Thus the name of the Istrian political party in whose stead I am now forming a cell in Motovun. I already have plenty of members. We will join the upcoming local elections, which are due in May, and I expect we will do much better than the political pundits may believe. In particular, I expect a number of young people to join the party, for it is their future that we are most concerned with. One way or another, this turn of events would not be imaginable without the intrepid mayor of Motovun. Had he not pushed me into the court, I would have become an ideal political subject well before the elections. Silent.

Addendum (January 16, 2009)

I printed this piece out, pasted it on a card I got from Corrine and Martin Harwood for Christmas, and sent it to the governor of Istria, Ivan Jakovčić, just after the court proceedings in Pazin earlier today. The card shows a black-and-white photograph of a black woman someplace in the American South. Judging from her dainty white hat and white sandals, she is coming out of the church. Her hands thrust forward, she is caught at the moment when she is taking a big step from a mowed lawn onto a wide road covered with deep mud. The text that accompanies the picture is attributed to an unknown scriptwriter from Hollywood: “Ever notice that ‘what the hell’ is always the right decision?” The governor will surely appreciate my plucky missive.