Month: June 2017

The Commerce Clause

June 29, 2017 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Congress

Before President Trump took office, I addressed the possibility of him abrogating treaties and agreements signed by President Obama. Since President Obama often eschewed the formal process outlined in the Constitution and acted on his own, the accords he signed can also be unilaterally nullified by a subsequent President without offending the Constitution. Since President […]

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Professor’s Alley

June 28, 2017 by philcline in Blog / Literary Writings / Poetry

by Phil Cline Professor’s Alley   Hurrying along the alley Between library and laboratory, My shy girl clutches to her chest Tired books of science And philosophy.

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Seating Congressmen

June 28, 2017 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Congress

As someone who held elective office for over two decades, I would counsel those who choose to run for political office against knocking some rude, obnoxious reporter on his behind.  It’s not that you don’t want to do it; it’s not that some of them don’t deserve it; its not that that it wouldn’t garner […]

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Commerce Clause Part II, “The Switch in Time That Saved Nine”

June 21, 2017 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Congress / Presidency

Considering the arrogance and vitriol of rulings by the Federal Courts on President’s Trumps Travel Ban, one wonders if a major confrontation between the Executive Branch and the Federal Judiciary is brewing. We have had such a confrontation before. In 1935, Franklin Roosevelt had just been re-elected President by a landslide. His party dominated both […]

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The Slants

June 14, 2017 by philcline in Blog / Cline on the Constitution / Free Speech

Simon Tam named his band “The Slants.” The name was intended to be a slur against people of Asian decent. Simon, himself a person of Asian descent, felt that by taking ownership of the derogatory term, he could drain it of its “denigrating force.” When he applied for a trademark for the name, the Federal […]

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