Free Republic

Warsaw - Poland's conservative Law and Justice (PiS) government of Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski has drafted laws intended to 'remove the symbols of communist rule from public life.' If passed by parliament, the use of the names of communist leaders for streets, schools, bridges, parks or even ships, planes and trains would be banned, Poland's TVN24 news channel reported Thursday. The draft would also annul all medals, orders and honorary titles issued by communist authorities from 1944 until the collapse of communism in 1989. The proposed laws are in line with a PiS drive to remove the vestiges of the...

PASADENA - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev said the United States has an illusion of omnipotence - "the victory complex" - that's more dangerous than Russia's inferiority complex. "Both countries should overcome those feelings," he said, "and their leaders should reflect what the people want, and what the people want is dialogue." Gorbachev spoke through an interpreter Wednesday to a full house at the Distinguished Speaker Series at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. He said the United States has a right to claim a leadership role in the world based on its military, cultural and economic power. "But partnerships rather than...