As I learned today from the front page of my Internet service provider, Croatia is the third country in Europe by the number of cases lost before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. It owes two-billion euros and a half for legal damages caused by the sundry Croatian courts, which are famous for their fondness of politicians in power and worse. I assumed the first country in this infamous category would be Russia, but I did not read the article. “Yeah,” I heard myself growl with relish as soon as I stumbled upon the title in question, “and my own case will also end up among those that come on top in Strasbourg!” Even though it would be a relief if the highest court in Zagreb eventually annulled the verdict by lower courts in Pazin and Pula concerning my supposed insult of the mayor of Motovun, it would be a real joy if the mighty court in Strasbourg ultimately freed me from the legal quagmire. And all the hilltown mayor had to offer by way of a legal argument was that I likened him to a cockroach, but he failed to mention that this came along with my accusation of his undemocratic ways, for he forever operates in the dark and behind closed doors. This holds for all politicians in this undemocratic country, though. They are cockroaches one and all, which is why the courts in Pazin and Pula found against me in the first place. As always, the mayor’s political allies in Istria were operating in the dark and behind closed doors to help him squash one of his awkward opponents. Winning in Strasbourg would prove the point quite admirably.