, apparently, to play in America again. I hope, for the US, that he changes his mind (he's made the same promise about never playing in the States before, but then returned). Performers have every right to remind us of the political and social systems that connect us all, and to confront audiences with the difficult musical meanings that are latent in any concert programme. More power to your elbow, Krystian.

What led to Krystian Zimerman's surprising comments, walkouts
6:03 AM, April 28, 2009
Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman, who is widely admired for his virtuosic performances and who famously tours with his own custom-altered Steinway, created a furor at Disney Hall on Sunday night when he stopped his recital to announce that this would be his last American appearance -- in protest of the nation's military policies overseas.

In a low voice that could not be heard throughout the auditorium, Zimerman, universally considered among the world's finest pianists, made reference to Guantanamo Bay and U.S. military policies toward Poland.

"Get your hands off my country," he said.

Then he turned to the piano and played Szymanowski's "Variations on a Polish Folk Theme" with such passion and intensity that the stunned audience gave him multiple ovations.

Earlier, about 30 or 40 people in the audience had walked out after Zimerman's declaration, some shouting obscenities.

"Yes," the pianist, known in Poland as "King Krystian the Glorious," answered, "some people, when they hear the word military, start marching."

Zimerman then said that America has far finer exports than its military -- and he thanked those who supported democracy. He left the stage without further comment and was unavailable Monday.

His manager, Mary Pat Buerkle, told the Associated Press on Monday that Zimerman has talked for the last couple of years about not coming back to the United States "for a while. . . . I don't think it's appropriate to say it's all political."

Zimerman has had problems in the United States in recent years, but many in the classical music world thought they were logistical.

Just a week ago, before an appearance in Seattle, Zimerman expressed frustration about the hassle and expense of touring the U.S. with his piano.

Shortly after Sept. 11, his instrument was confiscated at JFK Airport when he landed in New York to give a recital at Carnegie Hall. Thinking the glue smelled funny, the Transportation Security Administration decided to take no chances and destroyed the piano. Since then he has shipped his pianos in parts, which he reassembles by hand after he lands. To get from city to city within the U.S., he hires a driver to take the shell of the piano, and he drives another car that holds the precious custom-designed keys and hammers.

Lately, he'd seemed pleased with the direction the United States has taken. During a performance Friday at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, he delighted his Bay Area audience by making sly reference to his approval of Barack Obama in the White House.

But by the time he drove his piano to Los Angeles, Zimerman's mood appeared to have darkened. His remarks, which some in the audience characterized as angry, were the talk of Los Angeles' classical music world and its small Polish community Monday.

Deborah Borda, president of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, said that while some patrons were taken aback by Zimerman's comments,she did not believe it would affect attendance or fundraising.

"It was very clear he was speaking for himself," she said. "We obviously can't censor. We believe in freedom of expression. We don't use a hook to drag people off the stage."

In a spirited range of comments on The Times' Culture Monster blog, many praised Zimerman and others said the stage was no place for divisive political speech. "Go Zimerman, and take the Dixie Chicks with you," said one post, referring to the country music group that in 2003 created a ruckus when a member said they were ashamed President Bush was from Texas.

Others noted that though classical music culture in the United States is among the least overtly political of enclaves, Poland has a long tradition of mixing the political and the musical. Composer and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski was Poland's third prime minister and is revered in Poland the way the Founding Fathers are here.

"There is a tradition of Polish pianists being in the middle of political events," said Marek Zebrowski, director of the Polish Music Center at USC.

Though Poland gets comparatively little attention in the U.S., American policy recently has been a hot-button issue in Poland. Poles were upset about allegations that the CIA held suspected Al Qaeda militants in secret prisons in Poland. A Polish newspaper mockingly referred to the country as "the 51st state." Also controversial was a Bush administration proposal to put missile defense facilities there.

Sumi Hahn, a Seattle journalist who interviewed Zimerman earlier this month, said she was not surprised to hear of his outburst. She said he told her that he had "very mixed feelings now about America."

In the past five years," she quoted him as saying, "something happened here that changed the world: a war based on lies. . . . So much damage was done worldwide ... and Americans are so unaware."

On the other hand, Robert Cole, director of Cal Performances in Berkeley, said he was surprised to hear of Zimerman's L.A. comments -- especially because of the lightness that characterized his performance in Berkeley.

Just before playing a Bach partita, Zimerman told his audience it was important to consider the political purpose of a piece of music. Bach, he told his audience, "had made a decision to put his piece in a minor key rather than a major one." Perhaps, he said, according to audience members who were there, he did that because there was a leader Bach didn't like.

