Viewing Three Buddies reminded me of conversations I had on my visit to Poland in 1982. Whenever subjects of a political nature occurred I found it difficult to understand, follow and participate in the discussions. I struggled having to work out hidden meanings behind the words being spoken. Back home in Australia, conversations were straightforward. The words spoken matched the thoughts of the speaker, literally. Under communism, especially just after marshal law, it seemed to me that people could not say what they thought in a straightforward manner because they could not trust those nearby. Anyone could be an informer.

It was a horrifying glimpse into the incomprehensible predicament faced by anyone wanting to overthrow the tyranny they were living under. I began to see how totalitarian states are controlled from below. The pervading ambience of suspicion and uncertainty created an overwhelming inertia against taking action few could overcome.

I saw this again when communism collapsed in Eastern Europe. In the brief power vacuum that ensued, some people in East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Poland accessed their secret police files and discovered how they had been informed on by their neighbours, fellow workers, friends, and even close family! I saw it again in the documentary series – Nazis: a warning from history. The film makers were able to research the substantially complete Gestapo files in Wurzburg.

Zwiazek Polskich Wiezniow Politycznych zaprasza na pokaz filmu dokumentalnego dotyczacego wydarzen z najnowszej historii Polski. Tym razem pokazemy Panstwu glosny dokument Ewy Stankiewicz i Anny Ferens pod tytulem "TRZECH KUMPLI”.

Film ten to historia wielkiej przyjazni Staszka Pyjasa, Bronka Wildsteina i Leszka Maleszki, dla ktorej tlo stanowi dramatyczna historia powojennej Polski. Jeden z przyjaciol zostal zamordowany, drugi okazal sie zdrajca, trzeci walczy o prawde. Film stawia fundamentalne dla Polakow pytania, jak doszlo do tego, ze po upadku komunizmu zdrajca zostaje autorytetem moralnym, ujawniajacy jego zaprzanstwo studenci zostaja potepieni przez tzw. autorytety moralne a mordercy Staszka Pyjasa nadal pozostaja bezkarni. Po dzis dzien pytania te zostaly bez odpowiedzi. Zapraszamy do dyskusji po zakonczeniu pokazu dokumentu.

Projekcja filmu odbedzie sie dnia 31 lipca 2011 roku w Sali im.Jana Pawla II przy kosciele w Marayong, godzina 12.30.Zapraszamy serdecznie. Wstep wolny. Hubert Blaszczyk – przewodniczacy Zwiazku Polskich Wiezniow Politycznych.Telefon: (02) 96070321

The idea that the Gestapo itself was constantly spying on the population is demonstrably a myth. So how was it possible that so few people exercised such control? The simple answer is because the Gestapo received enormous help from ordinary Germans. Like all modern policing systems, the Gestapo was only as good or bad as the cooperation it received - and the files reveal that it received a high level of cooperation, making it a very good secret police force indeed. . . . . . 80% of all political crime [committed between 1933 and 1945] was discovered by ordinary citizens who turned the information over to the police or the Gestapo. The files also show that most of this unpaid cooperation came from people who were not members of the Nazi Party – they were ‘ordinary’ citizens. Yet there was never a duty to denounce or inform. The mass of files in Wurzburg archive [around 18 000] came into being because some non-party member voluntarily denounced a fellow German. Far from being a pro-active organization that resolutely sought out its political enemies itself, the Gestapo’s main job was sorting out the voluntary denunciations received. (Pp 64-65 Rees, Laurence. 1997. The Nazis: A Warning From History London: BBC)

Jealousy, hatred, revenge, profit, and proof of loyalty - basically any perceived advantage, tiny or not - had motivated people to be informers.

Three Buddies is a thought provoking docudrama. It is a story about three young college students that became close friends in communist Poland in the 1970’s and what happened to them after they graduated. The paradox of the fates of Stanislaw Pyjas (murdered), Bronislaw Wildstein (fighting for justice) and Leslaw Maleszka (the informer) is startling.

