These are just a few of my favorite movie and tv scenes on the subject of laws, government, and history.  Enjoy!

With Honors: Joe Pesci vs. Gore Vidal

I have always loved this scene, but in the light of the recent death of Justice Scalia I think of it more and more.  As people eulogize the late Justice, who argued for a strict constructionist interpretation of the Constitution-interpreting as the Founders intended rather than applying modern constructs to it-I find this to be the greatest argument against Scalia’s position.  “They were great men, who knew the one thing all great men should know….They didn’t know everything.”  By creating the ability to establish amendments to the original document the Founders realized and accepted that they would not get it exactly right the first time.  And they left us a way to fix their mistakes.  After all, they were only human.  The original Constitution only allows white landowning men to vote and considers a slave three-fifths of a person.  Almost no one today would argue either should still be the case.

The American President: Michael Douglas

So many things to like about this speech.  But among my favorite parts are the line about defending someone’s, whose ideas you disagree with, right to speak.  I may not agree with many people but they have every right to speak their mind.  He also speaks on how so many politicians get people to vote for them.  The politics of fear.  Telling them other people are to blame and scapegoating.  We’ve seen this over and over in the 2016 election.  Mexicans, Muslims, the opposing candidates.  As voters we need to be smarter than to fall for such rhetoric and understand the issues that really effect our lives.  Not vote out of fear of a boogie man.

The West Wing: Martin Sheen

Warning:  Be careful quoting religious writings when arguing your political positions.  Almost every religious text can be used by anyone to argue any part of the political spectrum.  The Bible can be used to defend slavery, bigotry against homosexuality or interracial marriage, promote communism, genocide, taking care of the poor, sacrificing for others, so forth and so on.

Newsroom: Jeff Daniels

The Newsroom -America is not the greatest country in the world anymore- 2012 TV series from Nightwork on Vimeo.

Jeff Daniels plays a Republican in this show, but what he speaks to here is something with which even I as a liberal can agree.  We did things together as a people once instead of being divided by bitter partisanism.  We did not just engage in obstructionism, and demonize the other side.  But I also love that he ends his diatribe on a note of optimism.  We have achieved so much in the past when we came together for a common goal.  And we can again.  Unfortunately, it often takes a national tragedy for this to happen.  We need to be able to come together even when there isn’t a crisis.

Judgment At Nuremburg: Burt Lancaster

A classic and powerful dissertation of the rise of Adolf Hitler and the culpability of the German people and indeed the World that allowed him to come to power.  What I find most powerful is his own mea culpa.  Those that knew what Hitler was saying and doing was wrong dismissed it as a passing phase of the country.  When people know better and do nothing, they create the opportunity for true evil  to take over.  Not only is this clip a reflection on the past but also a call to action for future generations.