Zimerman made an approving reference to Obama and then played the piece, but ended it in a joyful C major instead of amelancholy C minor.

"The audience loved it," said Christina Kellogg, director of public relations at Cal Performances. "His playing was brilliant and they broke into huge applause, and he was clearly pleased that the audience was completely with him."

Cole said he had breakfast with the pianist last week at a music-themed cafe across the street from the campus. Zimerman spoke mainly of how exhausting it was to travel with a Steinway.

"I'm sorry he's not coming back," Cole said. "He reminds me of Don Quixote. He's on a quest for perfection."

Cole added that, from a public relations perspective, it's too bad Zimerman hadn't offered his comments about Bach to Los Angeles and saved his fiery political rhetoric for Berkeley.

"I think he maybe picked the wrong place," he said. "It would have been less of an uproar here."

--Jessica Garrison and Diane Haithman with Mark Swed contributing.

To Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan who killed Polish Scientist in Pakistan

2009-04-26T23:46:00.000-07:00

To Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan who killed Polish Scientist in Pakistan

Calling You Taliban do not kill Polish People the great People

2009-04-26T23:11:00.000-07:00

Calling You Taliban do not kill Polish People the great People

Egzekucja Polskiego Geologa ostatnie chwile przed (execution of polish engineer) Piotr Stańczak

I do not know what to say? It is to late now and why you had to kill my Polish brother?
Only one country in the western word knows Islam well is Poland. Polish Islamic history for 1000 years.
why? they did to the Polish Man Scientist Man of Poland and Geologist ? ask your masters?Alex Lech Bajan Washington DC

Dziekanski of Poland brutally killed by Canadian airport security Inquiry reveals more of Dziekanski's life in Poland Updated Sun. Apr. 5 2009 3

2009-04-06T05:59:00.001-07:00

Dziekanski of Poland brutally killed by Canadian airport security

Inquiry reveals more of Dziekanski's life in Poland
Updated Sun. Apr. 5 2009 3:45 PM ET

The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER -- If most Canadians remember Robert Dziekanski as the panicked, out-of-control figure who died in RCMP hands at Vancouver's airport, Wojciech Dibon might tell them about the Dziekanski who acted as a father to him, taking him camping and teaching him about geography.

But Dibon wasn't able to tell the inquiry into Dziekanski's death about the man he knew.

Dibon, the son of a woman Dziekanski was living with, was 17 when he died and he remains so distraught over the man's death that he was unable to testify at the inquiry sorting out what happened at the airport early on Oct. 14, 2007.

"He and Mr. Dziekanski were very close," says Walter Kosteckyj, the lawyer for Dziekanski's mother.

"This young man didn't have a father figure, Mr. Dziekanski took him camping, taught him the skills of manhood, spent time with him."

Dibon was one of the last people Dziekanski saw before he made his fateful trip to Canada, coming along for the two-hour ride to the airport on Oct. 13, 2007.

Upon arriving in Vancouver more than 20 hours later, Dziekanski spent hours lost in the airport, unable to connect with his mother who was frantically searching for him in another area of the facility.

RCMP were called after Dziekanski, sweating and exhausted, started throwing furniture in the international terminal. Within seconds of arriving, the four officers stunned the man several times with a Taser, and Dziekanski died on the airport floor in the minutes that followed.

The amateur video of Dziekanski's chilling screams and his encounter with police will be the epitaph left for most Canadians, but his friends and neighbours recall a different man, kind and friendly but also with his own share of flaws, eager to start a new life.

Dibon was hospitalized shortly after Dziekanski's death.

"He's had a hard time dealing with that," says Kosteckyj.

Dibon's absence, along with the inquiry testimony last week of others who knew Dziekanski in Gliwice, Poland, adds depth to the man Dziekanski's supporters have angrily accused government and police lawyers of trying to vilify.

He loved geography and read many books about the country that was to be his new home, the inquiry heard.

He played chess and gardened.

He may have had some trouble with the law as a teenager. He smoked and drank.

He was terrified of flying.

"Like a normal person," says Iwona Kosowska, offering a simple explanation when asked to describe her former neighbour.

"He was a very, very good man."

Dziekanski was born in the town of Pieszyce in southern Poland and later moved with his mother to Gliwice, a small industrial city not far from the borders with Slokavia and Czech Republic.

He lived in the same apartment with his mother, Zofia Cisowski, for much of his life, until she moved in 1999 to Kamloops, B.C., where she found work as a janitor.

After Cisowski left, Dziekanski lived with Dibon's mother, Elzbieta, although it's still not clear whether they were romantically involved, and if so for how long.