At the end of the viewing there was a lively discussion. People spoke passionately, emotionally and patriotically. Some pointed out that this was not a one off - it was typical - they themselves were aware of friends, acquaintances or neighbours that disappeared or suffered similar ‘accidents’. Some concluded that the reason there are so many ex-informers and apparatchiks prospering and holding high office in Poland is because there was no ‘lustracja’ early in its transition from communism. The experience of Czechoslovakia was put forward as a contrast. Others warned of the danger of witch-hunts and questioned whether Poland can come to terms with its moral dilemmas if it ignores the past. In response, Hubert, the moderator, suggested that it would be enough if the perpetrators admitted their guilt, expressed sorrow, and let Poland move forward ‘cleanly’. However, since there have been no confessions, should the unrepentant be forgiven?

As always Hubert Blaszczyk allowed all relevant issues to be discussed and he made sure that everyone had a fair go at being heard, His intermittent commentary advanced the discussion and kept it relevant.

What can be done? What can WE do? These questions were put and I found myself on the same wavelength as the elegant octogenarian who spoke eloquently and passionately about the importance of having political awareness and getting involved. Furthermore, this lady stressed that the prospering of people like Leszek Maleszka should be judged in moral terms. She encouraged the almost sixty people present to stand and fight for truth and justice for their Polish fatherland. The audience broke out in resounding applause at the end of her statement.

‘All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing’ (Attributed to Edmund Burke)

Quite often in the discussion of ‘what to do’ the term ‘democracy’ was bandied about. Democracy gives people a voice to sound off; It has shortcomings in Poland; it is being taken advantage of by the ex-informers and apparatchiks; it needs to be strengthened in Poland for justice to prevail; nothing will change until democracy comes to Russia.

Too often and too loosely, ‘democracy’ is used as a synonym for a ‘free society’. It should be noted that ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’ are not the same thing. People were able to vote in the former communist regimes of Eastern Europe but they were not ‘free’. A tyranny of the majority can be just as dangerous to human life as any other form of tyranny. There are countless examples in history where majorities have unjustly trampled all over minorities.

Poles were wise enough in the past to say ‘for your freedom and ours’ and not ‘for your democracy and ours’. Not many people are aware that the founders of the longest enduring free society in the history of the world unanimously stood AGAINST establishing a democracy!

America’s founders in the 1780’s knew that all previous democracies had collapsed because whenever a majority is unfettered, factions form and factions fight to grab the spoils of majority dictatorship. Factionalism leads to chaos, mob rule, war-lordism, civil war and people look for a ‘strong man’ to bring order back to society. After a bloodbath, democracy plunges back into the abyss of tyranny. The monarchists and aristocrats of Europe believed, at the time, that this was the inevitable destiny of the ‘American experiment’.

When America’s first written constitution, The Articles of Confederation (drafted in 1776, operational from 1777, ratified in 1781), was perceived as inadequate, representatives from twelve of the thirteen separate States took part in the Constitutional Convention in May,1787 that went on for about four months. At the Convention they debated and discussed the creation of a form of government that was not only in harmony with God given human nature but could endure the weaknesses of human character. What they invented was a carefully crafted system of checks and balances that limited the power of government so tightly that the rule of law could prevail.

The founders knew that their creation was flawed, especially in regards to slavery. They offered it as it was because they thought it had a better chance to get approved by the people of at least nine of the thirteen States, the number required for it to come into being. Later, they believed people could use the means provided in the Constitution to correct its inherent flaws. The drafted version underwent several minor changes and a promise was made that a Bill of Rights (the first ten amendments) would be added later.

This tipped the balance and it was ratified by eleven States. In September 13, 1788 it was certified as the new constitution of the USA. North Carolina and Rhode Island had abstained, but they ratified before George Washington was unanimously elected by the electoral delegates as the first President under this new constitution. [Note, the Polish claim of having the World’s second written Constitution is not accurate because America had both the first and the second. Poland’s was actually the third] Wiki link:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Articles_of_Confederation

One of the best publication’s for anyone wanting to get a deeper understanding of what it takes to establish a ‘free society, and not a democracy, is the ‘Federalist Papers’, a collection of 85 articles and essays published in American newspapers during the ratification process for the purpose of influencing the citizens of each American State to approve the proposed constitution. There is enough wisdom in this publication to last humanity through the ages – if at least some of each generation read it.

