In a letter to the editor of a local newspaper, which appeared today, I attacked head on the No.1 politician in Istria. He goes by the title of governor, one of about twenty in the country. The letter outlines the political shenanigans behind the plethora of golf and polo courses in Croatia, a third of which is in Istria. I argue that the ongoing privatization of state land is behind this untoward rush, and I draw attention to the shady collaboration between local politicians, foreign investors, real-estate dealers of all sorts, and local builders. The state land is quietly turned into profit on private land in the hands of local politicians. It is a brave letter by all counts, for it points at the wrongdoings overseen by the governor himself. But the newspaper in question also has a longish article about Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. And my own sign, too. Although I rarely read anything of this ilk, this article attracted me for some reason. It reads as though it is meant to explain my cocky letter. And in some detail. Best of all, it predicts that I will be rather successful in my campaign, at least through the summer. Astrology be praised!

Addendum I (March 20, 2007)

In another letter to the editor of the same newspaper, which appeared in print today, I attacked head on the No. 2 politician in Istria. He represents the region in the Croatian parliament. The letter concerns his slapdash claims concerning sustainable development of the peninsula. In particular, he advocates industrialization of Istria, as tourism is not enough to ensure the wellbeing of its people. True enough, I retort, but industry and tourism should not be in direct conflict, as is regularly the case in these parts. This includes a particular industrial plant, currently under construction, which he sloppily claims satisfies the requirements of sustainable development. I close my letter by inviting him to learn his terminology a bit better before making grand pronouncements. At any rate, I carefully looked for the astrology section in the same issue of the newspaper. To my disappointment, though, I found nothing of note. Shucks!

Addendum II (September 21, 2015)

Bumping into this piece and the addendum in one of my random searches of my magnum opus, I cannot but shake my head in amazement at my silliness. My cocky letters attacking the No. 1 and No. 2 politicians in Istria head on had no effect whatsoever. Zilch. This is Istria, after all. Ivan Jakovčić and Damir Kajin, the two leading politicians at the time, could not be reached by any sort of campaign, no matter how successful. In fact, not even astrology could be of any help with the twain. But I should have known it back then. More, I should have stopped writing cocky letters to the editor of the local newspaper in question. For my campaign was not only a waste of my time, but an invitation to retaliation that I finally got from the then mayor of Motovun, Slobodan Vugrinec, who was very much a part of the political team. And I am still reeling from his reprisal…