While he was trained to typeset in a print shop, by the time he left for Canada he was mostly doing odd jobs, heavy labour or handy work. Without a full-time job or much money, his mother would send home cash from B.C.

He planned to learn English when he arrived and find a job, possibly working with his mother.

And he also wanted to travel across Canada to see a place he had only read about in the many books and atlases he had collected about the country.

His hobbies included playing chess and bridge with friends and working at a nearby garden plot given to him by a family member.

"I would play quite often chess with him and just before he left he gave me a gift of portable chess board," said Ryszard Krasinski, Dziekanski's friend of eight years.

"He had a huge collection of atlases and other geographical material and he had very deep knowledge of geography."

When he left for Canada, Dziekanski, who only spoke Polish, had barely been outside the country and never overseas.

His long trip to Vancouver was his first time flying, and the thought of being on a plane terrified him.

When a friend arrived to drive him to the airport, Dziekanski was in a panic, clutching a radiator, vomiting and refusing to leave.

The scene brings to mind the video of Dziekanski's final moments the next day in Vancouver, the would-be immigrant pacing around the international terminal, throwing furniture and rambling in Polish about smashing the area around him but also asking for help.

Dziekanski's neighbours insisted he didn't anger easily and was never aggressive -- a description echoed by border agents and airline staff who said he was calm and co-operative when they dealt with him.

RCMP lawyers at the inquiry have made much of Dziekanski's apparent legal troubles stretching back to an incident more than two decades earlier.

Dziekanski may have spent time in a reformatory school following a robbery when he was 17, but details have been foggy because it didn't result in a criminal record.

Police and prosecutors in Canada have also suggested Dziekanski was an alcoholic, but his neighbours say he was only a social drinker and had rarely, if ever, seen him drunk.

Whatever his problems, they weren't too much for Canadian immigration officials, who approved him to enter the country.

"He was talking about it quite often -- he told me he was going to Canada, where there is milk and honey," says neighbour and family friend Magda Czelwinska.

"He was very happy because he loved his mother very much and he couldn't wait to meet her."

Polish Pioneers in the Jamestown Colony

2007-08-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

The Role and Accomplishments
of Polish Pioneers in the Jamestown Colony

By Joshua D. Holshouser, Lucyna Brylinska-Padney,
Katarzyna Kielbasa
Interns at the PAC Washington Office
July 2007

The number of early immigrants from 17th-century Poland to America was minimal. In fact, Poland served as a destination for immigrants from both Western and Eastern Europe. Other nations in Europe were wasting no time in exploring and colonizing the new lands across the Atlantic Ocean. Spain and Portugal had taken an early lead over Britain and France, but Britain was determined to make up for lost time. Its own society being split along religious lines, Britain had no shortage of individuals looking for a new start and freedom from religious oppression.

On December 1607, the first British settlers arrived in Jamestown in the hope of finding natural resources such as gold, lumber and herbs, carrying with them their ultimate goal - profit. Sent by the Virginia Company of London, they arrived with large expectations. However, their inability to settle a colony was larger. Two problems immediately beset the colonists. First, some of the colonists were English noblemen with no experience either in the military or in manual labor. Thus, the colony found itself without skilled craftsmen or soldiers; worse, many of the colonists outright refused to engage in work that they felt was beneath them. Second, the physical location chosen for the site of Jamestown proved to be a poor one. The land was swampy (making it a veritable breeding ground of disease), the water supply was poor and relations with the local indigenous Indian tribes were rocky at best. Within less than a year, the colony was in danger of failure. No profits were heading back to England; disease ran rampant due to the lack of fresh water, food supplies were low, and little to no work had been done to establish an industrial base. In fact, much of the time had been spent panning for gold rather unsuccessfully in Virginia�s rivers. The Virginia Company of London had nothing to show for its investment and a small prospect for future returns.

To salvage their colony, the Virginia Company hired a group of Poles, known for their reputation and valuable expertise in the lumber and other manufacturing industries. Captain John Smith had first-hand experience dealing with Polish manufacturers through his work with the Virginia Company of London, in addition to his experience traveling through Poland on his return from the Middle East. Before his travels to America, John Smith had been a Turkish prisoner. Poland provided Captain Smith with his first Christian refuge following his escape.

