Haven't seen one of these in a while

When I was growing up, it was not uncommon to read about people from the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact defecting to the west and asking for political asylum.  Sometimes they were government officials who could feel the power slipping away, sometimes they were artists or athletes who wanted greater opportunities in the West, and sometimes they were everyday men and women who were given an opportunity to flee and took it.  After the fall of Communism, defections and requests for asylum became rare.

Recently, a journalist from Russia requested asylum in Israel.  He feels that his life is in danger because of work he has done uncovering corruption in the Russian legal system.  I wish him luck.

That's one thing I can say about our country and most countries in the West.  You don't see a lot of people who play for the U.S. Olympic Team trying to defect to China, and you don't see Brad Pitt and Nancy Grace running to the Russian government seeking asylum when they do overseas work.  America and the rest of the democratic nations are the hope of the rest of the world when they are oppressed or in danger.