retreating to where no evidence counts

one of the best defenses is when you appeal to your own, obviously vast, capacity for self-delusion. edwards: "I never, ever thought I was breaking the law." that is, if you can fool yourself into believing that you're not doing what you obviously are, you're not culpable for it. and if you can fool other people into believing that you've fooled yourself into believing that you're not doing what you obviously are, then they can't hold you responsible for it. always bring it around to your own subjective states, which cannot be examined by any existing procedure.