AFF Calendar

Milton Friedman's Birthday

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:00:22 -0500

On July 31st America's Future Foundation,The Heritage Foundation, and the Competitive Enterprise Institute cordially invite you to a Celebration of the Friedman Legacy for Freedom, marking the 96th Anniversary of Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman’s birth by celebrating his life and work with a reception and screening of the film, The Ultimate Resource.

The event will begin at 6pm in the Heritage Foundation's Allison Auditorium (214 Massachusetts Ave. NE) Representative Paul Ryan will introduce the film, The Ultimate Resource. A reception will follow the screening.

please RSVP for this event here. or call (202) 675-1752.

Doublethink Summer Launch Party

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 09:33:41 -0500

On Thursday, August 7th, AFF will host a launch party for the new issue of Doublethink. We'll celebrate the release of the summer issue of the magazine along with our the editors and writers. All AFF members and friends are invited.

The event will take place from 6-8:30pm at the Science Club, (1136 19th St. NW) First 20 guests get a free issue of Doublethink!

Presidential Decision 2008: Who Deserves the Libertarian & Conservative Vote?

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:04:48 -0500

Coming out of the party conventions, who should libertarians and conservatives support--McCain, Barr, Obama, or none of the above? Has the Palin pick swayed reluctant libertarians and conservatives to support McCain? Can Barr capture the excitement of the Ron Paul campaign? Is there a libertarian or conservative case for Obama? On Wednesday, September 17, join AFF to find out who deserves the libertarian and conservative vote!

Panelists include Matt Welch, editor of Reason and author of McCain: The Myth of a Maverick; Dave Freddoso, political reporter for National Review and author of New York Times bestseller, The Case Against Barack Obama; and, Megan McArdle, blogger for The Atlantic and Sonny Bunch, Doublethink Online blogger and reporter for the Washington Times. (Copies of David and Matt's books will be available for sale.)

We will be returning to the The Fund for American Studies (1706 New Hampshire Avenue NW) this month. Drinks at 6:30; the panel will begin at 7pm. Roundtables are free for AFF members and $5 for non-members, join here . Please RSVP to cindy@americasfuture.org.

CrabFest 2008

Sat, 20 Sep 2008 21:17:32 -0500

Mark your calendars for Crabfest, AFF's annual outdoor jamboree, on Saturday, September 20th. We'll have music, refreshments, and all the crabs, hot dogs and burgers you can handle. Crabfest takes place at the historic Collingwood Mansion in Alexandria, Virginia. The beautiful grounds overlook the water, with plenty of lawn for frisbee or other games. Come spend the afternoon with over a hundred of your fellow conservative and libertarian leaders.

The event will take place from 2 to 6 p.m. Tickets are only $25 for members, $40 for non-members. Join or renew for a $55 special membership rate that includes a Crabfest ticket! Reserve a whole table of 8 for your office or organization for only $300. Kids get in free.

Collingwood Mansion is at 8301 E Boulevard Dr, Alexandria, VA 22308. Directions: take George Washington Parkway South. Continue straight on N. Washington Street through Old Town Alexandria. Continue straight and pick up GW Parkway again. Take a left on E. Boulevard Dr. Approx 25 minute drive. Click here for a map.

Buy tickets

To purchase your ticket, just fill out the form below. You will be taken to the PayPal site where you can use your credit card to pay for your ticket. Please fill out the form and make a payment for each ticket you purchase. This is necessary for our keep our RSVP records. Thanks!

AFF on the Road: Southern Tour

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 16:34:23 -0500

AFF on the Road will continue our trek across the country with stops in Nashville, TN and Atlanta, GA!

In 1968, Kevin Phillips, author of Emerging Republican Majority and Richard Nixon's political strategist, predicted a conservative realignment in national politics, based on the politics of the South. Throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, the South has been a key base of support for Republicans. But with conservatives and libertarians' frustration with the big-government GOP policies, with McCain and Palin both from the West, and with Obama competing in North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia, is the South up for grabs in 2008? Come join our panelists as we discuss the fate of the GOP and conservative and libertarian ideas in the South."

The tour schedule:
Nashville, TN on Tuesday, September 23rd
Boundry Restaurant
911 20th Ave S
Nashville, TN 37212

Atlanta on Wednesday, September 24th
Shout!
1197 Peachtree St NE
Atlanta, GA 30361

Joining us for the Southern Tour are Drew Johnson, President of the Tennesee Center for Policy Research; Peter Suderman an editor of Culture 11, Benita Dodd Vice President of the George Public Policy Foundation; Representative Susan Lynne (District 57 of Tennessee); and Tim Carney of the Evans-Novak Political Report and Washington Examiner, and the author of The Big Ripoff: How Big Business and Big Government Steal Your Money.

Both events will start at 6:00 pm for a reception (drinks and hors d'ouevres) and then the panel will begin at 7:00 pm. Please tell all of your friends in Nasheville in Atlanta about the event and RSVP to kathleen@americasfuture.org.

September Happy Hour

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:26:53 -0500

On September 24th join us for our monthly happy hour joining us this month is Russ Roberts author of the new book, The Price of Everything. Russ will offer thoughts on his book, and they will be available for purchase at the event.

