The letter of the law versus the spirit of the law is an idiomatic antithesis . When one obeys the letter of the law but not the spirit, one is obeying the literal interpretation of the words (the "letter") of the law , but not necessarily the intent of those who wrote the law. Conversely, when one obeys the spirit of the law but not the letter, one is doing what the authors of the law intended, though not necessarily adhering to the literal wording. "Law" originally referred to legislative statute , but in the idiom may refer to any kind of rule. Intentionally following the letter of the law but not the spirit may be accomplished through exploiting technicalities , loopholes , and ambiguous language. Wikipedia . For clarification's sake: The Botanical Gardens is listed on the Maine corporate name search as COASTAL MAINE BOTANICAL GARDENS, INC. I attended the appeals board meeting pursuant to giving permission to the Botanical Garden's 30 milli...
Examining the Fundamental transformation of the American political system that originated in the political philosophy preserved by Publius in The Federalist Papers. This blog was originally published as Main Street Economy and focused on legislation passed in the state of Maine "inspired" by similar laws passed by other states which collectively constitutes a fundamental transformation of the American political philosophy within state incubators.