The Scottish Executive would be more honest if they'd given Tom Shaw a white stick anda guide dog, then tied his arms behind his back.

The 800-pound gorillas of TV news are gone. When I was the White House correspondent at NBC, and Tom Brokaw was anchor, the reporters were protected.

He tied it to his dog tags, which were tied to the belt loop in his pocket.

Don't raise your stick and the dog won't bark at you.

He tied for Paul and Norman, and if they didn't like the flies, they'd give him the old one-two-three off the dock. He learned the hard way early.

[Next week:] Crash ... Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy.