George,

Sometimes I don't recognize my country any more.

When I was a private in Army basic training we were drilled on the Geneva Conventions. Even privates were expected to know the law and obey. Make no mistake, we were told, the Geneva Conventions are the law of the land.

Now we have Obama giving CIA professionals the Nuremburg defense: they were only following orders when they tortured prisoners. And, by giving the Justice Department lawyers a pass, Obama has reinforced the view that legal ethics is an oxymoron.

Now, some young US soldier will face torture and we will have no moral or legal grounds to protest. The past eight years has been an exercise in averting our eyes from wrongdoing and, if we now refuse to acknowledge crimes committed by Bush's lawyers, we will have passed a point of no return.

The reason I don't recognize America today is because we have changed, and all the "keep on moving folks, don't slow down" advice will not restore our moral stature.

Al Weed (Electronic mail, April 18, 2009)