AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION- 2020 Central Division meeting highlights.

Dear DAVID, Have you registered for the 2020 Central Division meeting, February 26–29 in Chicago? If not, take a moment to register online now! In addition to colloquium and symposium sessions, this year’s meeting features a robust program complete with sessions sponsored by APA committees and affiliated groups. Highlights include the following sessions: John Dewey Lecture: Richard Kraut (Northwestern University), “How I Am an Aristotelian,” Thursday, February 27, 1:00–4:00 p.m. Berggruen Lecture: Martha C. Nussbaum (University of Chicago), “Crucified By the War Machine; Britten’s War Requiem, Bodies, and European Reconciliation,” Thursday, February 27, 5:00–7:00 p.m. (a reception will follow) Romanell Lecture: Daniel Dennett (Tufts University),”Herding Cats and Free Will Inflation,” Friday, February 28, 1:00–4:00 p.m. Presidential Address: Julia Driver (University of Texas at Austin), “Live Options and Practical Possibilities,” Friday, February 28, 4:40–6:45 p.m. (a reception will follow) Register by February 12 to take advantage of the early bird registration rates: $125 for APA members, $240 for non-members, and $40 for student members. Online registration will be unavailable February 13 through February 25, but will reopen on February 26, the first day of the meeting. You can also register at the registration desk on-site at the meeting. Please note: on-site registration rates will be $50 higher than early bird registration for all categories. You’ll save an additional $5 on meeting registration if you opt not to receive a paper copy of the program. The meeting program is available online, and our free meeting app for smartphones and tablets will also contain the full program. Haven’t yet renewed your membership? Renew now! In order to receive the discounted meeting rate available only to paid members, your APA membership must be current. (Lapsed members who have not renewed their memberships for the 2019–2020 year pay the non-member rate of $240 in advance or $290 at the meeting.) Register for the 2020 Central Division meeting today. We look forward to seeing you in Chicago! All the best, Amy E. Ferrer Executive Director

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ESQUIRE: It Sure Does Sound Like Trump Just Bragged About Obstructing Congress.

JIM WATSONGETTY IMAGES

"Honestly, we have all the material," said the president. "They don't have the material." Because the administration refuses to turn over any evidence related to his Perfect Call.

BY JACK HOLMES

JAN 22, 2020

"Honestly, we have all the material," said the President of the United States. "They don't have the material." It was some typical New York real-estate bluster: I've got it, you don't, fuck you. Except Donald Trump isn't in real estate anymore, or even in the branding business he pivoted towards later on. He's been the president for three years, and he's been impeached, and the trial is underway in the Senate, and he just appeared to admit to one of the charges against him. He just bragged about obstructing Congress, the second of two articles along with abuse of power.

The president held a press conference Wednesday at Davos—that haven for populists who represent the forgotten men and women of the American heartland—and predictably, the trial came up. This kicked off a festival of lies: the "transcript" Trump released is not a transcript and it's not exculpatory, it's incriminating. The call in question launched a frenzy of activity from Trump's aides—including stuffing the call record in a filing system meant for top-secret intel—which indicates they maybe thought something Not Good just went down. The whistleblower's account has been corroborated by witnesses under oath and on the record. None of Trump's very brave defenders will speak under penalty of perjury like those witnesses did. They insist on testifying on Fox News.

And then there was this talk of the "material."

Minh Ngo@minhtngo

Trump admits to obstruction of Congress — one of the impeachment charges against him.

“But honestly we have all the material. They don’t have the material.”#ShamTrial

877

9:16 AM - Jan 22, 2020

This is just one instance where the president has essentially rejected the legitimacy of Congress and sought to undermine the separation of powers that undergirds the checks and balances safeguarding our democratic republic. He has also sought to seize funds not appropriated by Congress to build his Big, Beautiful Wall, a direct assault on the legislature's power of the purse which, if allowed to stand, would be a critical blow to our system. If the president can use taxpayer money for whatever he wants by declaring a National Emergency he himself admits is phony, then he can do whatever he wants. That's not a president, it's a king.

But what did you expect from the big real-estate man we put in charge? The guy is not used to "checks and balances." He's used to telling some peon to get a Trump Tower built in Azerbaijan. It's no coincidence that he's ditched anyone around him who might be concerned about the institutions of a democratic republic, either. Over time, the qualifications for Executive Branch service have been whittled down to absolute fealty to The Leader. He has gotten away with this, and everything else, to the point he feels free to brag about obstructing Congress during the trial examining whether he obstructed Congress. Meanwhile, all this obstruction prevents investigators from completely exposing Trump on the other count—abuse of power—for which there is already a strong case.

