The Dissidents

On the eve of America's 250th anniversary, 1776 Forward co-founders K. Joia Houheneka and Chris Bush hosted an evening that accomplished what few conversations manage: it modeled the very thing it celebrated.The event brought together original contributors to the Free Society Coalition's Philadelphia Declaration as well as current active members, including David Kelley, Lawrence Reed, Brent Hamachek, Felisa Blazek, Dan Isadore, and Craig Kreinbihl.The discussion moved across three distinct threads. First, the backstory: how roughly sixty people representing different philosophical traditions, faith backgrounds, and views on contested issues gathered in Philadelphia in 2024 and committed to finding shared moral ground upstream from politics. Participants described eleven drafting iterations, months of working sessions, and at least one full day debating the definition of agency. This was a process of seeking consensus that mirrored, as several noted, the Founding Fathers’ own long dialogue before 1776.Second, the substance: what actually made it into the declaration, and why. David Kelley articulated the document's anchoring premise — that reality, reason, individual agency, and voluntary exchange form the moral bedrock of a free society — and distinguished the negative rights the Founders enshrined in America’s originating documents from the obligation-imposing "rights" that have proliferated in the years since.Third, the practice: using the FSC's Happy Birthday Freedom brochure as a live guide, the group modeled Socratic discussion, demonstrating how probing questions about the Declaration of Independence’s most consequential phrases can open genuine reflection rather than partisan debate.Two moments stood out. Brent Hamachek's observation that consensus wasn't about finding a right word but the right word, every single one. And Dan Isadore's argument that treating someone as a genuine individual in conversation isn't just good manners, but the practical test of whether you actually believe what the Declaration says.The brochure and the Philadelphia Declaration are available at freesocietycoalition.org and fscbrochure.com. Read both documents and tune into this lively panel, which brings those documents to life, and hear about the many ways every American can take positive actions to honor the legacy of our founding 250 years ago, and how to carry forward the light of liberty into the next 250!

"Bad ideas survive when people are too afraid to speak up." Shelly Norden, Ken Pope, and Leigh Vlasblom join hosts Chris and Joia for a special episode promoting the America at 250 initiative—including an event in June to reclaim the founding principles of free speech, civil discourse, and limited government as America approaches its 250th birthday. Ken notes a disturbing ripple effect in our current culture: bad education leads to bad ideas in media, law, and every other institution. "It all comes back to education," Shelly stresses, where instead kids should learn "how to debate openly, how to not take things personally.” Leigh adds a radical proposal: simply read the founding documents—they're free, yet schools claim they have "no money." Pennsylvania's school law even requires an hour of civics education taught every week, yet "we've abandoned the original sources" in favor of "big corporations writing new textbooks that have modified history." The solution is grassroots: support educators and school board members doing good work, encourage those who could do better, and protect those being personally attacked for offering opposing opinions. About the America at 250 Event: Happening June 12-13 in Arlington, VA, the America at 250 initiative brings together leaders, educators, school board members, parents, and concerned citizens to spark a grassroots movement reclaiming the founding principles that built this nation. The event features lectures, discussions, tours, and interactive experiences designed to equip community members with the knowledge and courage to defend American values and civil discourse in their local schools and communities. Shelly, Ken, and Leigh are leading this effort to ensure that as we enter our next 250 years, we're grounded in the original sources—the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Federalist Papers—and committed to teaching the next generation how to think critically, debate respectfully, and defend the freedoms we've inherited. Whether you're a parent concerned about what's happening in classrooms, an educator seeking to restore civics education, or simply someone who believes in the power of the founding documents, America at 250 offers a platform to connect, learn, and take action.Registration and more information available at leadershipinstitute.org/americaat250.

“If it bleeds, it leads," they say—and in the algorithm age, we're all drowning in egregiously hyperbolic content designed to polarize. In the wake of the third assassination attempt on President Trump, plus Charlie Kirk's tragic murder and attacks on the UnitedHealthcare CEO and various state representatives, Chris and Joia launch a new Hot Takes mini-series confronting what the data shows is an alarming trend: Americans—especially young Americans—increasingly accept politically-oriented violence as justified.Chris and Joia argue this rise directly correlates with the decline of free speech culture, driven by the noxious idea that "speech is violence," which has blurred the lines of distinction between speech and physical force. They warn against carving out exceptions, noting that even after World War II, we responded to Nazis with the Nuremberg Trials, not with such a quick insistence on violence that so many seem to harbor today.The mission of this multi-part series will be to question, explore, and try to figure out how to reinstate some of the basic understanding and values around free speech in order to stop this trend toward violence. It’s crucial, because when you can't distinguish words from weapons, civilization itself becomes the casualty.Here are links for data, polls, and surveys referenced in this episode:https://expression.fire.org/p/gen-z-is-10-times-more-acceptinghttps://x.com/kanekoathegreat/status/2048215568118133246?s=43&t=VYiTS2LZUOf6UxNW9GkBlA Americans say politically motivated violence is increasing, and they see many reasons why Political Violence in America: Public Perceptions, Polarization, and Accountability