Hat Tip and Quote: Kim Priestap Special thanks to The Anchoress.

I awoke to the horrifying news that the President of Poland, his wife, their banking leaders and their military leaders all perished in an airplane crash this morning en route to Russia for a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the massacre of thousands of Polish officers by Soviet secret police. There was thick fog, but what was very telling was that the airport was closed and would not allow them to land. In such an emergency, you would think they would do all they could do to safely bring in that plane. The pilots tried three times to land and fell apart on the fourth attempt. This looks almost ‘planned’ to me by the Russians. The latest count I heard was 131 dead. Guess Russia doesn’t have to worry about that pesky missile shield in Poland now, huh? The AP calls it ‘tragic irony.’ I call it ‘convenient.’

Our prayers and condolences go out to the Polish people… May you find comfort and solace in your hour of grief and need. And may G-d watch over and protect the Polish people

Kim Priestap has a post up on this that is very compelling:

Polish president, top military officers, and high ranking government officials killed in plane crash

Key excerpt:

There’s a truly bizarre irony in the timing of this crash that cannot be ignored. Kaczynski and many of his top military officers were heading to Russia – on a Russian plane – to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Stalin’s massacre of thousands of Polish military officers.

Here’s another bizarre twist. Just this past September, when President Obama was simultaneously announcing that he was reneging on the United States’ commitment to place a ballistic defense system in Poland, Russia tried to intimidate the Polish government by playing nuclear “war games” on the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s invasion of Poland.

Could Russia pick a better time to move on Poland? With a spineless President and Congress, America will surely stand passively by and let these events unfold. Especially since we just signed a spanking new ‘reduced nukes’ agreement that would effectively tie our hands from moving on Russia or China (but Israel is a possibility – chew on that one for a moment). Russia can also tell the US that if they want sanctions on Iran, Americans need to sit down and shut up. Will the Czech Republic be next in line for Russia? Can China moving on Taiwan be far behind?

With America out of the way, there is no one to stop the bad guys. We were the last hope of a free world. Darkness is descending and a world war is on its way. Something very wicked this way comes…

Also See:

Brutally Honest

Michelle Malkin

Medvedev calls for Russian-Polish unity after Kaczynski’s death (via Lucianne) We all know what that means, don’t we?

Afterthought: I just can’t believe it was an accident – too fortuitous and coincidental. It was foolish to put most of the leadership on one plane – I wonder if there is more to that piece of the puzzle? We’ll never know since Putin has put himself in charge of the investigation.

Update: FAST FACTS: Polish Politicians Who Died in Russia Crash – Fox News

Some of those who died in the crash of Poland’s presidential plane, according to the Law and Justice Party, founded by President Lech Kaczynshi.

Lech Kaczysnki — Polish president

Maria Kaczynska — The president’s wife

Ryszard Kaczorowski — last president of the anti-Communist government-in-exile in London, 1989-90. The government-in-exile was set up after the prewar Warsaw government was forced to flee the Nazis in 1939.

Aleksander Szczyglo — head of the National Security Office and former defense minister

Pawel Wypych — presidential aide

Mariusz Handzlik — presidential aide

Jerzy Szmajdzinski — deputy parliament speaker and former defense minister

Andrzej Kremer — Deputy Foreign Minister

Gen. Franciszek Gagor — head of the army chief of staff

Andrzej Przewoznik — minister in charge of WWII memorials

Slawomir Skrzypek — head of the National Bank of Poland

Janusz Kurtyka — head of the National Remembrance Institute, a state body that investigates communist-era crimes

Przemyslaw Gosiewski — lawmaker

Zbigniew Wassermann — lawmaker

Grzegorz Dolniak — lawmaker

Janusz Kochanowski — civil rights commissioner

Bishop Tadeusz Ploski — army chaplain