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Maybe chalk this up to his strategy of just saying he did the sketchy thing in public so people struggle to process that it was sketchy. Or maybe this is tied to his legal team's strategy, where they'll claim abuse of power and obstruction of Congress are not impeachable. Or maybe he just knows that the Senate's Republican majority have already betrayed their oaths to serve as impartial jurors—or, more importantly, their original oath to defend the Constitution. Mitch McConnell announced this was a sham trial long ago. They've given him the green light to lie and cheat all the way to November.

This post has been updated.

JACK HOLMES Politics EditorJack Holmes is the Politics Editor at Esquire, where he writes daily and edits the Politics Blog with Charles P Pierce.

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THIS IS PURE TRUMP...ALL HAIL OUR GLORIOUS LEADER, LOVED BY ALL!!!

How bad does DONALD TRUMP, and the TOADIES who support him, want the World to believe he is a popular President, and not the AMORAL WINDBAG HE APPEARS TO BE? 
WHY NOT CREATE A SURVEY WHERE THERE ARE NO NEGATIVE CHOICES. THE FOLLOWING HAS BEEN APPEARING ON THE INTERNET DURING THE PAST WEEK.

PRESIDENTIAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW SURVEY.

How would you rate President Trump's job performance so far?

•  Great
•  Good
•  Okay
•  Other

Optional) Please explain why you selected your response.


Enter Your Information.




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I'll hand TRUMP ONE THING: A lack of Pride, Dignity, and Honor hasn't slowed him down. Well, when your party has BECOME THE HOME FOR FASCIST THUGS, RUSSIAN OPERATIVES, AND A LEADERSHIP THAT SUBVERTS THE CONSTITUTION AT WILL, WHY BOTHER CARING? 

DISGRACEFUL: NPR COMES TO TRUMPS RESCUE.

It is bad enough that I have to deal with DONALD TRUMPS LIES, OR THE REPUBLICAN PARTIES MARCH TOWARDS FASCISM, BUT LOOKING OUT FOR FAULTY INFORMATION SPREAD BY SO-CALLED "PROGRESSIVES" CAN BE JUST AS DANGEROUS.

Today, NPR CAME OUT WITH THE FOLLOWING:

NPR Poll: Majority Of Americans Believe Trump Encourages Election Interference.

I am not going to reprint it here, even though it was highly critical of DONALD TRUMP, AND THE 

REPUBLICAN PARTY. WHY? BECAUSE IT FEATURED THE FOLLOWING:

"Although there is no evidence that any votes were changed by a foreign power in 2016 or 2018, almost 4 in 10 Americans surveyed said they believe it is likely another country will tamper with the votes cast in 2020 in order to change the result."

THIS IS MISLEADING, AT BEST, AND ATTEMPTS TO SHIELD ELECTION FRAUD IN THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. HOW?

NO ONE, CERTAINLY NOT ME, EVER CLAIMED ANY VOTES WERE CHANGED BY ANYONE. THE EVIDENCE, AS I HAVE POINTED OUT, TIME AND TIME AGAIN, SUPPORT THE CONCLUSION THAT THE "FINAL TOTALS" WERE ALTERED. THERE WAS NO NEED TO GO IN AND CHANGE INDIVIDUAL BALLOTS.

EVEN THE CLAIM THAT THERE IS  "...no evidence that any votes were changed by a foreign power in 2016 or 2018..." IS MISLEADING. IT DOES NOT ADDRESS DOMESTIC SOURCES INTERFERING IN EITHER ELECTION, NOR DOES IT PRECLUDE FOREIGN ASSISTANCE IN PROVIDING THE NECESSARY INFORMATION TO ACCOMPLISH ELECTION TAMPERING. 

ALSO, NOTICE THAT THEY USE THE TERM "POWER." SINCE "POWER" IS OFTEN USED INTERCHANGEABLY WITH "GOVERNMENT", IT DOES NOT ELIMINATE OTHER FOREIGN SOURCES FROM INTERFERING IN THE 2016 ELECTION. 

(FOR THE RECORD, MY RESEARCH DID NOT INCLUDE THE 2018 ELECTION.)

MAYBE, IF NEWS OUTLETS LIKE NPR HAD BOTHERED TO DO THEIR JOBS, AND ACTUALLY RESEARCHED THE FINAL VOTE TOTALS IN 2016, WE WOULD NOT HAVE A THREE RING CIRCUS IN THE WHITE HOUSE, INSTEAD OF THEM MAKING EXCUSES FOR A DONALD TRUMP ADMINISTRATION.

DAVID MCDONALD- PUBLISHER, WWW.SEARCHINGFORREASON.NET