I'm not defending the Soviet Republics at all. Their conduct is abhorrent but wouldn't it be wonderful if our country had some real credibility right now to publicly bring pressure against these repressive regimes.

I know that's going to rub many of you the wrong way but we certainly are not the free press country we've been in past times. Individual reporters certainly have the right within our country to speak the truth but it's being overshadowed today by the intimidation of the massive corporate control by just a handful of media conglomerates. I get more probing journalism by comedy stars these days than by our polished and scripted anchors and our tabloid press.

It was so refreshing last night to watch video of Steven Colbert taking these talking heads to task while the most powerful potentate in the world sat by stunned with his mouth hanging open. What would've been more refreshing though would've been if those words of derision had been coming from the mouth of a true investigative reporter relentlessly persuing the truth at a Presidential press conference. We're seeing some stirring of this recently as Bush has lost favor but then the news of the confrontation fades to obscurity quickly.

Unless a citizen is an avid watcher of C-Span or subscribes to small independent publications, there is little chance they'll get to see the hard-hitting questions being deflected and spun.

There's lots of really bad guys around the world but, before we go casting stones of derision, let's clean up our own sty first.

Art