how will it be reset? but the answer to your question in my opinion is that the primary process has moved the republican nominee so far to the right he's going to have to make a sharp u-turn, a persuasive one besides a sharp one. >> you can watch this and other programs online at booktv.org. up next, constitutional law teacher tad armstrong talks about his book, "it's okay to say god." the author's presentation was part of the eagle forum leadership summit held here in washington. this is just under 20 minutes. >> i grew up in edwardsville, illinois, and continue to reside there with my wife. our four kids are raised now with grandkids and, hopefully, some more on the way. that's a stone's throw from where phyllis and her husband raised their family inialton,

illinois, and she now resides, as i understand it, in missouri so just a stone's throw across the river. i've known of phyllis, but we did not get to know each other until a few months ago when my o book came out, and she so graciously asked we to speak, ts be one of her guests on her radio program, and here i amrogr today. what a privilege it is to speak to you.rivi and i would add that the col collective respect thate yesterday's speakers have for f this lady speaks volumes of her work and her legacy. y. by the way, no some of your from north texas state are some university in texas. how many of your native texas? i am a native texan as well. enders, texas, way out west near odessa and midland. try as we might, you natives, the rest of them just don't get

it, do they? it's impossible to explain. all right. i'm going to put it to work just a little bit. we will have a little fun uneducated the same time. lets plagal word association game. work with me on this. you say eagle forum. >> eagle forum. >> i'm going to say washington d.c. you say washington d.c. >> washington d.c. >> i'll say america. [inaudible] what would you say? what one word would you say best defines america? >> freedom. >> is it that easy? so easy. but what is freedom? all my life i wondered this question. if you go to the dictionary you will find what is not. you will find it is not being enslaved. it is not being restrained.

it is not, it is not, it is not at least 17 different definitions of what is not. what is it? all of you know the last two sentences of the star spangled banner, the second to the last would be of say does that star spangled banner yet wave of the land of the free of the home of the brave. was the last sentence? played well, of course. the land of the free, what is the land of the free? as a kid growing up i always wondered what that meant. we know it cannot mean doing anything you want any time you want. that would certainly be a state of anarchy. that's not the kind of american freedom we're talking about a conservative would likely best define freedom as an opportunity

to work hard with an independent -- and independents about you that gains a success in this live not defined necessarily by financial gain. i say that's a distant second to my definition of success. my pastor at the first baptist church in maryland, illinois defines success as touching a day will never see. d'agata emotional about this, you might tell. the rules define freedom as -- and i guess you could if he had to, if he were forced to in a debate, the fine freedom as entitlements that relieves the pressure, of our living for the

most part. you see, i think 49 million people on food stamps is a definition of fair. it in slaves people rather than freeze them. in the book of john, and jesus christ said this, you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free. let me introduce you to a few folks. if i may have the next slide. is that now working to mac attack. i've got a backup. daniel webster said this about our constitution. hold on to my friends got to the constitution, and to the republic for which it stands. miracles do not cluster. what has happened once in 6,000 years may not happen again.

hold on to the constitution, for if the american constitution should fail there will be anarchy terrible. we have made statues of this man and two other men on going to talk to you about animal for reason. the second gentleman wants to introduce to you is probably our most famous naturalized citizen, albert einstein. listen to what he said about our constitution. the strength of the constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense of the constitutional rights secure. now, you have to meditate on these words only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share. i submit to you that most of us

have not learned our share of freedom. most of us have not been on the battlefield. over 1 million of our ancestors died, beginning with the revolution and since then to preserve our freedoms. that's why i call our constitution are it, learned, or lose it. arnett, studying it and learning it will lose some. so what is freedom? i don't know how you define it. i can tell you that it has a lot to do with knowledge. thomas jefferson says freedom and ignorance cannot long survive together. just think about the impact of what that means. that means, if we do not maintain our knowledge of our government and constitution we will have tierney and our doors to. to enjoy freedom we must maintain our knowledge.