Tough as it is to overthrow tyranny, it is a thousandfold more difficult to replace a tyranny with a workable and enduring ‘free society’. Usually what happens is one set of tyrants and cutthroats are replaced with another and sometimes the replacements are worse. In Poland the transition from communism has remained controversial because of the large number of ex-informers, apparatchiks and nomenklatura that are in high office and how they have benefitted personally from their positions of power.

I fully agree with the elegant lady’s eloquence. Liberty is too precious to be lost. Poles with their history understand the truth of this statement better than most. As President Ronald Reagan remarked on the anniversary of the birth of MLK Jr, January 15th, 1983 :

"Freedom is not something to be secured in any one moment of time. We must struggle to preserve it every day. Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We don't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same."

To strengthen free society in Poland, in fact to strengthen it anywhere, people must be awake to the verbal coups that have been successfully used by the enemies of liberty. In their thirst for power, the enemies of freedom employ a nice term or a sugary phrase such as ‘affordable housing’, ‘pro-life’, or ‘clean air’ to attract the supporters they need to keep expanding the role of government. It’s the expansion they actually crave.

One of the most prevalent and, in my opinion, most damaging verbal coups is the left wing/right wing representation of political attitudes. On the extreme left of the continuum is the tyranny of communism and on the extreme right the tyranny of fascism. The broad acceptance in the community of this left/right structure goes a long way to explaining why German National Socialism is abhorred and Soviet Socialism is given a ‘free pass’ even though its record of inhumanity to man is worse than that of German National Socialism. The magic trick used by the power hungry is to take advantage of the memories of ‘Western’ nations of the horrors of what the ‘right’ has done. Communist activists are able to frighten people and stigmatise those not moving leftwards with the label of being ‘right wingers’. Right wingers of course can use a communist stalking horse to get people to move right.

A more meaningful continuum of political viewpoints is one that can locate a government type accurately based on the level of its power relative to other types of government. One side shows zero power and the other extremity shows total power such as is evident in any totalitarian State. Along this continuum governments can be located to reflect the nature and strength of their power limits.

In societies where government power is limited effectively, people can voice their opinions and dissent from and criticise government policies and people without fear of a late night knock on the door followed by a disappearance or an unfortunate accident. In a free society people can appeal to the better side of human nature. They can expose corruption and injustice and the perpetrators do not prosper easily in such societies, or as comfortably. Corruption and injustice in such societies finds it difficult to withstand scrutiny. It only prospers when it remains hidden.

Once again I agree with the elegant ‘lady’s eloquence in her call to stand up and fight for truth and justice and to consider these issues from a moral frame of reference. If the morality of regular folks who make up the bulk of the community is strong enough, these criminals will eventually get their just deserts. If the morality is not strong enough then that is the next task. Get involved, support others already engaged in the crusade, act, watch, discuss or write, just work hard as best you can towards improving the general morality and then everything else will fall into place.

In his remarks at an Ecumenical Prayer Breakfast in Dallas, Texas, on August 23, 1984, President Ronald Reagan remarked:

"The truth is, politics and morality are inseparable. And as morality's foundation is religion, religion and politics are necessarily related. We need religion as a guide. We need it because we are imperfect, and our government needs the church, because only those humble enough to admit they're sinners can bring to democracy the tolerance it requires in order to survive. . . . . Without God, there is no virtue, because there's no prompting of the conscience. Without God, we're mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive. Without God, there is a coarsening of the society. And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure. If we ever forget that we're one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under."

In the case of Maleszka, Pyjas and Wildstein the biggest effort and major aim should not be applied to directly pressure the office holders in the Polish Government to do something about Maleszka. They will easily ignore or silence these few. Many of them and their cheer squads in the media were themselves ex-informers or apparatchiks. The main thrust must be toward exposing the truth to the general population. Getting the message out is what is important. If possible, getting the message out through the mainstream media is great, but if not, then through any and all viable alternatives. Large numbers are difficult to ignore or silence. Large numbers can force change.

