Out of tragedy, strength

Out of tragedy, strength

San Francisco Chronicle: The nation of Poland suffered a grievous loss when President Lech Kaczynski and scores of top politicians died in a plane crash in western Russia. Kaczynski and the nation’s political elite had been on their way to the Katyn forest, which was the site of the 1940 Soviet massacre of about 20,000 Polish officers.

It was especially terrible to lose them on such a somber mission.

There is the possibility that this tragedy could give rise to good things for Poland, however bitter those victories may be. The crash is showing ordinary Poles that their young democracy is strong. It’s opening up the possibility of new relations between Poland and Russia.