justice said khalil would suggest to you that the main portion of the constitution, these first seven articles, destruction -- the structure, if you will, the government, the genius behind the framers that makes our government sometimes an official, but checks and balances power along the way. and don't let anybody ever tell you these men adjust to old for us today, we should not pay any attention to them. people that tell you that are either being disingenuous or they have never read the federalist papers, which i commend to you monday. you cannot study these papers and not conclude that this was a brief moment history that we may never see again. i was frustrated that a years ago and challenge to teach our local community and eventually the nation. pretty big challenge of the time

our constitution, well before the tea party started. and began the process was practicing law. a run of 3,000 page treatise on the constitution and what people read supreme court opinions. we started. it took four years to get through the constitution on a monthly basis. people back on have read more than 300 cases. clubs are all over the metro east area in existence. the second one started in my hometown. i got frustrated about most important freedom, which would be the freedom of religion. now, if you all have your constitution's -- by the way, i went down to the cato institute yesterday were again on my constitutions from my clubs are chemistry and bought enough for you to have today.

if you already have one, and you probably do, please give it to someone else who is present. when i mentioned phyllis is name and told them what i needed to give me a gigantic discount. [laughter] pull them out, if you would come and take a look at page 43. congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press are the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for redress of grievances. the first 16 words, i contend, the most important, after structure, the most important 16 words funnel of the constitution but of our reason for

being . our ancestors fled england to gain religious freedom. it is our foundation, our bedrock that we must preserve. no, i know this was alluded to yesterday, but if you look at it you will see that the freedoms are not granted in the first amendment. they were given to us by our creator. you will see that in the second paragraph on page nine. americans need to understand this. i contend that my book which was written out of frustration -- i pay attention to people and observe all the time. i can tell you that the left that would like to see god taken out of our culture and government and society cannot understand the first amendment's i have to tell you, as local and

that it is the conservative right. i had to write this book. hopefully it got back into our culture appropriately and constitutionally. i contend this is the 24th most important find the bible, the constitution, and phyllis schlafly 20 books. [applause] twenty? twenty-three. i'm sorry. [laughter] but it is important, and i don't say that mr. in point of arrogance. if you memorize the first 16 words of the first amendment all that will gain new is, perhaps a couple of points and a trivia contest it does not say a thing to you about what it means. the constitution does not define religion, establishment,

respecting, free exercise, and all of you probably know it does not have the phrase wall of separation. the conservative right, i have to say, needs to understand something. it is panda on thomas jefferson. article six speaks to the degree of separation was says there should be no test of the whole the federal office. there was a concept of separation and there should be so that we don't have government and our pulpits. we don't want that. i don't call it a lot. we have to use a metaphor. i call it a short sense of separation kind of like italian neighborhoods where you can speak over the short fans. you can be friendly. that's a much better description of what we're talking about.

just because the constitution does not have the phrase wall of separation, not it is a private human sacrifice. so come on. i wrote the book because unfortunately had think our american spirit is still alive. we can turn this nation around, but unfortunately we have become a very of our constitution. it does not come to you in the bloodstream. it has to be taught. that's what i'm attempting to do. a few short examples indelicate to some questions. i'm told all the time how is it a shame the president to have that pledge of allegiance has been taken of public-school. the implication that it's been taken up by a supreme court of the interstates. that is a false statement. it's false. the ninth circuit removed the underdog frays and therefore

from the year 2000 forward that was reversed on a technicality. it did not address the issue. since then it has been raised in eight different circuit courts of appeal, and the atheists challenge to pledge of allegiance has failed overtime. >> chair we take some questions. >> okay. >> anyone with any questions? [inaudible question] >> so part of what i'm trying to say to americans and to christians is stop wallowing in victimization. that is a victory we should be celebrating data rather than continuing this false rumor. i'll take any questions you have, but what caused me to actually begin to right to die

by the lake, covers all the topics. the tenth amendment, prayer in school. supreme court cases, commentary, and some just if christian responses. what caused me derided is an e-mail story that goes around the may have seen. an elderly couple visited the world war ii memorial. but then noticed was so helpless, was not engraved. the elderly gentleman says, isn't that a shame. are not supposed to say things with daughter anymore. who started that rumor? if i was going to attempt to take got out of our society have a star such a rumor because it has been passed around the nation hundred to thousand times. it is false. it is false. what happens is a lie told often enough becomes the truth. you will see that on occasion a

