A decade ago, I visited Poland and Hungary because I was interested to view the landscape after an entire century of Nazi and Communist rule. My overwhelming perception was one of a truly joyless and cynical melancholia. But things change …
Is it a bluff? Some in Hungary and Poland talk of EU pullout. When Hungary and Poland joined the European Union in 2004, after decades of Communist domination, their citizens thirsted for Western democratic standards and prosperity.Yet 17 years later, as the EU ramps up efforts to rein in democratic backsliding in both countries, some of the governing right-wing populists in Hungary and Poland are comparing the bloc to their former Soviet oppressors — and flirting with the prospect of exiting the trade bloc.
How humbling to see the the Poles and Hungarians fight back against unbelievable oppression in the 20th century as we, in the U.S. work arduously to demolish our freedoms.
ST UnWoked & UnVaxxed! 
Wow! What a great picture, and what a great post! Thank you, Liz 🙂 If Great Britain can leave the EU, then so can everyone else 🙂
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I thought you might enjoy the first pic, Jac. I, too, was a big admirer of JPII. 🙂
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Make that three of us, Liz! I appreciate “Papa Karol’s” melding of powerful contemplative prayer and clear-sighted, forceful wisdom enacted here below….What a marvelous pic, thank you!
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Nanda; at the risk of shocking you, I admired JP because he was quite handsome, a good athlete and had the courage to become a member of the Resistance.
He was quite the dude and truly inspired me to travel to the Solidarity Gates. What an activist for his time! I miss him.
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I don’t disagree one bit, Liz! Karol Wojtyla was the whole package, the real deal for his time – and ours. I miss him, too….What a commanding, engaging presence: the theater’s loss, too, was the world’s gain. 🙂
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If the Slavs can save Christendom this time, I reckon it will be at LEAST the 4th time they’ve done it, at great sacrifice.
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Who more than former communist block residents would recognize the warning signs? We need to pay attention.
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