The entry begins:Fox Movietone News! August 8, 1974. President Richard Nixon speaks from the White House: “My fellow Americans, I am a crook. Consequently, I shall resign my office...”Learn more about the book and author at Samuel Walker's website.
How do you make a movie out of a 510 page book that covers 17 American presidents and a broad range of civil liberties controversies? Do it as one the old newsreels that used to precede the feature film along with the prevues and the cartoon. So Presidents and Civil Liberties: The Movie will appear as highlights from Fox Movietone News.
The script is based on a talk I gave on “The Great Speeches Presidents Never Gave – But Should Have.” Over the last century, several presidents have perpetrated terrible violations of individual rights. Franklin D. Roosevelt put Americans in concentration camps– the only president ever to do so. Woodrow Wilson suppressed all dissent during World War I. And the list goes on. The point of the presentation, and now the movie, is that they could have chosen a different course of action. They could have chosen to respect the Bill of Rights. The movie presents the speeches they could and should have given.
President Nixon famously did say “I am not a crook,” and he never admitted any personal guilt for the Watergate break-in and cover up that drove him from office. He could have admitted his responsibility and left office with at least some shred of honor, but...[read on]
Writers Read: Samuel Walker.
My Book, The Movie: Presidents and Civil Liberties From Wilson to Obama.
--Marshal Zeringue
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