I just congratulated Reporters without Borders on their last report concerning the freedom of the press around the globe. I focused on Croatia, whose drop in the ranking order reflects very well the situation on the ground. And I explained my own perplexing situation. I wrote about the libel case raised against me by both the mayor of Motovun and the entire Motovun municipality. For good measure, I attached the supposedly libelous text from my website, as well (“Croatia Spells Conflict of Interests,” October 3, 2009). I also hinted at the shady courts that allow, or perhaps even encourage, persecution of political dissidents like me. All in all, my congratulation gave me an enormous pleasure. I felt vindicated, as it were. Where does all this excitement lead, though? Reporters without Borders cannot help me in my predicament. My own writing about it will not help me, either. At best, it can lend me in court for libel once again. But the knowledge that I am not entirely alone in the world still counts for something. Feeling stranded in Motovun, Istria, and Croatia, I am grasping at straws. More straws, anyone?