Opinion: Flying with fascism
One needn't search far and wide for proof - it is enough to recall the November 1938 issue of Homes and Gardens which depicts Adolf Hitler at his home, trimming roses, playing the piano and musing on the wonders of country life in a spread entitled 'Hitler's Mountain Home'. The article was published only 10 months before Hitler invaded Poland and is as symbolic of the political thinking of the day as Chamberlain's naive "peace in our time."
It is easy to become complacent about liberty and view tyranny as something ancient - a threat to human beings who lived long ago and who were not blessed with the wonders of modern science. Leo Strauss made it his life's work to return to the ancient view, espoused by Xenophon, that tyranny was within the bounds of human nature, and that modern science, in its attempt to master nature in the service of mankind, could never master human nature. Strauss taught that only courageous citizenship and a tragic view could shield us from tyranny.
In this spirit, readers of the Warsaw Business Journal who happen to be flying LOT Polish Airlines should take note that a new title could soon be among the repertoire of newspapers and magazines available to passengers on board. This title is Nasz Dziennik. It is a newspaper loyal to Father Tadeusz Ry-dzyk, who, judging by his words and deeds, is a Catholic only in name. Father Rydzyk's media empire consists of a television station, a radio station and the aforementioned newspaper. Each of these media routinely gives an opinion on homes, gardens, prayer, healthcare - and the evils of Israel and Judaism. Nasz Dziennik recently tried to get Grzegorz Jarzyna, a theater director, sent to jail for making a poster with a headless eagle on it, contending that the artist profaned "the national cult."
All of this sounds silly - just as silly as the Nazis probably sounded in 1933. By 1938, the West knew the Nazis were not silly, and thus tried to make the Nazis civilized, hoping that Hitler really would prefer pruning roses to gassing Jews. Tyranny, however, is neither silly, nor susceptible to civilization. Republics cannot survive unless they take tyranny seriously. Father Rydzyk's media and the politicians who back him are dangerous to Poland. The fact that LOT Polish Airlines is considering carrying the newspaper does not bode well.
Peter S Rieth, Zbigniew Raszewski Theatrical Institute