Getting the message out through the moving docudrama Three Buddies, is exactly what the film makers, Ewa Stankiewicz and Anna Ferens have done. They and all who helped to make the film a reality have performed a heroic deed in the service of Polish freedom, and indeed for humanity in general. Thank God for such heroes. Likewise it is wonderful to have people such as the members and leaders of Polish Political Prisoners Association who organised this viewing. The willingness of the management of Ashfield Polish Club to provide the venue is a great help in getting the message out. Last but not least, all who came to view the film and those who offered their opinions in the discussion have contributed to building the critical mass required to expose people like Maleszka and all those involved with him, and countless other perpetrators of injustice. It was inspiring to hear an octogenarian lead the way! Neighbour and friend can let neighbour and friend know of what happened and they can each voice their disgust.

The value of our efforts can be maximised if we can avoid falling into the trap of trying to fight darkness with darkness. It is futile. It takes a lot of energy, breeds anger and hate and it can take a toll on one’s physical and mental wellbeing.

The effectiveness of the approach taken by Gianna Jessen to perpetrators of injustice is instructive. Gianna was born alive and survived an abortion procedure. She could have very easily fallen into despair and 'victimhood'; or consumed herself in hate due to the cerebral palsy she suffered when the attempted abortion affected the oxygen supply to her brain; or she could have abused drugs. People would have understood. Except - she didn’t! In one of her tweets she commented:
"I defeat the abortionists by living an abundant life."

That’s powerful!

Tim Tebow

The story of American football player Tim Tebow and his mother is a great example of the effectiveness in concentrating on the positive. In 2010, Tebow was a University of Florida quarterback hoping to be drafted by an NFL team in the following year. He and his mother took part in two advertisements on behalf of the conservative Christian group ‘Focus on the Family’.

The advertisements aired in the 2011 Superbowl. The ads focused on the theme ‘celebrate family, celebrate life’. They showed the wonderful and loving upbringing he had received from his parents. Everything would have been different if a different choice had been taken by his mum. His mother, Pam, had contracted amoebic dysentery and when the doctors discovered she was pregnant, after she came out of a coma they advised her to abort in consideration for her own safety and because the medicines she was given had irreversibly damaged her baby, Tim.

She chose not to take her doctors’ advice.

You can gauge the effectiveness of the message by looking at the reaction of abortion groups. Usually these groups laugh off any attacks made on them that can be shown to be tainted by the slightest semblance of hate. They exploit this by putting the focus on the manner of the message and label pro-life people as bigoted extremists and haters. The two 30 second Tebow ads were different. All hell broke loose when snippets were shown weeks before the ads aired. The reaction of pro-abortion groups to ads that made no mention of abortion or ‘pro-choice’ was rabid, strident and overblown. Tim’s mum, Pam made her choice and groups that used the banner of pro-choice were criticising her! People could clearly see through the hypocrisy. To the general public, the mask had come off and these pro-abortion groups were perceived as being fanatical and unreasonable ‘haters’, interested only in defending their Statist ideology.

Bronek Wildstein can be portrayed as a victim of injustice and someone to be pitied. We can be led into feeling sorry for him and cry about all the injustice in the world, maybe to the extent of losing Faith. Alternatively he can be portrayed as someone to admire for staying true to his values and not succumbing to corruption despite the pressure put on him. We can feel uplifted by his example, and see that it is possible to overcome adversity and come out with self-respect and a clear conscience. The difference is in our state of mind. In the figure you can see EITHER faces or vase, but NOT both at once. If you focus on the negative nothing good happens.

In summing up, I think that it is important to remember that if Maleszka and his kind go unpunished despite our best efforts, if you are a Believer, as I am, you can only feel sorry for them because when they die they cannot take their ill begotten gains with them. All they take is a record of their thoughts, actions and inactions in temporal life. Simply put, they have given up Eternity for what? A few ephemeral pleasures, temporary comforts and a few trinkets! God has said, human beings should not expect justice in the world. The world can be unfair. We are asked to leave Justice to God. Accepting this gives us peace of mind.

Felix Molski