The world we live in.

I am not sure which 2009 news event is more illustrative of the strange world we live in--the awarding of a peace prize to a politician who escalates a war, or the induction of ABBA into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Lies

From a Reuters article about Chavez and Obama shaking hands, comes this quote from a former member of the Bush administration: "Dictators by their very nature don't like change." The implicit assertion here is that Chavez is a dictator. This is, of course a blatant lie, since Chavez is the democratically elected leader of Venezuela.

How to commit torture and get away with it

The Obama administration is letting CIA torturers get away with their actions.

This article reports that CIA officials who committed acts of torture "are in the clear, as long as their actions were in line with the legal advice at the time." Which is to say that they are getting off scot-free because of what is essentially a variation on the Nuremburg Defense. What really is the difference between "I was just following orders" and "my actions were in line with the legal advice at the time"?