The happy hour will be from 6-8:30pm Wednesday, September 24th at Vapiano (1800 M St. NW) As always there are beer and wine specials, and I hear rumors of martini specials for ladies from 7-10pm.

Justice Antonin Scalia

Wed, 08 Oct 2008 01:01:01 -0500

On October 8th, America's Future Foundation will host another in our Leadership Dinner Series, our special guest this evening will be Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, author of the recent, DC vs. Heller decision, and author of the book, Making Your Case: The Author of Persuading Judges. Justice Scalia will offer insights from his book as well as valuable advice for young professionals. Books will be availabe for purchase and Justice Scalia will host a signing after the dinner.

This event will take place on October 8th, reception begins at 6:30pm at The Arts Club of Washington (2017 I St. NW) The Leadership Dinner Seriesis reserved for Partner level and above members so upgrade today!

Pop Culture: Conservatives vs. Libertarians

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:26:20 -0500

Sex and the City degrades women, Brokeback Mountain is an abomination before God, and lets not even get started on the moral implications of Showgirls. Thinking these things are filth is one thing, but imposing legislation on them is another—and this, in a nutshell, is the traditional difference between conservatives and libertarians.

Beyond the quibbles with government regulation, though, what is the actual merit in portraying things like the modern hook-up culture, porn, homosexuality,or teen pregnancy on screen and in other artistic venues? And, if we embrace the juicy bits of modern pop culture as mere creative expression, will the backwater of society infiltrate our homes, poison the minds of our children, and destroy the world,one soft-porn Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist scene at a time?

We’ll leave these questions and others to our hardy panelists, Kelly Jane Torrence, film ciritic and Art's entertainment writer for the Washington Times, Phil Terzian, literary editor for the Weekly Standard and James Bowman, film critic for the New York Sun and the American Spectator and Ross Douthat, senior editor at The Atlantic. Jillian Bandes will moderate.

This Roundtable will take place October 14th at The Fund for American Studies (1706 New Hampshire Avenue NW). Drinks at 6:30; panel begins at 7pm.

Roundtables are free for AFF members and $5 for non-members. Please RSVP to cindy@americasfuture.org.

AFF Nashville: Presidental Debate Viewing & Happy Hour

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:16:49 -0500

On Wednesday, October 15th AFF will celebrate the launch of our Nashville Chapter with a happy hour to watch the Hofstra Presidental Debate. There will be a private viewing room for the group and plenty of great beer choices! We will begin with happy hour at 7:00 pm at the Flying Saucer located at 1010 Demonbreun Street in Nashville, TN.

After the debate, there will be a roundtable to discuss the debate! Please RSVP to Chip Henslee at chip@americasfuture.org.

Halloween Happy Hour

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:12:13 -0500

This month, AFF will host its annual Halloween happy hour on Thursday, October 30th. Make sure to wear your most ghoulishly garish costume and head on over to The Big Hunt in Dupont Circle, starting at 6:00. Check out pictures from our past Halloween Happy Hours here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/aff/sets/72157602846744011/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aff/sets/72157594353326051/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aff/sets/165407/

Doublethink Launch Party

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:33:19 -0500

On Monday November 10th AFF will host a launch party for the new issue of Doublethink. We’ll celebrate the release of the fall issue of the magazine along with the editors and writers. All AFF members and friends are invited. First 20 guests get a free issue of Doublethink!

This event will take place at 6:00pm at Local 16 (1602 U St. NW)We’ll be at the main bar. As always, there is no cover and there are beer, wine, and rail drink specials.

AFF Chicago One Year Anniversary Christmas Celebration!

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 22:53:46 -0500

The time and location of this event is yet to be determined. However, make sure that you check back here, or keep an eye out on our Facebook group page for that important information!

We plan on having a great time celebrating AFF Chicago's one year anniversary, and using the event to introduce more people to AFF.

Now What? An Election Postmortem

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:02:04 -0500

With president-elect Barack Obama stepping into the White House, with expanded Democratic majorities in Congress, with public sentiment moving against free markets in the midst of the economic crisis, and with Virgina voters supporting a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1964--now what? What does this mean for freedom and the free market principles that conservatives and libertarians fight for? Will this be the opportunity for the Republican Party to rebuild and come back to their roots of a smaller government? What lessons can be learned from this election and how do conservatives and libertarians move forward?

This panel will be held Thursday, November 13, 2008 at the Boulevard Woodgrill in Clarendon (1 block from Clarendon Metro) that is located at 2901 Wilson, Arlington VA, 22201. We will be downstairs in the Fillmore Room. A reception will begin at 6:00 pm followed by the Roundtable at 7:00 pm. Please RSVP to Kathleen O'Hearn at kathleen@americasfuture.org.

Joining us for this panel is Reihan Salam, author of "Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream" and associate editor for The Atlantic and Tim Carney, editor of the Evans-Novak Political Report and author of "The Big Ripoff". Also joining us is Anthony Bedell, Chairman of the Budget Committee for the Republican Party of Virginia and Virginia State Senator and Virginia Attorney General Candidate Ken Cuccinelli. David Kirby, Executive Director of the America's Future Foundation, will moderate this discussion.