story about a school district. but the teacher cannot refer to the declaration of independence. it is okay to say it died. >> any other questions? >> thank you for coming to speak. my name is chris from the king's college. i was wondering. in all of our first amendment rights there comes a point when we see that the collective good of the country requires some limitation on that. i was just wondering, is there something that makes the freedom of religion unique in that we would not want to limit it at all even if it does seem to come into some conflict? >> not wanting to limit it at all is unfortunately a stretch. like a said, i don't think that we would want to permit even those that have a sincere belief in human sacrifice to proceed

with that act. there are limits to all of our freedoms. the supreme court is there to define what those are, but this one in particular we should have the most freedom and all possible. it is what this country is made of. it is the one thing that defines the station. before -- and know what time is up. of just ask you one question. who was the first chief justice of the united states supreme court? >> marshall. >> a lot of people say marshall. [laughter] >> i guess i'm finished. i could talk to you for ten hours, and i so appreciate the opportunity. preformation if you will when yo >> is there a nonfiction author or book you'd like to see featured on booktv? send us an e-mail at

booktv@cspan.org or tweet us at twitter.com/booktv. >> i wanted to read what i thought was one of the more moving passages, um, as you describe, actually, what's happening before the camera is rolling. >> uh-huh. >> so this is what you describe. you said, but that was not their intent, and that was made brutally clear to me when one of the officers suddenly kicked me with his boot in the side of my face, smashing my jaw. it felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to my head. before i could even register that unbearable pain, one of the other officers slammed me in the lower leg with his baton. i heard a crack and was so damn surprised when that happened that i immediately pleaded with melanie who was one of the arresting officers but who at that point had become your guardian angel, at least in your

mind, someone who was different from the rest. i know this is going to sound kind of strange, but up until that point, i had felt safe with her there at the scene, sort of a maternal presence that would not allow things to get too out of control. i shouted out to her, they don't have to do this, tell them, they don't have to do this. >> yeah. um, real brief going through that story, you know, when i was initially pulled over, i knew i shouldn't have been drinking and driving, you know, but i had a job to go to that monday. a union job had called me, and that's paying way more money than what i was making from being an usher at dodger stadium and remodeling hot dog and pizza stands and all. and they called me thursday and told me to be ready to work monday. so when i heard that, i went and got a few beers and went over to my buddy's house. i didn't let them know i was going to work, because i didn't know how they were going to feel

about that. [laughter] it was all good. i went out with them, and we were on our way to the dam where my dad used to take us fishing because i didn't want to be stuck in the same little community where we were at, where we grew up at. there was a couple of us. so we started out over there, and then the highway patrol got on me, started chasing me on the 210. so i saw -- only thing i could think about was that job, i gotta make it to get this job monday. i'm supposed to start work monday, and here i've got the cops behind me, i know i've been drinking, and i'm on parole. i've got to get away. excuse me. >> that's a lot to worry about. [laughter] >> yeah. i had worked myself -- you know, when you come out of prison and you really try to do the right thing and then you, all of a sudden you know you're about to -- everything, your whole world's about to stop, because you're on parole, and you're going back to jail. that's the only thing i could think of. anyway, i'd lost the highway patrol car, and what happened

was the helicopter was up there. and wasn't no getting away from the helicopter. [laughter] my goodness. so -- >> but you did think for a minute you might outrun. weren't you in a hyundai? >> yeah. hyundai excel. [laughter] it was an upgrade. >> the joke here is that, and mr. king doesn't know this, but i was pushing a hyundai at the time. [laughter] it was an excel gl, you know? had the little coupe hatchback. and, in fact, i used to drive from philadelphia to chicago, from college home, and in the allegheny mountains i could floor it, and it wouldn't get past 55. [laughter] and it wouldn't get past 55. >> yeah. >> so you were thinking you were in a hot rod, but you were really this a hyundai. >> exactly. [laughter] anyways, to my surprise, today caught up with me. [laughter]

and when they caught up with me, i could see 'em pull up on the side of me and said -- it looked like -- [laughter] pull over x my heart just started going -- so i had to think. i had to think twice. i said, okay, i already know a beating's coming after this chase because that's just how it goes. unfortunately, that's how it's been over the years. so i was looking for a pretty lit-up area to stop, and where i chose to stop, there was apartment buildings over there. but there was nobody out, and i said to myself, well, if i get out here and it goes bad, at least somebody will, maybe somebody will come outside or something. and sure enough, it went bad. she ordered me out of the car. i got out -- >> melanie. >> yeah, melanie and tim singer, they were a husband and wife team. the highway patrol, the initial ones on the chase. and so, so they -- she came over to me. they had already ordered me out of the car, you know, take your

