BLAST FROM THE PAST: KNOW YOUR OPPONENT, THEN MAKE A STAND. (UPDATED)

As Donald Trump continues an agenda of Persecution, many Americans are missing the True Dangers that will become a reality if he gets his way.

To Defeat this Assault on the CONSTITUTION, AND COMMON DECENCY, THE FOLLOWING MUST ACKNOWLEDGED AS TRUE:

1)  Donald Trump is a Symptom of the REAL PROBLEM, NOT THE CAUSE.

2)  Many of his Supporters consider "RIGHTS" TO BE GUARANTEES THAT PROTECT ONLY
THEM.

3)  Often, these same Supporters will claim that anything they do or say must be allowed by
Law, SO THEY CAN FULFILL A DIVINE MISSION THAT MUST TAKE PRECEDENCE
OVER EVERYTHING ELSE.

4)  "THE ENDS JUSTIFIES THE MEANS" is an essential part of the Fanaticism that grips many
Americans, when it comes to certain issues.

5)  THERE ARE THOSE WHO BELIEVE RELIGIOUS FAITH ALONE IS ENOUGH TO SET LEGAL GUIDELINES THAT MUST BE ACCEPTED WITHOUT QUESTION.

6)  CONTRARY TO WHAT THEY MAY SAY PUBLICLY, SOME AMERICANS WOULD
GLADLY LIVE IN A TOTALITARIAN STATE, AS LONG AS IT IS SET UP TO GIVE THEM
POWER AND PRIVILEGES OVER EVERYONE ELSE.

7)  TO MANY AMERICANS, SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES ARE NEGOTIABLE, AND CAN BE ACCEPTED OR REJECTED REGARDLESS OF THE POTENTIAL OUTCOMES.

8)  History, to some Americans, should BE REWRITTEN OR IGNORED, DEPENDING ON THE
POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE IMAGE IT CREATES.

9) PERHAPS THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL: THE IDEA THAT THERE ARE THOSE WHO ARE BEYOND

THE RULE OF LAW, AND WHOSE ACTIONS CANNOT BE QUESTIONED, OR PROSECUTED....

...WHICH LEADS  US TO THE FOLLOWING.

10) THE RULES OF LOGIC AND DEDUCTIVE/INDUCTIVE REASONING DO NOT CHANGE JUST

BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUAL HAS  MD, Phd, JD etc. after their name. ALONG THE SAME LINES,

THOSE WHO ARE REFERRED TO AS SCIENTISTS, PHILOSOPHERS, ENGINEERS, MINISTERS,
RESEARCHERS etc., ARE NOT EXEMPT FROM HAVING THEIR OPINIONS AND/OR JUDGEMENTS
TESTED AND DEBATED. NO ONE SHOULD BE GIVEN A FREE PASS AS "BEYOND ALL REPROACH."

THIS INCLUDES SOME JUDGES, WHO EXPECT THEIR "DECISIONS" TO BE ACCEPTED BECAUSE THE 

TERM "HONORABLE" IS ADDED TO THEIR RESUME. SORRY, BUT IRRATIONAL AND/OR INVALID
ARGUMENTS DO NOT BECOME "GREAT WISDOM" JUST BECAUSE YOU PUT ON A BLACK ROBE. 
WE WILL LOOK AT THIS PROBLEM IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

SO NOW WE KNOW: TRUMP CONTROLS JUDGES AT THE APPEALS COURT LEVEL. THIS COMPLEMENTS HIS CORRUPTION OF THE U.S. SUPREME COURT.

(article taken from reuters.)

SARAH N. LYNCH

Jun 24th 2020 10:24 AM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday directed a federal judge to drop a criminal case against President Donald Trump's former national security adviser Michael Flynn for lying to the FBI, handing a victory to the Justice Department and effectively ending the politically charged case.

In a split decision, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in favor of Flynn and the Trump administration in preventing U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan from exercising his discretion on whether to grant the department's motion to clear Flynn, who twice pleaded guilty.