Lessons Learned: Iraq and Afghanistan

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:11:42 -0500

The new administration will make the first war-time transition since 1974--with not one, but two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. What are the key lessons learned from those inside the Bush administration? What are the strategic imperatives for the next administration about the use of US power in the world? And, what must be done in the new administration's first 100 days?

Join our panelists, Kristofer Harrison (The U.S. State Department, and formerly the office of the Secretary of Defense, Jeff Berkowitz (formerly the White House and the U.S. State Department), James Poulos (Culture11.com) and David Donadio (Doublethink Online, Carnegie Endowment) to find out. Damir Marusic (Doublethink Online, The American Interest) moderates.

This Roundtable will take place November 19th at The Fund for American Studies (1706 New Hampshire Avenue NW). Drinks at 6:30, panel begins at 7pm. Roundtables are free for AFF members and $5 for non-members, join here. Please RSVP to cindy@americasfuture.org.

2009 College Blogger Contest

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:02:06 -0500

Doublethink Online is pleased to announce the second annual America’s Future Foundation College Blogger Contest. The purpose of the contest is to encourage original liberty-minded blogger journalism on college campuses and to identify young conservative and libertarian talent who wish to pursue careers as journalists and writers.

The contest is open to all graduate and undergraduate bloggers age 25 and younger. Ten finalists will be chosen at the end of the year, and the winning blog will be awarded a cash prize of $10,000 and be invited to be a panelist at an AFF Roundtable on higher education in Washington, D.C. Awards will be announced on April 7, 2009. Second place takes home $3,000, and third place takes homes $1,000. Our judges will also provide feedback to all of the finalists in order to improve their work.

The Judges

Jonah Goldberg of the Corner

Jonathan Adler of The Volokh Conspiracy

Radley Balko of The Agitator

Robert Bluey of RobertBluey.com

Megan McArdle of Asymmetrical Information at TheAtlantic.com

Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit

Jennifer Rubin of Commentary’s Contentions

Getting Started

Don’t have a blog yet? Don’t worry; you can still participate. Thanks to companies like Blogger.com, blogspot.com, and tumblr.com, starting your own blog can take less than five minutes. The blogosphere is a voracious beast, always looking for more voices, more posts, more topics: add your own! If you can use Microsoft Word you can use any of these interfaces.

The key to creating and maintaining popularity (and, therefore, traffic) for your new website is developing a voice. Anyone can write about the presidential election, but the most popular commentators on the web are the ones you rely on day in and day out to keep you entertained and informed. It can be a frustrating process: traffic isn’t going to come overnight. But it is also rewarding to figure out what works, what doesn’t work, and what boosts the number of people coming to your website.

Most important, however, is adding value to the discussion. Blog about what you know. Blog about events on your campus, developments in your department, and other events that your fellow students will find interesting. There are already millions of people blogging about the Iraq War: odds are there’s nobody blogging about your college’s president and his expense account. Dig around and find out what’s going on behind the scenes at your school. Who knows better than the people on campus?

If you’re still unsure of how to get started, feel free to email the contest manager, Sonny Bunch. He recently started a blog for AFF, which has evolved into the group blog Conventional Folly. Starting at the same point you all will be—with zero visitors and no history of blogging—his traffic climbed to almost 15,000 pageviews a day in less than three months. Sonny will be more than happy to walk you through the process of getting started and offer advice to any contest participant who needs it.

Competition rules

Application Deadline: December 31, 2008

To enter America's Future Foundation College Blogger Contest, complete the online registration form to nominate your blog. From all the submitted nominations, AFF will choose ten finalists, which will be announced in January 2009. Contest judges will monitor the finalist blogs and announce a winner in April 2009.

1. Applicants must be enrolled as undergraduate or graduate students in an accredited college during the 2008-09 school year and be age 25 or younger.

2. Applicants must complete and submit an entry form online no later than December 31, 2008.

3. Group blogs are eligible. If you are entering a group blog, at this point, please submit only the name of the blogger who will act as contact person for the group. If your group blog is chosen as a finalist, we will contact you for the names of the other bloggers.

4. Judges will judge finalist blogs on quality of the blogs, the intellectual merit of the posts, and the ability of the blogs to make a meaningful contribution to their college campuses. Judges may consider the following criteria:

Does the blog break news or offer in-depth coverage of major campus events?

What is the impact the blog has on his or her campus? How can this be demonstrated?

Does the blog effectively bring conservative and libertarian ideas to their college campus?

Does the blog demonstrate originality in thinking and analysis?

How regularly does the blogger post? How many comments does the blog receive on its posts?

In the case of group blogs, does the grouping of the individuals make sense to its content and/or enhance the quality of the blog?

5. The decision of the judges is final. America's Future Foundation reserves the right to not award a prize.

Blog Nomination Form

Fill out this form to nominate your blog for the AFF College Blogger Contest. All fields must be completed to be entered.

First Name
Last Name
Email
Address
City
State
Zip