"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the proper constitutional role and powers of the president. During the recent presidential debate, both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump talked extensively about what they plan to "do" if elected president. As I watched, it occurred to me that..
Read moreThe Evolution of Sovereignty in American Political Thought – Part 1
This is part 1 of a 2-part series examining the evolution of American political thought as it relates to sovereignty in the political system. When Americans talk about the Revolution, they generally mean the fight with the British. But there was a more fundamental revolution that began long before the first shot was fired and..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #62: States’ Rights
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" We hear the term states' rights thrown around a lot, but most people don't really know what it means. In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the concept of states' rights and its importance in the American constitutional system. What do we mean when we use..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #59: States Undermining Hemp Prohibition
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about how states are effectively nullifying federal prohibition of industrial hemp by simply ignoring federal law, and legalizing cultivation and processing of the plant anyway. The federal ban on the cultivation of industrial hemp is as ridiculous as it is..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #58: The Anti-Commandeering Doctrine
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I explain a legal principle known as the anti-commandeering doctrine that puts a Supreme Court stamp of approval on James Madison's blueprint to stop federal overreach through state non-cooperation. Last week, I talked about James Madison's blueprint to stop federal overreach, involving..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #57: Madison’s Blueprint to Stop the Feds
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I explain James Madison's Blueprint for stopping overreaching federal power. What do we do when the federal government exceeds its authority? This was a question people asked even before the Constitution was ratified. It was a hotly debated topic. If the federal..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #56: The Great “One Nation” Debate
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" In this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I explain that the United States aren't "one nation," that the Pledge of Allegiance is not an authoritative statement of American founding principles and why it matters. I created a firestorm when I published an article taking Hillary Clinton to task for..
Read moreHillary’s “One Nation” B.S. – America Is Not One Nation and Never Was
Politicians at the federal level always try to sell the United States as a singular nation. Hillary Clinton peddled this myth during her speech at the Democratic National Convention. When representatives from 13 unruly colonies met just down the road from here, some wanted to stick with the king. Some wanted to stick it to..
Read moreThoughts from Maharrey Head #54: What Is Necessary and Proper?
"10 Minutes Closer to Freedom" I this episode of Thoughts from Maharrey Head, I talk about the Constitution's necessary and proper clause. Hint: it doesn't mean anything and everything. Politicians and legal academics often call the necessary and proper clause the "elastic clause" because it supposedly expands the powers of the federal government. In fact,..
Read moreConstitution 101: The Ninth Amendment
Generally, Americans treat the Ninth Amendment like the Bill of Rights’ unwanted stepchild. They mostly ignore it, and when they do talk about it, they often misunderstand it. In reality, the Ninth Amendment serves a very simply but crucial purpose. It expands the limits on the federal government – at least in a manner of..
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