The ruling prevents Sullivan from hearing arguments at a July 16 hearing from retired judge John Gleeson, whom he appointed as a "friend of the court" to argue against dropping the case.

"In this case, the district court’s actions will result in specific harms to the exercise of the executive branch’s exclusive prosecutorial power," wrote Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by Trump.

"The contemplated proceedings would likely require the Executive to reveal the internal deliberative process behind its exercise of prosecutorial discretion," she added.

Judge Robert Wilkins, an Obama administration appointee, dissented.

Flynn, a retired Army lieutenant general, was one of several former Trump aides charged under former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation that detailed Moscow's interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

Flynn twice pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his conversations with Russia's then-ambassador, Sergey Kislyak.

He switched lawyers to pursue a new scorched-earth tactic that accused the FBI of entrapping him, and asked the judge to dismiss the charge.

(Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION. Comment or chair at the 2021 Pacific Division meeting.

Dear DAVID, The APA Pacific Division invites those who are interested in commenting at or chairing a session at its 2021 annual meeting in Portland, OR, March 31–April 3. Signing up to chair or comment is a significant route onto the program, and we endeavor to find spots for those who wish to attend the meeting. Note: Currently, all three APA divisions are planning to hold in-person meetings in 2021. At the same time, we are also considering alternative formats, such as virtual meetings, as contingencies in the case that our usual meeting format becomes impossible. Though external forces like the ongoing pandemic affect and inform our plans, your participation is the most critical input for planning any meeting. If you are considering submitting a session request, we encourage you to do so. To sign up to chair or comment at the meeting, please complete this online form. You will be asked to supply your name, affiliation, email address, and areas of interest. If you’ve volunteered in the past, please be sure to select the “renewals” option. Submitting a paper is no obstacle to signing up to chair or comment: if your paper is accepted, you are released from any chairing or commenting obligations. Please note: Paper submissions will open on August 1 and close on September 2. Please note that all program participants, including presenters, chairs, and commentators, must register for the meeting. The program for the Pacific meeting will be finalized by October 14. If your offer to chair or comment has not been adopted by the program committee by that time, we thank you and hope that you will consider signing up again in future years. Sincerely, Becko Copenhaver APA Pacific Division Secretary-Treasurer

The American Philosophical Association University of Delaware 31 Amstel Avenue, Newark, DE 19716

AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL ASSOCIATION. APA announces new committee on disability.

Dear DAVID, At its May 2020 meeting, the APA board of officers approved a proposal by the Disability Task Force, chaired by Adam Cureton, to create a permanent committee on disability. The new APA Committee on the Status of Disabled People in the Profession will begin its work on July 1, 2020. The Disability Task Force was established in May 2018 in response to a growing recognition of the challenges faced by disabled people in philosophy, as well as recommendations by the 2014 APA Task Force on Inclusion and Diversity to investigate the need for a committee on disability and to improve accessibility of APA meetings, web pages, and other functions for disabled people. The proposal to establish this new committee was based in part on a survey the Disability Task Force administered to study the obstacles people with disabilities face in philosophy; that survey will also inform the new committee’s work. The primary role of the committee will be advocacy rather than scholarship: it will focus on making the profession of philosophy fully accessible to disabled people and those who care for them. The initial members of the committee are the following: Adam Cureton, chair, three-year term (2020–2023) Eva Feder Kittay, one-year term (2020–2021) Samantha Godwin, one-year term (2020–2021) Joe Stramondo, two-year term (2020–2022) Maeve O’Donovan, two-year term (2020–2022) Teresa Blankmeyer Burke, three-year term (2020–2023) Kevin Timpe, three-year term (2020–2023) President of the Society for Philosophy and Disability, ex officio The APA board of officers is grateful to the task force for its work, and to the inaugural members of this new committee for their willingness to serve the APA and the discipline of philosophy in this way. All the best, Amy Ferrer Executive Director