(Polish) President calls reporter 'monkey'

[deadparrot]

POLISH President Lech Kaczynski thought only a close adviser was listening when he described a journalist as "that monkey in red" at a news conference during a European Union summit.

But a television microphone caught the aside, in which the conservative Mr Kaczynski whispered to the aide not to take a question from the woman reporter.

"Not from that monkey in red," the president said.

At a later media appearance on Friday, Mr Kaczynski was unrepentant but said he had not intended to insult the reporter's appearance.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20936635-1702,00.html

[ulysses]

1. he didn't say major-league monkey?

[demnan]

2. He better watch out

Name calling can ruin careers, you know.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

3. OK...But Is His Mother From Tunisia? nt

[originalpckelly]

4. I think there's a joke in there somewhere.(nt)

[ftr23532]

5. and here I was earlier today somewhat surprised about seeing his Nazi links

from http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=a2LWSB.XW5xw&refer=europe">Bloomberg news:

Poland's `Moral Revolution' Founders on Sex Scandal, Nazi Flags

By Katya Andrusz

Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The ``moral revolution'' promised by Poland's Kaczynski twins when they came to power a year ago is foundering amid a series of scandals surrounding allegations of sexual exploitation and neo-Nazi links.

The Kaczynskis' three-party coalition has been rocked by allegations that Deputy Prime Minister Andrzej Lepper, 52, and members of his Self Defense party demanded sexual favors in return for jobs -- they deny the charges -- and by reports that associates of another deputy prime minister, Roman Giertych, participated in a 2004 neo-Nazi rally.

...

Nazi Greeting

Besides the allegations against Self Defense officials, the Kaczynskis' allies in the Polish Families' League have taken a battering over reports that members of the All-Polish Youth, formerly headed by League Chairman Giertych, took part in a rally two years ago at which flags with the swastika symbol were waved and ``Sieg Heil,'' the Nazis' greeting, was shouted.

A youth activist was sacked as assistant to European Parliament deputy Maciej Giertych, father of the deputy prime minister, in response to the affair.

The League attacks gay rights, favors reintroducing the death penalty, and demands a complete ban on abortion. League member Miroslaw Orzechowski, the deputy education minister, has called for banning evolution from schools.

``Evolutionary theory is a lie,'' Orzechowski said in an Oct. 13 interview with the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper. ``In my opinion this is a story, a piece of literature that could be used as background for a science-fiction film.''

[Ignacio Upton]

6. Polish Neo-Nazis?

That's like having "Chickens for Colonel Sanders."

[ftr23532]

8. it makes sense in a dark way...

Many of the most brutal acts perpetrated during WWII weren't even done directly by the Nazis themselves but by the Nazi collaborators in the countries they occupied. Fascism was in vogue all over the place. And what adds to the darkness is that a lot of dthese fascists became valued "freedom fighters" against the Soviets and brought into this country with the help of folks like Allen Dulles and Richard Nixon. And what's even darker is...well...a certain party began using these guys for GOTV drives in Eastern European ethnic communities while also incorporating them into the development and rise of the New Right in the 60's and 70's. It's one of those http://www.amazon.com/Old-Nazis-Right-Republican-Party/dp/0896084183/sr=8-1/qid=1166217721/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-3936263-3783302?ie=UTF8&s=books">often overlooked yet critical chapters of our history.

[Cleita]

11. Why do you think our Nazis render POWs and other people they

don't like to other countries for interrogation? The same reason the Germans did. They didn't want their nationals to be too close to what was really going on. With the Poles though, they didn't care what they thought, and of course it's always easy to find those who will get with the program in occupied countries in order to feather their own nests.

[Bobbie Jo]

7. Would that be a "Macacan" Monkey Mr. President?...n/t

[shain from kane]

9. How do you say "macaca" in Polish? I've forgotten my Polish.

[bidiboom]

10. Malpa = monkey

It is a popular insult among older people. It doesn't have racial context, more like monkey = stupid.