The first Poles who arrived at Jamestown came aboard the British ship Mary and Margaret on October 1, 1608 under the command of Captain Christopher Newport. Bringing skilled labor and military experience lacking among the original colonists, the Poles were engaged in the manufacturing of glass, pitch, tar, soap, ash and other products. The English Parliament had restricted the amount of English timber available for cutting, and their experience in this field alone would have made the contributions of the Poles invaluable. In addition, while the British settlers coming to America were mainly social outcasts, some fleeing England for religious freedom, the Poles "[�] were members of the Polish gentry, former country squires, who, besides being of intellectual class, were well acquainted with the methods of production needed at the time of Jamestown [�]". In other words, the Poles had no hang-ups about doing the important manual labor needed to preserve the survival of the colony.

Among the first Poles who arrived in America were Michael Lowicki, an organizer of industry and business and the leader of the original five; Jan Bogdan, an expert in pitch, tar, and ship building; Zbigniew Stefanski, a specialist in glass production; Jan Mata, a prominent soap producer, and Stanislaw Sadowski a lumber and clapboard production organizer. The colonists viewed the Poles as hard-working and respectful. The Poles first impressions of Jamestown were not very positive. Stefanski observed, "Seldom has one seen such lack of resourcefulness as we found in Virginia. Not even a spoonful of drinking water [�] the people here marveled when we dug a well and presented it to them (�) [�]". That water well provided a regular source of drinking water, stopping the spread of dysentery and other related illnesses and death due to the drinking of swamp water. The Poles also set up sawmills and began cutting up beams and lumber without rest, earning them respect throughout the colony. Stefanski and Bogdan would later go on to save Captain John Smith�s life when Smith was attacked by several Indians.
Among major accomplishments of the first Poles was the building of a glass furnace, the first factory in America and the beginning of an industry. The goods produced in these factories became the first "made in America" goods to be exported to England. When the Mary and Margaret was ready to sail back to England, the Polish settlers sent back a full line of glassware samples they were prepared to turn out in commercial quantities as well as a cargo of pitch distilled from Virginia�s pine trees.

The colonists respected the Poles for their quality of work and other accomplishments. For instance, the Pole Lawrence (Wawrzyniec) Bohun was the first doctor in Jamestown colony. Moreover, the work done by the original group proved valuable enough to allow them to repay the Virginia Company for their passage to America, and this in turn allowed them to later become free citizens of the colony. Within a few years, there were fifty Poles living in Jamestown. Also important was the example these Poles set for the colonists. As the former President of the College of William and Mary Admiral Alvin Chandler stated in 1953, "It took the example of the Polish glassmakers to demonstrate to the colonists that the treasures of Virginia were in its soil, not in nuggets to be had for picking."

On June 30, 1619, when the Jamestown Legislative Assembly instituted a representative form of government, rules stated that only colonists of English descent would be given the right to vote. This denied Poles the right to governmental representation in a colony they helped to sustain and grow. As a result they organized what became the first labor strike in American history. Their slogan was "No vote. No work".

Facing angry and influential politicians in England, within a few weeks the Jamestown government bowed to the demands of Poles, granting them the same rights given to all workers within the colony. It is important to note that this event was not a strike against unfair employers or work place practices, but a battle for civil rights and inclusion in the political process. As Admiral Chandler stated: "�practically all of the profits realized by the London Company came from the resale of the products of the Polish industries. The Jamestown government quickly realized that if it sent empty ships back to England, the consequences could be very unpleasant". These Polish craftsmen used the economic power they had acquired through their labor to engineer an equal footing as citizens for themselves.

While the history of Jamestown itself proves to be a tragic one in the end, the tradition, practices and actions of these original settlers lives on. Despite early setbacks (in 1610 John Smith left the colony as a result of a grave injury and only 65 colonists survived the next two winters) the colony gave rise to similar establishments and taught valuable lessons. Because of tragic events the Virginia Company lost its charter in 1624, the Pamunkee Indian tribe devastated the colony in 1644 and in 1676 Jamestown was burned to the ground in Bacon�s Rebellion, destroying one of America�s first great settlements. By 1698, the surviving colonists had moved closer to the land now known as Williamsburg. The significance of Jamestown lies in its strategic timing and success. As Louis B. Wright, Professor of American History stated, "If Jamestown had failed, Spain and France ultimately might have divided all of North America between them and the United States might never have come into being."

The Polish contribution to Jamestown and the fabric of early America makes it a cornerstone of the American experience. The saving of Jamestown after its first disastrous year was due in large part to the efforts of those original Poles. Fresh water from the well, the beginnings of industry, even the saving of the life of the Jamestown hero Captain John Smith all resulted from the actions of these men. The example they showed by their industrious work ethic and their efforts to gain and retain their own individual freedom provided a model for generations of later colonists and Americans. Their labor strike for political freedom foreshadowed the events of the Revolutionary War, when colonists would unite to stand up for the freedom of a Nation of People.