Joseph M. Lynch – författare

Environmental science and engineering is a truly interdisciplinary field. From its origins in public health practice, concern for the well-being of our environment has embraced areas as diverse as chemistry, the earth sciences, biology, engineering and law. The specialist language of any discipline can be a barrier to co-operation and understanding in solving environmental problems. The Dictionary of Environmental Science and Engineering explains many important specialist environmental terms in a clear and concise way. It also provides an extensive guide to the many acronyms encountered in environmental science. The Dictionary of Environmental Science and Engineering will be a valuable reference tool for anyone working, whether directly or indirectly, with the environment. The dictionary describes many of the acts, organisations and requirements related to the legislation of the environment, giving particular emphasis to those of the United States of America. Thus, it will be particularly useful to those seeking a greater understanding of the US perspective on the environmental question.

No concept sparks more controversy in constitutional debate than "original intent." Offering a legal historian's approach to the subject, this book demonstrates that the framers deliberately obscured one of their more important decisions. Joseph M. Lynch argues that the Constitution was a product of political struggles involving regional interests, economic concerns, and ideology. The framers, he maintains, settled on enigmatic wording of the Necessary and Proper Clause and of the General Welfare provision in the Spending Clause as a compromise, leaving the extent of federal power to be determined by the political process. During ratification, however, attempts by dissident framers to undo the compromise were repelled in The Federalist: charges of overly broad congressional powers were met with protestations that in fact these powers were limited. Lynch describes how early lawmakers applied the Constitution to such issues as executive power and privilege, the deportation of aliens, and the prohibition of seditious speech. He follows the disputes over the interpretation of this document—focusing on James Madison's changing views—as the new government took shape and political parties were formed. Lynch points out that the first six Congresses and President George Washington disregarded the framers' intentions when they were deemed impractical to follow. In contrast, he warns that the version of original intent put forth in recent Supreme Court opinions regarding congressional power could hinder Congress in serving the nation.