right hand, put it outside the car, take your left hand -- right hand, open the car up and lay down. so i laid down face down. so she came over to me, and she got my wallet out of my back pocket so she could get my id. so as she's doing that, i'm looking at them, they're running to to the trunk and popping the trunk, and one is trying to get his taser out, his baton out of the car. he's running towards me. as she's walking away i'm like, hey, tell 'em that they don't have to do this. tell them they don't have to do this because i already know what's fixing to happen. so when she walked away from me, her husband walked up to me and just, like, boom! kicked me in the temple, in the temple area and broke my jaw. and then he asked me, how do you feel? and, you know, i'm -- my feelings and my whole heart, my morale and everything was broke at that point. only thing i could do was not let this guy know he got the

best of me, which he did. i couldn't even talk, i spit it, i feel fine. broke jaw. so i laid down there. i guess the sergeant heard that, sergeant coon. so he comes up, and he tased me right away. and i'm being tased, i'm just -- he's lighting me up. i can feel the blood coming out of my mouth and face, and then he asks me, how you feel now? and i couldn't say nothing. and he say we're going to kill you, nigger, run, so when he said that, i'm going to run. i hesitated for a second. i stayed on the ground and, you know, was just looking for a clearance at that point. i'm still on the ground. and i'm looking for a clearance. and when i see the clearance -- excuse me, when i see the clearance, it was between the hyundai and the police officer right here. so what i do is i get up to go run, to run, but this leg -- when this leg went in front of me, i didn't know it was broke, so the leg just fell down.

so when i fall down, it looks like -- they was able to make it look like i was going after him, but i was trying to get my hands in front of me. >> and the video still wasn't running by that time. >> oh, that's when the video had been running maybe about 15, 20 seconds -- >> it caught that. >> so it caught that. >> okay. >> what it didn't catch is, you know, them name calling and the tasers being, you know, the juice running, 50,000 volts going through my body. now, he did that like three shots and discharged all three shots. but while he's tasing me, these guys are beating me with a baton, and he's telling me to stay still. there's no way you can stay still with those kind of volts running through my body. i'm soaked in blood, and electricity's hitting me at the same time, so i'm like, whoa.

i'm feeling like when i almost burnt up the house when i was kid, threw matches in the trash can, it caught fire. two minutes later, the kitchen was on fire. he told me go in there, take a bath and don't dry off. he had an extension cord waiting. getting whupped with a thick extension cord and shocked, it's the same feeling of -- it's a horrible feeling. and so when i, when i felt that, it was like 20 times worse than the extension cord, you know, whupping. anyway, the guy was running the taser until it ran out, but he's saying stay still. so when he stops the taser, of course i'm just regrouping myself, trying to see if i'm till there. i'm trying to stay still, but, shit -- excuse me.

>> it's okay. [laughter] >> so he starts beating me some more because i moved. oh, he's moving, he's moving. i could hear him calling me the names. , i mean, once you start cursing and you're beating somebody, you really get into it. so they're calling me names, and they're really into it. so at this point i'm like, oh, man. >> so you had a moment that you describe in the book where, um, and i want the audience to hear you describe it where you sort of insert yourself in the long history of black people experiences in the united states, and you make specific references to slave beatings. >> yeah. i'm going to tell you what really gave me a lot of strength also that night was knowing that, uni, blacks -- you know, blacks before me went through this in slavery. and up to this day, you know? i said to myself, kept saying it was just moments, you know,

moments to think. and it's like, dang, this is what, you know, people really went through back in the days, you know? and still going through if they don't catch 'em, when they don't get caught. but i said i gotta survive this. my brothers and my sisters can survive true the same thing, so you just gotta stay alive, buddy, stay alive. i mean, you don't even have time to think of that, but you already know because you're being beat by people who are not of your color. so my whole instinct is i cannot die out here. i cannot let these guys kill me. >> you can watch this and other programs online at booktv.org. what are you reading this summer? booktv wants to know. >> i'm reading a book called "values to action" by kramer, he's a professor at kellogg school of business, the mba program up there. wonderful book, recommend it highly. i just finished reading a book